User profile: The Dudeson's

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Forums > Food & Drink > Over-Charging Foriegners; Slave Labour

@ Geezer
You are splitting hairs, plus your post has plenty of errors as well.
So let's stay with the idea of the op.

Overpriced coffee, big profits for the owners and sh** pay is a comman factual situation for "ALL" the cafes and joints in Kunming.

Most menus are not calculated but just compared to what a coffee cost overseas rather than based on real cost-revenue calculation (the thing you and op tried to do).
And op is right the price for coffee, the delivery production and service is cheaper than the US or Europe but the price is higher in Kunming than elsewhere, which in fact makes no sense except for greedy businesses. And paying 2000 for service staff. That is if you have years of experience and work like a maniac, if not 2000RMB in service is sheer day dreaming.
All that helping the community and minorites, i don't buy it and most is just promotion rather than help to make sure you don't mind paying irrational prices for local grown products. I believe it when I see their profits and savings being used to help, but usually it says "Buy more of our stuff and help the poor, while they send a few pennies as they keep in more than 80% (in alright cases) and usually 97-98 % for. Oldest scam in the world.

Quite disgsuting to, be honest.

The people I know 'really' helping the poor never even mention it and would never ask to help them to pay their dues or charities. They just send help and make sure it gets there, no need for publicity.

The average amount for espresso (most barrista coffes are made with espresso machines) which uses between 7-9 grams of coffee powder.

You need more than the 453 gram for your calculation, because you need more in real life sorroundings, spills, machine problems...etc
But as geezer said

'accounting is not rocket science but it is not intuitive'
.....the one without sins (mistakes) shall throw...

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Forums > Living in Kunming > first of two things I can not stand living in kunming

@Dan, bucko, niconanhai
So I am not supposed to say something when sombody is puffing a cigarette in an elevator or cab while my wife is sitting there 4 month pregnant?
what is this about China, that even foreigners are, -as soon a setting foot in China, -want to forbid to say anything bad (or obvious) about China?

It's ridiculous, of course it's ligit to moan whine or do something about it.

Seeing someone smoke in closed spaces or where people shouldn't smoke, you should open your mouth about it.

I always do and never experienced aggression towards it,... loss of face? A lot but "if you are an inconsierate a**hole not being able to hold your tobacco intake back for 1 minute being with strangers, then you never got face anyway". That is a quote from an old Chinese lady in an elevator, about a man smoking and giving her an angry face when asked to kill it.

That is the problem why there are still many courtesies not being standard in China because most people are too lazy or cowards to point out when they see it.

In MHO, they are even worse then the people doing it, especially when they come with that idiotic 'you are in China you have to accept everything that you see or that is done to you".

fortunately there is a change in awarenes already taken place, it is just is a question of time, now. More Chinese educate themselves and are travelling to other countries and absorbing the life abroad.

If people give you attitute about the smoking tell them that your lungs can't handle the smoke. It's a fact for every living being and it's polite towards strangers.

You don't say anything nothing will change,... ever!.

If you say something just say it in a proper way.

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Good stuff that makes Yunnan (China) such an amazing place to live.

Over the last week there was a lot of rant (not short of contributions by me, myself) about how much China sucks. And most points I made I stand by, but it also made me think about how much I also still love this place and I think, a lot of you guys, feel the same way. So for a change I wanted to open a thread with all the wonderful places, people and perks of this great province.

Besides my rants about China and Chinese, I love you guys (Chinese) especially my wonderful, beautiful wife....and...

My friends who are ranging from, nerdy, cool, quirky to almost literally insane (the good way),

The wonderful customers I (love to) serve.

My neighbors, who are sweet about me beeing noisy all the time.

The shop owners that give me local prices for my Chinese skills (or lack of it) hell even those wonderful security guards in my residence, real guards, that smile and greet me with politeness.

I know it sounds funny, but the Chinese driver that gave me right of way the other night (not many around so I thought he needed mentioning).

That wonderful man who helped me assist first aid until he completely took over with great skill even though he forgot a lot of his training. Wonderful a real tearjerker moment.

The nice and good cabbies who actually do stand out of the lot of shabby ones. With this I tell you, you are noticed and we do love and appreciate you.

The great doctors in Richland (I know sometimes they may not be the best, but so far, treated me and my wife, extraordinary).

The wonderful people that blog and post about foreigners and Chinese living together and learning from each other. You got my deepest respect.

The open minded, self educated, knowledge hungry parents I encountered in my time as teacher, there are more and more everyday, thanks to good teachers and managers leaning towards quality education.

The incredible craftsmanship you can get when you pay a bit extra asking for custom made stuff, especially carved furniture and clothes.

Those FuWuYuans that never get the credit they deserve being treated rudely and disrespectful a lot of times. I appreciate what you do. Especially being so friendly to kids and old people.

The cafes around wenlinjie and wenhuaxiang to make Kunming feel more like home. With café Prague to be my favorite. Food could be better but the atmosphere is great. Sal's food is better no questions about that, but as European I don't just visit a café only for nutrients and flavor. Plus the no smoking section in tobacco crazy Yunnan is paradise for the happy lungs.

Dali!!!! ('nuff said)

The fact that you can go to the market and buy all sorts of tropical and sub-tropical food, for a buck and a half.
I make my home made Mojito with mint and lime either homegrown or bought for 2 kuai/Jing ???.....I know.....Right?

That you can look at some foreigners with together with Chinese friends and shake your head in disbelieve how they behave, and make a mental note..."Oh man. ...Have I been there before!!!"

Even the China Blues, when you have to get out of this country for a week or two and then realize that you love this place and can't wait for the returning date to arrive. As all good love-hate relationships should be.

The free elementary education even for foreign kids, and being optioned to let your kid get the political education or not.

The help I got from some Chinese when things looked real dire.

The management of the company I work for, they are fantastic and showing a completely new vibe of what modern companies could look like, with incredible results.

All in all China is a fantastic place to be, and you can't give the government a blame for not trying. To welcome foreigners and with time they will get much more successful actually letting you feel that way. That goes for most common Chinese people as well. It will get better, disregarding if you accept all the bad (or good) stuff or not, because even the most resilient will sooner or later be overrun by evolution and progress. Because this place is awesome....

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Forums > Living in Kunming > Last night's scuffle on Wenhua Xiang

My last 2 cents on this here...becasue it has been chewed out a million times....but when I read this quote here I instantly thought about live in China.

'Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,Nothing is going to get better. It's not.' -Dr. Seuss's 'The Lorax'

@Colin
Would be great to know when you guys are back.
If you could please let us know.

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@alien

If done right, it can help the trees.

Some old garden hacks even say, once dead tree, will have stronger branches and grow better fruits and better canopies.

But if their water capillaries are cut,or destroyed due to the water expansion, -from the ice or frost, they are gone.

You are right, usually farmers or gardeners with lots of experience even get surprised sometimes what tree or plant, once written off.... came back beautifully.
But let's be honest most of those gardening blokes don't know anything. No blame, they are cheap farmers hired, to do whatever their leader orders them to do.

And there is the problem, that we have complete morons running the watering and gardening in Kunming. I asked one of the fore workers, once what sort of flower bush this is. He had actually no clue, and ordered his team to spray it for 5 minutes. A few weeks later, it was dead.

human poop water isn't harmful for the plant, necessarily but it's harmful for humans and it can lead to unwanted growth and even kill a plant. If you have a garden, pee once a day on a small tree or bush and see what happens.

The sewage water is from a closed water cycle, and it won't come back unless it rains.

Sometimes the stupidity of Kunming's city management is still surprising me. Although it's funny sometimes.

The stuff I mentioned is something anyone, who ever planted more than one flower or plant, knows. And should know.

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I saw it's a monthly meet up again. i wish i could come today. i really want to check it out. who doesn't like to discuss beer while having a beer?

Darryl,
I apologize, getting you and your homebrewing society wrong. And I thank you for being out there, doing all this non profit. I hope that one day you will make good money from it. And spread the good word and work even better.
As the German sayings go:
"Hopfen und Malz, Gott erhalt's"

"Soll durch meinem frommen Segen, der Braumeister haben,ein langes Leben."

I totally agree with your idea about beers and the quality and perception of a good beer.

I hope I can make it another time.
Sorry, for me,being ignorant.

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the purity law doesn't restrict variety at all. it just defines the main ingredients.

most belgium beers are added with something. many non beligiums referr to it as headache additives. fruit flavors, etc. anyone who ever had 3 glasses of vedett(or hoegaarden) vs. 3 glasses of german wheat beer,knows what i am talking about.
don.t get me wrong, flavor wise i love belgium beer, but i prefer german beer because it doesn.t make you feel bad in low doses.

sounds like the homebrewing guy makes quite good money from the homebrewing, especially as he is just starting his network and fees, which i see rising very soon, to get to his ingredients, of which he gets commissions and so on.

germany probably still is home to the vastest varieties of beers. e.g. obergaerig, untergaerig,
wheat,dark wheat,koelsch,alt,bockbier,dark bockbier,pils=lager, berliner weisse, franken alt, nordisches herbes pils(my favourite), meet(german pronunciation), honig bier, fruchtbier, etc...
i am not even trying to unclude any varieties adding juices, soda and flavors, like maibowle...and such...

as i said it.s not a competition, plus germany has thousands if microbreweries, and i never met any german claiming germans to have the best beer in the world.

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...-"that the Germans do it best "

What is this obsessive-German-beer bashing?
No German would ever insist that Germany has the best beer or such nonsense.

The Bad Monkey guys in their interviews, did it too?

Must be some kind of professional jealousy, I tried the Monkey's Wheat beer a few month back, and special flavor, and preferences, but that was hardly a beer, taste went from old, under carbonated Fanta with a shot of Chinese Baijiu! It was terrible and they still charged for this.
They had great beers in the past but, that fluid it disgusting.

Seeing them mocking other brewers or countries, while producing that sounds ridiculous.
Germany has cheap high quality beer, and a purity regulation that one must keep, if you want to put it on your label, tr call it a beer. And that's about it. Maybe that German beer is quite bitter [in my favor]

What Germany has, though, is a huge variety of different flavors and varieties.

But believe it or not, a lot of Microbreweries and home-brewers.

About beer/food pairing, in terms of fish, I can see how it could work but beer to seafood and fish, should be more of an emergency solution. A proper wine compliments the special seafood flavor more, than any beer.

But as I said I had beer with shrimp dishes and it went o.k. if they are malty, enough.

Reviews

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Sorry this probably belongs into the forum section...But just to clarify and thanks to overrated reviews I went to CC with high expectations to get some delicacies, I wanted to surprise my wife with a delicacy and there was absolutely nothing that Parkson, Metro or Carrefour don't have.I don't like Chorizo so there has to be more than just that to make me give 5 stars.Plus I already gave them 3 stars, for the very positive things I experienced.There are no products that other shops don't offer, except if their products are home made but I didn't see any labels stating it's organic or home made.For the cold cuts I found as well as the cheeses are all (or most) available at other stores.I didn't know that they make sandwiches and I will give that a try especially knowing that Sandra is involved in the making which usually leads to a yummy tummy.But again as delicacy shop it's very unimpressive and as stated before I believe it will get better. So I am not bashing it but trying to help the owners to give some ideas not just applause because I like Sandra's food...which I do.So I recommend to give realistic reviews. 5 stars just because you like one item there will just disappoint potential CC patrons that are not going for Sandwiches or Chorizo.It's a shop with tons of potential and I will come back to try the Sandwich and see what else they will have in future. But giving more than 3 stars for what I saw wouldn't be fair.

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I went there and all the fake Ikea (furniture) items were almost twice as much as the originals at Ikea. The fixing guys are good but as mentioned above at least need a week or two to drill 4 holes in the wall.

The little knick knacks are ok and reasonably priced. For real furniture, I wouldn't buy there. Better and cheaper options available. But good for cheap and nice decorations and accessories.

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I practiced there for a few weeks but unforntunately I had to stop, due to relocation.
It's a good school but what I didn't like was the Martial Arts blend between traditional kungfu and modern wushu, similar to the Henan one.
But I still like it for the good exercise, staff and classmates.

I am not sure if there are actually some real kungfu monks, so if you are looking for the full martial package, you might get disappointed, as almost anywhere in China.

Be aware that practice is not in the temple but in a kungfu school one block away

That said, it is in my opinion the best choice in Kunming to practice the closest to real martial arts (besides taiji). And it's very reasonably priced.