Forums > Food & Drink > Import foods expanded in C4 Nan Ya Trolling issues aside... It is a bit disingenuous to say that by definition noodles = healthy, or that prepared fresh = no use of preservatives or chemicals. @mmkunming teacher—if you do know mixian shops who make EVERYTHING from start to finish from scratch, please do start listing them on GoKunming. Frankly that would make a ton of people happy, as the biggest issue many people have with Chinese food is not that it is Chinese (which can be delicious and is a great set of culinary traditions) but that frequently many Chinese restaurants (not all) cut corners by using a variety of chemically-enhanced and preservative added ingredients—just the same as many western products do.
You said you wanted evidence, okay fair enough. A bulk of Chinese imports of foodstuffs come from abroad due to quality control standards, so much so many Chinese consumers will opt to pay 10X more for products like baby formula that are from Aus/NZ/USA than their cheaper Chinese counterparts. Similarly, mainland China does not enjoy a strong export of native foodstuffs because the quality cannot be guaranteed or because there are so many knock-offs. For example, in trying to use DNA barcoding to test what kind of "protein" was actually in Chinese Yak meat packaged for sale/export (as Chinese is a key producer of it) over half of the meat designated as yak was actually something else. Chinese alcohol and even soy sauce face similar problems, where producers can cut the actual ingredients with other chemicals that are cheaper in order to increase the profit margin.
Anyways, as you said, get the thread back on track. The original thread was on more imported products being available in Carrefour. The merits of Chinese foodstuffs was a derailment, so fine. Glad to see people can buy something that makes them feel more at home. In the US, I'd be equally glad to hear another Asian grocery store was opening to allow immigrants or those working far from home to get something that makes them feel better.
Forums > Food & Drink > Arabic food I've been actively looking for this year for years, but so far found only a few random places that do an occasional mid-eastern / north African style dish. A few places offer decent humus or olive dishes, but nothing really close to the traditional dishes. Closest Chinese city I know with a good mid-eastern cuisine selection are either Guangzhou or Hong Kong—there are some truly excellent places there.... sadly, none in Kunming :(
Forums > Living in Kunming > Average Monthly Salary in Kunming? Hmm... lack of an edit button. Irritating Scratch that entire first paragraph. It was uncalled for an hijacked the forum. Stressful day at work. Sincere apologies to mmkunmingteacher.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Average Monthly Salary in Kunming? @mmkunmingteacher,
Awhile ago some people accused you of being somewhat self-righteous, and frankly I've got to agree. Though I can applaud you for making the best of your experiences in China—and can respect you for it, because few people make that effort or have that desire—you don't seem to grasp that other people either cannot replicate them, or do not want to.
For reference, there is no single "real Chinese way"—definitely not in country in excess of 1 billion people. Some Chinese people are very budget savvy—others are ridiculous spendthrifts who put NYC fashionistas to shame on how much they spend on travel, clothing, luxury goods and sheer decadence (100,000 RMB bills at restaurants for example).
As a second point, when Chinese immigrants come over to Europe or the US/Canada, they often bring China with them. You cannot even walk in sections of Vancouver and see any English signs, because they are all in Mandarin or Cantonese. They do this as citizens of their new homes, and most people have no problem with that. But by the same token, aren't those of us who are "guests" (because we cannot become citizens) deserve some corner of home in a place that is quite foreign and monocultural.
Anyway, rant done. Nothing personal, no value judgments on your argument that some people can live quite nicely on a regular salary, or the choice to live a more local lifestyle. Just please accept that others have different needs/priorities/desires than you.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Electronic cigarettes? Offiicially aren't e-cigs banned in China as well as HK? I seem to remember reading online that it would interfere with tobacco proceeds, which are big in China.
Interview: Economic ecologist Yi Zhuangfang
发布者@voltaire. "greedy axe of capitalism" is a bit of a misnomer. Most of the damage in China (and the former USSR) was done under state-run initiatives. Providing people in the area with a long-term solution that creates sustainable income without cannabilizing their livelihoods is absolutely a capitalist venture, depending on how you look at it.
Riding into Kunming's future
发布者I flew out of the old airport and in to the new one this weekend, and there is a stark difference. All the signs are clearly marked in English and Chinese, staff are extremely helpful, everything is laid out logically and in general it is just a pleasure to walk through the gorgeous architecture.
The metro system was a bit less impressive as it actually ran far slower than most cars on the highway next to the track...but I expect things will speed up as the system is broken in. In all fairness, being able to walk down from the airport directly into the metro station is great, and the machines that sell the tickets for the metro system are easy to use. The cars were not bad, but at least for airport line it seemed they skimped on some of the extras (like a durable floor that doesn't show a million stains, handles to hold on to, or signs printed without typos). All in all really amazing to see how far Kunming is reaching.