It’s been now two and a half years since we moved from China back to the U.S., and I went back into a segment of the  industry that manufactures product  in the U.S.  In that time I’ve really only gone back to the Middle Kinkdom (yes, my spelling) 3 times, each for short runs to work on special projects, but in all reality, the bulk of my work doesn’t involve dealing with Chinese manufacturers.  I still however, voraciously follow the day to day political, social and economic goings in China. And many times, while I’m clicking through various Twitter feeds and links, I ask myself “why?”

Really, I don’t live there any more, rarely travel there anymore, and other than sourcing the odd bit of machinery or equipment I don’t really do business there any more.  At this point in life I’m like the vast majority of American’s that have no direct ties to China, except for my wife’s family and such. So I ask myself “Why?”

First, after living there for 8 years, I think China pretty much “gets in your blood.”   I still have friends there, and although the list of friends still in China seems to be dwindling,  we still keep in touch by various social media and such, and it’s interesting to see what’s going on at the usual hang outs, who’s doing what with who and such.

Second,  to keep track of economics and financial happenings.  Forget the whole “China owns the US debt” thing, in reality it’s only 9-point-something percent, of the debt, and even though in the corporate world that’s enough to make you a majority stockholder and get you a seat or two on the board of directors,  I think in the world financial community,  it doesn’t give you a right to control a country.  But, and this is what directly affects the sort of business I’m in,  as costs in China rise, what is the tipping point where it’s just as cost effective to manufacture consumer goods such as footwear, apparel, furniture and such in the U.S. as it is in China?   And if it does become comparatively cost efficient to produce in the U.S., can we.  So far anecdotal evidence leads me to believe probably not.

Third, geopolitical.  As China’s appetite for raw materials and food grows, so does chances for rising tensions in the Pacific region.  Already we’ve seen tensions between South Korea and other countries regarding Chinese fishermen poaching their fishing grounds as China’s waters become over- fished.   China has also laid claim to several disputed territories, and will be interesting to see what happens when they try to press that claim?

Fourth, it’s interesting to see others’ take on the current situation in China.  Some, like Gordon Chang seem to think China will collapse in 2012.  I’m pretty skeptical of that, I think those that really believe that China’s impending collapse is just a short time away are playing “wishful thinking” and hoping to see the CCCP get their comeuppance.  And, there’s no shortage of pundits that head to China for a week and think they’re experts.  There’s an old saying, goes something like this.  “Go to China for a week, you can write a magazine article.  Go to China for a month, you can write a book.  Spend 5 years in China, and you realize you don’t, and never will know squat.”  It’s been 15 years since I first set foot off the train at the train station in Guangzhou after taking the train from Hong Kong, and I still find things that amaze me.

Finally, China is just a damn interesting place, and there’s a lot to learn from their experience.  How to do things, like foster capitalism, which they seem to be doing better than the U.S. at this point in time. And how not to do things, such as human rights, religious freedom, and the culture of corruption in government and business.  And just when I thought I had it figured out, well there’s another twist or side to the story.   It’s like an onion,  you have to peel back the layers to get to the core.

When I lived in China  I still kept track of the Cardinals, listened to St. Louis radio at night,  and even kept track of the Rams.   (Ok, I like torture)   Now, I read the news on China, and I every once in a while tune into CRI, (just for grins) and get  just a little bit homesick for China when I hear “Hotel California”

Radio Daze

Posted: 12/17/2011 by Bob S in News, Travel
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Ok, call this a bit of whining, but since moving back to St. Louis I can’t seem to get settled with a morning radio drive time program I like.  Since I grew up here, you’d think I’d just return to my favorite station and be happy with what’s on.  Since my return I can’t seem to get comfortable with a morning program.

Since I left St. Louis, I’ve lived in a variety of cities and countries, and in each place I had managed to find morning drive time radio I could settle into.

Sometimes there wasn’t much choice.  In China and P.R.  there was only one station that could remotely be called English speaking,  CRI in China played top 40 western hits, and at the top of the hour would do news in various languages, one hour would be English, next German, next French, etc.    In Puerto Rico there was “Hits FM” that broadcast in English, or an Armed Forces radio station if you were close enough to the old air force base.

Los Angeles had a wide variety of choices, but I normally settled into Mark and Brian, a comedy duo on KLOS 95.5 Classic Rock that puts on a good show, or KNX 1070 which is an all news station, and had frequent traffic reports if I had to make the twice weekly commute from Simi Valley to Mira Loma.

Even east Tennessee had some choices I could settle in with, John Boy and Billy,  a humorous with a side of classic rock syndicated radio show received out of  a Knoxville station, or the local Morristown AM station, for local news and talk and a folksy atmosphere.

But for some reason, can’t seem to get comfortable with a morning program in St. Louis.

Trying KMOX, “the Voice of St. Louis” but just not relating to the content. Maybe it’s the time span I”m listening, basically starting around 6:40 a.m. for about 20 minutes. Or maybe it’s just not very entertaining in between commercials.  Plus the intro to the Happy Birthday segment, where some guy yells “It’s My Birthday” is totally annoying – makes even my fillings rattle.  Some of the other shows,I’ve tried,  Bob and Tom  on KSHE 94.7, but it doesn’t have the “local” feel I’m looking for.  NPR?  Not in the mood for in depth news at that hour.

What happened to the old morning drive time shows of old, where you got some humor, entertainment, traffic, music every once in a while?  The type of shows where when you got in the car in the morning you felt like you were listening to an old friend on the radio, and not being hit on the head with political opinion,   Mark Klose, J.C. Corcoran (in between suspensions and firings) a few others that have slipped my mind.

Maybe it’s because of my short drive to work, really only about a 20 minute drive if that long  I’ve not settled into a morning show, or maybe my tastes in music have changed.  Maybe it’s the state of corporate radio these days stifling the creativity of  DJ’s in general, and morning DJ’s in particular.

Anyone can come up with some good suggestions, “I’m all ears”

Bun This!

Posted: 12/14/2011 by Bob S in Dining
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Recent post by a friend on Facebook reminded me and several others about a great taste from our high school cafeteria days.  Ok, now I know what you’re thinking.  “Great Taste”  and “High School Cafeteria” are mutually exclusive terms.   I don’t think anyone has ever said “Gee, I think I’ll eat in a high school cafeteria because the food is outstanding.”  Well, maybe after Jamie Oliver visits with his Food Revolution, but otherwise, not so much.

this-is-how-i-roll mcs But, at my high school alma-mater,  Southwest High in St. Louis, we did have our favorites, remembered by many. Now this was back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, before the movement to bring junk food into public school system cafeterias, when the meals were actually somewhat healthy, many scratch made.   Meat loaf, roast beef, stuffed green peppers, cabbage rolls, all were standard fare.  No hamburgers, pizza, chicken mystery nuggets.  Mostly it was road side diner food if i recall,

But there is one item from the menu that still stands out in a lot of our memories, even “gasp” 40 years later.  That is the bread rolls they served as a side.  For the princely sum or ten cents, you got two rolls and a pat of butter.  Real butter on a little piece of waxed paper, not a mini-tub of margarine sealed in it’s own packaging.  The rolls had a unique taste, were not too dense nor too light, and were great for eating plain, with butter, or used for dipping into soups and my favorite, chili.

Here’s the recipe, courtesy of Vickie P.

This recipe makes 4.5 dozen so you’ll have to cut the recipe for how many you want to make
10 cups flour
3 cakes yeast
¾ cup sugar
… 2 teas salt
¾ cup lard or crisco
2 cups luke warm water
2 cups luke warm milk
Soften the yeast in ½ cup luke warm water. Blend lard(or Crisco) with sugar, salt, & flour. Add milk & remaining water. Then add softened yeast. Knead until smooth and satiny, set aside to rise for 1 hour. After 1 hour form into rolls & set in a warm place to rise. When doubled in size, bake 15 to 20 minutes at 425 degrees. Yields 4.5 dozen rolls

That phrase has a lot of meaning with this first post.  After leaving the St. Louis area in April 1996, moving to L.A., China, Arizona, back to China, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, and now somehow back to the St. Louis area, the prodigal son has returned to the city of his roots. Realized that it’s been 5 years since I’ve celebrated my birthday living in the same place.  While it’s been interesting and somewhat challenging, it’s also been a bit tiring, packing, moving, temporary housing, readjusting.  My wife has been very patient with this, but I think the last move here to STL has put her to the edge of her patience.  After all, as I go ahead to the new job, she remains to pack and deal with movers, then unpack at the new place.

And with this latest move, now stateside pretty much permanently, we leave the previous blog  ChinaFubar, and start anew.  I’ll still cover news and business in China from time to time, but the main focus will be on this blog, a much wider ranging set of subjects covering food, travel, adjustment to life stateside after 8 years in the Middle Kinkdom (no that’s not a misspelling) and a variety of other subjects depending on my whim at the moment.