Goat Eats

Just came across this article on donkey meat and flashbacks of eating goat in Ningbo raced back to me.  Luoning (my Chinese "dad" and the factory owner) told me on Monday that on Saturday, when his daughter came home from school, we were going to eat goat. I heard about how often people in the region eat goat because it's inexpensive and a great source of protein.  I hear about how their family cooks goat on occasion, but also eats it at restaurants a lot.  I heard about how the whole meal will be centered around the goat.

After all this build up, I was terrified.

On Saturday evening, Luoning's wife set out various plates of meat and vegetables and bowls of rice.  I tried to identify which was the donkey meat, but couldn't definitively say.

Low and behold, the donkey meat was dry aged donkey that she purchased at the market earlier in the day and sliced up.... just like every other meat we ate for dinner.  I hesitantly took a bite of the donkey meat, and realized it wasn't so  bad.  In fact, I swear it tasted like corned beef from any Kosher deli in the NY area.  Who knew that donkey meat would be so good?  I doubt it'll be a regular at home in New Jersey, but I really didn't mind it so much and will definitely try different preparations of donkey meat next time I'm in China.

It looked like this....

Definitely not like this....

Halong Bay in Vietnam

So beautiful - I'm dying to visit!!

Punishing China??

Recently, Senate has been weighing the pros and cons of a bill that would essentially punish China for undervaluing its currency.  Besides the politics of this legislation, there are serious economic and international relations concerns that need to be addressed.  The bill does have backing from both democrats and republicans, but there are many questions over whether it will or should become law.  Although the U.S. economy may have been damaged by China undervaluing its currency, I'm not sure that these types of punishments and sanctions will actually help the U.S. economy and effectively punish China.  Also, why do we need to punish China?  Sure, China has undervalued its currency, but at this point in time, the U.S. depends on a favorable exchange rate with China and low manufacturing costs.  Without that, the U.S. would not be able to manufacture products inexpensively, and we would surely be in more trouble than we are in right now.

The bill in question is not specifically against China, (in fact, I don't think it even mentions China) but it will impose higher tariffs for goods from countries that have misaligned currencies, namely China.  Many politicians think that such a measure is needed to show China that they cannot essentially cheat and have no consequences.  However, will the Chinese even be negatively affected by these tariffs?  I'm sure some companies may consider importing products from other countries, but for many goods, there are no viable alternatives to China.  As of right now, China is the world's manufacturer.... where else would we go to have the things we use everyday made?  There is some promise in South America and Southeast Asia, but those economies are not developed enough to truly sustain manufacturing like China does.  They lack the infrastructures that has allowed China to become so successful.  Does the U.S. really want to punish a country that we rely on so much?  Also, will this bill end up hurting American consumers?  Unless we stop importing so many goods from China, the retailers and consumers are going to have to absorb some of the costs associated with higher tariffs in the long run.  Can the consumer and the American economy handle that right now?

Needless to say, I have a lot of questions and doubts about this bill... there are definitely pros and cons, but from my perspective, it seems like a bad idea that will surely backfire and hurt the American economy.  Plus, will the Chinese even notice?  They have been investing in so many underdeveloped areas (Africa, Southeast Asia, etc.) that their economy as a whole might not even suffer from the tariffs we impose on their goods.

Can we really punish China???

Shanghai 2010 - Aquarium with coworkers from the factory during a trip to Shanghai to see the Expo

Shanghai 2010 - all the factory workers posing on the Bund

China as an Escape

When I was 15, my dad took me to China for the first time.  Now, I'm almost 21, and am still desperate to go to Asia any chance I get.  I have been to China 6 times.  Each trip was a completely different experience, during which I learned about Asia, business, and, most importantly, myself.

I'm not going to list each trip or just copy my resume.  Instead, I'd prefer to share my insights into Asian culture and business, from the perspective of someone who has grown up during each trip to China.  Although I study Asia in school, I learn the most about the region when I'm actually there, interacting with people and living and working as they do.

Most people find it random that a girl from New Jersey has become so immersed and obsessed with Asia and Asian business, but that's just how it happened.... I went to China and fell in love.  China was an escape from real life.  It was a fantasy that I was somehow living.  It still is.  Even just reading a new book about Asia or attending a lecture allows me to feel that same sense of accomplishment and wonder that I felt when I first landed in Beijing.