As soon as we mentioned to our guide in Kunming that we like tea, we ended up in a tea shop. We tried a few raw Pu-Er teas and resisted the very popular fermented Pu-Er teas. The lady attending to us studied tea at Kunming university and was very knowledgable. After two hours I ended up buying an expensive but mediocre Pu-Er Bin (disc).
Kunming is the capital of Yunnan province in China. Yunnan sees over 200 million visitors every year and Kunming airport over 20 million. Due to mining, hydro-electric power and tourism is Yunnan booming. The increase in wealth is clearly visible in the booming real estate sector. Therefore it was a relief to find this charming old-style restaurant tucked away in a little side-alley.
Yunnan provinence is famous of its tea, Pu-Er tea to be precise. This very specific type of tea has a history that dates back over 1000 years. In fact, some of the tea trees in Yunnan are even older than that. And they still produce wonderful tea. Isn't that amazing? Is is therefore no surprise that Pu-Er tea is one of the oldest and most valuable teas in the world.
I spent the last ten days on the bumpy roads in Yunnan, visiting tea farmers, watching Pu-Er being made and drinking lots of tea. Here are my first posts from the Jingmai mountains where I watched the tea harvest and processing while sleeping in the tiny little mountain village of Mangjing.
Picture: Preparting Roti Canai at an Indian streetside restaurant.
It seems to me that Malaysia is still a bit
of a backwater for most Western tourists. Thailand is much more famous for its
culinary delights. It actually goes so far that a Malaysian restaurant sells
its fare under the label “Thai”. A shame indeed as Malaysia offers a unique mix
of Malay, Chinese and Indian delicacies. On a typical day I could have Dim Sum
Chinese dumplings for breakfast, an Indian Tandoori chicken with butter naan
bread for lunch and Malaysian Roti Canai bread with gravy for dinner. Do not
expect fine dining with white table cloths but simple, fast and honest food that
is incredible savory and amazingly cheap. And yes, you can even get Thai food
in Malaysia as well as Lebanese, Japanese and Italian food.
Picture: Indian Puri bread prepared by my amazing aunt in Kuala Lumpur.
Picture: Homemade southern Indian food - the best ever!
Yes, this is a café next to famous Cheah Si Sek Tek Tong temple in Georgetown, Penang. Unfortunately it was closed that day I passed it (hopefully only temporarily). I was wondering what it looked like inside.
Right next to Beach Street in old Georgetown Old Town White Coffee is where I get my daily coffee fix while visiting Penang. I love Old Town White Coffees relaxed and laid-back atmosphere and its coffee range.
Website: www.oldtown.com.my
Picture: Big ducks roasting to perfection over a wood fire.
Still the best Peking Duck I know of! Min Jiang at One North, Singapore. Everyday dozens of big ducks are roasted in a wood-oven to perfection. The duck is then sliced into thin pieces right next to your table. The meat is super tender with crisp skin and yummy Peking duck sauce. A must try should you ever want to experience Chinese cuisine at its best.
http://www.goodwoodparkhotel.com/min-jiang-at-one-north-,dining_viewItem_11-en.html
Picture: Inherit or work hard for it?
I recently visited family and relatives in Asia. While eating heaps of yummy food a recurring topic is the upbringing and tuition of the 20 plus children and teenagers. Some are studying at local schools, others at international ones. Some are destined to become a doctor while others want to go in business. After many conversations one thing has become clear: parents and relatives worry more about boys than girls. Most dads miss the “hunger” and yearning in their sons. One dad put it nicely. He said that his son could become a pilot, a cook or a sports teacher. All is fine with me. But whatever option he proposes to his son, the son seems not to catch on. Furthermore his son seems not to be motivated by money or materialistic things. Which did not surprise me as the sons gets everything from the dad: travels, electronics and even a car. So is there something wrong with the boys in Asia, or even globally? Probably not. Here is what I have been able to gather so far.
There is a new generation coming up. A generation that has everything from a materialistic point of view. This generation cannot be motivated by a fancy car or a big house. Quite the contrast. They already have experienced the spoils of modern living, having attended good schools and been given any gift conceivable. So what do they yearn for? They yearn for a more spiritual, sometimes even religious, life. A balance between work, a comfortable life and a higher purpose. They yearn for meaning and sometimes, interestingly, for tradition or roots. Social contacts, mostly through social medias like Facebook, is their competitive playing field. This is where they spend a lot of time and where battles are fought (e.g. cyber mobbing). But why are boys more slacking in the eyes of the older generation?
I think boys are lacking adventure, danger and confrontations. Today we live in a relatively safe world. We can easily travel to almost any spot on the globe and most countries have abandoned compulsory military service. In short, there is little adventure left. There are no more dragons to be slain or maidens to be saved. King Arthur and Lancelot would get bored out of their skulls. I think this absence of a villain or battle makes many boys nowadays slack. Spending twenty years in school, listening to other people’s thoughts and sitting for exams doesn’t excite them anymore. There is a dire need for modern day dragons!Picture: Phoenix Printer in Georgetown, Penang.
Business cards have become somewhat of a nuisance nowadays as in a professional context you get them handed out almost in the same moment someone says hello. At least if that person is doing sales. On the other hand, I know business people that make a point in not handing out business cards. In a private context thanks to Facebook, cards have become obsolete. I still use good old-fashioned cards every now and then. The responses I get are unanimously positive. A tastefully made card handed out at the right moment can be utterly charming, believe me. Upon wondering around UNESCO World Heritage Georgetown, Malaysia, I came across an old printing shop that prints business cards on old printing presses. I couldn’t resist and ordered some new cards for personal use. I ordered gold-embossed business cards on Conquer 280g paper, a feast for the eyes! Nothing beats the smell of good old ink! And at about 10 cents a card they are an excellent investment. An elderly Chinese lady attended to me. She told me that she has worked for over 50 years in the same printing shop. How amazing is that?
Picture: A vintage HiFi shop in Zurich.
With the advent of iTunes, iPods and iPhones the good old HiFi industry has seen a steady decline. Who would still want to buy a good old fashioned amplifiers the size of a microwave oven or loud speakers the size of a school kid clogging up the living room? Well, it seems quite a few people in Zurich. It is surprising how many HiFi shops still exist. On a recent count I found more than ten. And my favorite shop? A quirky and cluttered vintage HiFi shop with dozens of ancient Marantz, Sony and Revox amplifiers and CD players. And as any musician or engineer can verify beats analog signals beat digital signals by far when it comes to perfect music replication. Nothing beats the sound and glow of an old-fashioned Marantz amplitude meter!
Cuno Affolter is an expert on comics and heads the biggest comic library in Europe in Lausanne. Interestingly he created a little microcosm of his own life in a room in Lausanne. He called the room, stuffed with hundreds of found objects, his therapy room. Everything has its correct place. It is a truly beautiful mess!
www.museumimlagerhaus.ch
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