Hairy Crab Farm!

Apologies my beloved, loyal, lingering blog- readership. This VPN business still hasn't sorted itself, so I'm stuck blogging through email and have no way to post pictures. Sigh.

Last Thursday I had a fantastic I-love-my-job day: I got to drive out to a hairy crab farm in Jiangsu Province, about an hour and fifteen minutes outside Shanghai. There I interviewed a crab farmer who grew up in a mud hut and has a third grade education but now makes close to US $60,000, thanks to the skyrocketing demand for hairy crabs and a bit of good business sense.

As part of my interview, I got to eat at the little restaurant on the farm. And let me tell you, hairy crab is delicious. It comes from a lake, and even the big ones are pretty small -- with bodies a bit bigger than my fist. But the meat is soooo good. Different from king crab - sweeter, and maybe even more buttery.

Then I got to go out in a little motor boat and see the crab plot. I appreciate fresh air so much more living in filthy Shanghai - where I've noticed the difference on the skin and in my breathing since they lived the construction moratorium now that the world expo's over (hello, wicked-high particulate matter levels...)

Today I had an interview at a hair salon (with the owner) and afterward he offered me a free wash. Well actually he asked if I'd like a facial or a massage, but I figured I'd go with a wash and blow so I could get back to the office quicker.

I wound up getting a really nice wash, a style, plus a neck/back/hand massage somewhere in between. Oh, and an ear cleaning. Right now my hair smells fabulous.

Then tonight I went to dinner with the food editor. We were checking out a new Taiwanese place in town. I miss Taiwanese food soooo much living in Shanghai where the local cuisine is sweet, oily, and goopy. 

The restaurant we visited was very solid, and I was able to snag a special Taiwanese soda to bring home to James - something he'd just been saying he missed.

I'm really busy these days, but I don't mind so much since it's doing what I love (well, doing what I love plus spending the other half the day doing dull administrative type things). 

I don't have much of a chance to write here anymore, but the exciting thing is I'm getting so much writing done at work now. 

After the hair salon I went back to the office and think I may have talked my boss into sending me on a traveling assignment (within China). 

There are so many good stories here. And I'm getting to do so many cool things. Sometimes I feel so lucky, I don't think I should talk about it too much.

Since most (and by that I think I mean all) of you can't see the print edition, I'll put links here as the stories come online.

And yes, I will continue to blog as much as I can. Once I get the VPN situation sorted, I will be instating some password-protected posts. More on that later. Toodles!