Pictures, We Got 'Em!

How about a few Olympic (and Olympic-ish) pictures...
Conditions were pretty harsh heading up to Krasnaya Polyana the other morning...



I'd say the Sochi SWAT Team is looking pretty good for a berth on the 2016 Russian Rifle Team in Rio.

And the Interweb memes have arrived. Doge makes an appearance at Speed Skating...

Very skate, forsooth!

The Canadian Skeleton Team has some great helmet art...



I don't know which is scarier- the one on the left or the one on the right...






Someone is getting into the spirit up at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Day of the Dead Art

I really like Día De Los Muertos artwork...
Thought I'd share some with you...

(Click pic for biggification)

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Most of these are from here...

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Tower Bridge - Opening Ceremonies

As usual, I tried to stay as far from the Olympic Park as possible for opening ceremonies.
I was trying to get to Florida, but alas, my request to make an early departure was denied (even after the double-homed network switch I tried to take credit for...)


Walking into the hotel last night I saw quite the crowd down on the riverbank, so I stopped to have a peek.

(click a pic to engorginate)

Oooh. Pretty lights!


Explosives- Cool!




I had no idea what was going on at the time, but as the speedboat came through we saw the torch in the bow at the last moment...


After shooting one or two more pics I headed up to my room and didn't even turn on the broadcast...
I didn't find out it was Beckham in the speedboat until this morning around 4:30... when I got up to go to work.
We've been catching replays of the opening ceremonies between events here at the IBC this morning.  Okay- off to Athletics this AM.
Now that the OC is done I can get over to the Stadium to set up for Track & Field.

TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Busy Busy...

But not too busy for a pic from outside the hotel...


Shot on my iPad w/ Snapseed - Click to Enlarge
TBG- ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Fallen Princesses

I'll bet that houseful of dwarves looks pretty nice about now.

Belle is trying to avoid becoming the Beast.

A whole new world, eh, Jasmine...

How's life in the fishbowl Ariel?

I guess Rapunzel's tower was built on a landfill.

(I know, cancer, not funny. It's not supposed to be funny.)

Proxi, getting in the Halloween spirit

Spring Break Fun

Okay, Constant Readers, Pop Quiz time...

Quick,

Which one is the Canadian?


TBG, out at poolside...

Street Meat

-or-

Barbecue, Shanghai Style

Neal (Shanghai Sound Guy) came over to our corner (a/k/a The Dark Side) as we were packing up to leave last night.
"Hey- you up for some barbecue?" he asked me.
Constant Readers who know me will affirm that I'll eat a half-cooked mouse if there is enough cumin and coriander on hand.
"Sure." I said.
I checked with SpongeMark to see if he was interested-
He said he'd take a pass. He and Olivier headed back to the Mayfair as I left with Mal, Michelle and Neal, heading to what was being billed as "Street Meat. You know, Meat on a stick."

We drove up into the neighborhood near Hongqiao airport around midnight...
There was a sweatshop where little Chinese women were cranking out Michelin Man parkas, and right next door on the sidewalk there was a large refrigerated case full of skewered goodies.
(To tell the truth, I was a little surprised to see the refrigerated case. I'm used to seeing the piles of kebab meat just sitting on a plate on a table, exposed to the elements and/or worse.)

The "restaurant" was a 10' x 10' room off lit by a TV set showing a Hong Kong police drama. There were 4 tables inside this space each holding 4 to 6 Chinese diners.

The Larder

The case of...things to eat.


Neal & Michelle picking out our dinner.


Eggplant, fungus, potato & lotus kebabs.


More goodies-
Corn on the cob, fish on a stick and mystery meat.


You give your bin of groceries to the girl...


...and she puts it in the queue to be cooked by the GrillMaster.


The Grillmaster slathers on chili oil or some dry spices as he cooks the Street Meat...
Everything gets the same treatment...Enoki mushrooms get the same treatment as potatoes, the same for fish or lamb or any of the other items.

A table inside the "restaurant" cleared out and the four of us moved in to await our dinner. We ordered 2 large bottles of "Snow Beer" and waited for our food.


Dinner begins to arrive.
Shrimp, lamb, chicken wingtips and octopus...


Cauliflower, eggplant, bread & potato chips.


Mushrooms, eggplant and potato chips.

One thing about the food... Since it is all cooked the same way, and the spices are used the same way for everything, it all pretty much tasted the same...
The only difference between the lamb and, say, the mushrooms is the texture...


I had a great time... and since I'm at work with no ill effects, I'm either starting to get immune to the Shanghainese food-poisoning bacteria, or maybe the restaurant was just cleaner than the average hotel kitchen and dining room.
(A distinct possibility. Unlikely, but possible.)

TBG out-

Fun on the Menu - Di Shui Dong

A few evenings ago I posted a pic via my Crackberry of a menu entry at a restaurant here in Shanghai.
SpongeMark and I returned there on Thursday Night to sample the delicacies of Di Shui Dong, a Hunan restaurant on Maoming Lu near the Shanxi metro stop in Shanghai.

Di Shui Dong serves....Wait for it...

...Although I think they need to use a different word here.


There were several goodies on the menu here...so in no particular order...

Dog
The classic - Dog. Shitzu or Great Dane, I don't know.
But only in cold weather. Why?
We surmise it's easier to catch the dogs when the weather turns colder.
They just leave the kitchen door open and the pups come in to get out of the cold.

Paw
I don't know which is more unappetizing.
Chicken Paw or Shredded Pig's Ear.


Braised bullfrog.
Not frogs legs... Just plain bullfrog.


Tripe tip or Fried Bullfrog.
(They have lots of ways to prepare bullfrog at Di Shui Dong.)


(Sorry about the focus)
Spongemark: "I don't care how many ways they flavor it. I'm not eating it."


Stinky tofu.
Truth in advertising.


Pig Bone.
No Meat. Just bone.


Matrimony vine?
I guess if you can get someone to eat blackbone chicken, you would have to marry them.


It wasn't so lucky for the pumpkin, was it?


Human...Pickles.

Wow.

Now, I don't want you to think that the entire menu was a horror.
Actually, it was some of the best food that I have found in Shanghai.

Hunan cuisine is very spicy... Lots of garlic, chili, peppers and chili oils.

Some of our dishes from dinner on Thursday...


An awesome fried rice... Fried egg, pork, green beans, mushrooms, green chilis, red chilis, a hint of chili oil and other spices.


Green beans with pork belly (a/k/a Bacon) and chili oil.


Fried Eggplant with peppers and chili flakes


Shrimp with fried garlic and chilis.
After the shrimp were gone, SpongeMark ate an entire spoon of the garlic & chilis all by themselves. Of course, about 5 this morning he was regretting it...


Get a close look at all this garlicky goodness... the fried shrimps, the chili and green onions. Oh. My.


Fried corn in chili oil with pine nuts.
This was great...


My favorite dish... Spare ribs.
You have to see a close up of all the spicy goodness...


Look at all the goodies here... Peppers & chilis, caraway, cumin, coriander...
I could eat 3 plates of these all by myself.


And at the end of the meal... Toffee Bananas...
Battered & fried banana slices with a crystallized toffee glazing.
Crunchy and hot and sweet and amazing.

Oh, we're going back... even if they *do* have dog on the menu.

TBG, dining out-