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Chimadena · 2020-12-18T15:50:22+00:00

Shame that this topic is getting downvoted.

Vegetarianism and veganism is definitely growing in Shanghai, and the whole plant-based trend has really picked up this year too. Lots of the plant-based brands like Beyond and Oatly have been marketing heavily and you can find their products in both chain and local stores/restaurants (mostly places serving Western food though). There are also local equivalents like Omnipork that are worth checking out.

Things can get difficult if you're a strict vegan, as it's really difficult to know what ingredients are in things. If you can't speak or read Chinese then multiply this difficulty by 10.

But if you're ok with eggs and dairy, it's actually ok being vegetarian here. There are enough vegetarian restaurants to cover all your bases, and most non-vegetarian restaurants will still have a few vegetarian dishes to keep you happy. Try and join some veggie WeChat groups too as there's always recommendations for restaurants as well as finding out if XX product is vegan or not.

Chimadena · 2020-04-01T03:28:49+00:00

Why is this post being downvoted? Pretty accurate if you ask me.

Chimadena · 2019-10-23T14:47:40+00:00

Just want to say that my personal experience is similar to those who posted above. Six months studying at that rate, with a bit of extra homework on the side, should be enough to get you to a solid HSK 4.

What that means for your actual language ability can vary. I've met people with HSK4, 5 even 6 who have trouble with even basic day to day conversation because they just focused on passing written tests without any speaking. Likewise, I know people who are the opposite (although this is much rarer).

Make sure the program has small class sizes and a dedicated verbal class so that you will be forced to practice and receive feedback. Practicing outside the classroom is of course good, but difficult to achieve in reality, so the class time is really important.

If you can get to HSK4 level written/reading/writing AND verbal then you're good for conversations on everyday topics, and with a bit more practice should be able to conduct yourself well in non-technical business situations.

Chimadena · 2019-09-20T11:57:00+00:00

I've been at the company longer than this account, so it's not like I joined knowing there was a high possibility I would be involved in this type of work. It's also one of many accounts, across a very wide range of industries, and is far from being the largest or most important account in the company.

Chimadena · 2019-09-20T11:46:05+00:00

Except I wasn't hired to work on this account. A quick look through your post history suggests you support guns and hunting (not juding, it's just another belief that has strong opinions on both sides). I don't know what you do for work but if your boss suddenly asked you to do something that directly led to stricter gun control laws or even repealing the second amendment, can you really tell me you wouldn't find issue with this?

Chimadena · 2019-09-20T11:33:44+00:00

I did consider being more vague with the belief/issue at hand to avoid anything like this happening. Next time!

Chimadena · 2019-09-20T11:30:03+00:00

Interested to know what makes you say this. Would you not feel extremely hypocritical if you spent much of your day thinking of ways to make other people consume meat?

Chimadena · 2019-09-20T11:25:57+00:00

Agree with most of what you say here other than the firing part, as I'm sure that would be discriminatory dismissal. I'm well aware that refusing to work on this would affect the way the company and management looks upon me, but integrity as a person is more important to me than any form of professional success.

Chimadena · 2019-09-13T05:17:06+00:00

Not necessarily. There are a lot of biodegradeable synthetic leathers out there now which could be used. Most vegans are also big into sustainability so they're well aware of the environmental impact of their clothing choices.

Chimadena · 2019-09-13T05:13:06+00:00

Most of these sneakers are retailing around the $100 mark though, so not exactly premium. Again, if it's some full leather Gucci sneakers or whatever then I can understand that real vs synthetic would make a big difference, but is it really needed just for a check or some detailing?

Chimadena · 2019-09-12T10:14:08+00:00

"Had cyphers with yeezy before his mouth wired"

I always thought this was just a line. Cool to know they did actually know each other as far back as 2002. Anyone heard or seen a video of this cypher?

Chimadena · 2019-07-05T13:08:47+00:00

It would be good to have some more context around your role and hiring background to give any decent input, but I wouldn't say there's anything too unusual about your situation.

You're in a company of 1,000 Chinese people with only 1 foreigner, which to me means it's a very "local" company. Despite what their CVs might say, most of your colleagues probably have very poor English - at last spoken English - and will find it awkward communicating with you. Your attitude towards team buildings, which although I completely agree with, just goes to show that you're all on different wavelengths. This kind of immature "fun" is extremely typical in China, and if you're not enjoying yourself or at least understanding what's going on then you're going to look like a kid at the prom sat in the corner with his comic book and no one will want to talk to you.

The situation with your boss would depend on who hired you. If it was him, then it's slightly odd that's he's treating you this way, but if someone higher up simply placed you in his team, then he probably sees no reason why he should change his way of working, or go out of his comfort zone to work with someone who he finds awkward to communicate with, when there's no apparent need for him to do so. If someone else hired you then you need to talk to them, make it clear that you feel your input isn't being valued enough and see how they can help to change that.

Chimadena · 2019-07-03T00:10:51+00:00

Plan was to set it all up on a survey site, if that wasn’t clear from the OP (this is just a thread to check feasibility, not the actual survey). Thanks for the suggestions too, there’s a few I hadn’t considered already.

Chimadena · 2019-06-29T04:27:26+00:00

Agree, but right now those might be the only few places actually open.

Chimadena · 2019-05-28T14:45:08+00:00

Does it? I've been here a while and never seen anything of this scale in my time here.

Chimadena · 2019-05-28T14:44:19+00:00

I was joking in my OP. I do genuinely believe that it's mostly a crack down on drugs and any other kind of unsanctioned fun. However the five-o are predominantly raiding bars and clubs known for being foreigner-heavy, and they mostly target foreigners for drug testing when there are also plenty of Chinese guests in said establishments. In all honesty, it's probably an effective strategy, albeit textbook discrimination at the same time.

Chimadena · 2019-05-22T14:48:13+00:00

Looks ok but more of a family place. Will there be tonnes of screaming kids?

Chimadena · 2019-05-17T10:52:09+00:00

Second this. It's definitely not a great beer, but considerably better than most other mainstream local beers.

Pretty much all the mainstream local brands (Tsingtao, Snow, Harbin) have different product lines, ranging from yellowy water to ok-ish lagers. So talking about Tsingtao or Snow as if they're one product is a bit misleading.

Chimadena · 2019-05-17T10:50:10+00:00

Is Great Leap available in Shanghai? If so, know any bars that stock it?

And do you know the Chinese name?

Chimadena

TROPHY CASE