Today is a trip to another unknown district of Shenyang. While looking at a map and trying to figure a new place to try and visit, the next largest bunching of commerical buildings is in Tiexi district. On the map, it is the next district away from Heping, where we pick up Alexanderia and where Ami's parents live. The south train station tracks serve as the boundary between Heping and Tiexi. I guess the best way to describe it would be like going to New Westminster where it is still accessable to downtown Vancouver. However, once you enter Surrey, you are are part of the boony land, hinterland, the country side, the poor lands, literally, the "other side of the tracks".
We take a 239 cheap bus from the Wenryu stop in the front gates of her yard. It is an uneventful ride. The district is primarily used for manufacturing. Lots of factory and product buildings and warehouses. There is a few technological schools and a computer programming and software buildings. There is only one street here that has anything worth visiting. It has a large department store, Gome Appliances store, and the third Carre Four in Shenyang.
While walking back from Carre Four, I spotted another very small video game shop that actually sells PS2s. They actually probably sell more DS and Gameboys. I did see the first kid the other day in Carre Four carrying a blue DS. Probably the only one in his entire school.
Which comes to my next point, why don't more kids have DS or PSP or PS2? Well number one reason, can you think of any games written in Chinese? It will take a kid with some higher level English or Japanese to play the foreign games so there isn't much market for that. Besides, for 10 yuan they can buy tonnes of roms and emulators for such games from the bookstore and that will work on their computers which they already have and use. So why bother pay a stupid 1400 yuan for a useless Playstation 2, for like a handful of games which nobody carries? Incidently, 1400 yuan is more than the average person makes in a month. Come to think of it, why bother spend that for the stupid DS or GB? It has exactly the same problem. I have only run across 4 places in all of Shenyang so far in 2 years that sell GB, DS games. They are all English or Japanese cartridges. With that, I think he could have spent his time at an internet place for a whole year for that price he paid for a dumb DS. They would have played much more popular games, it would have looked better, and he most likely would have had more fun playing too.
| The Experimental Chinese Food Of The Day is: |
Shanghai Hwa Yuan Food's "Perhaps" Rigo Fruit Jelly
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This stuff is probably like that other jelly I tried earlier. However, this one had the anime girl on the front cover so I had to pull it to try it out. In the bag is 3 coloured jell paks.
The first one is red. As usual when trying to open it a bit of fluid comes out. I suck it out, it is suppose to be strawberry I guess but it doesn't taste natural. Maybe strawberry powder flavour that I think I remember from a bubble tea mix. Alexanderia tries it out and tells me it is grape. Pretty funny tasting grape.
The second one is light lime green. It is green apple. It is now, when I realize that the jelly is almost tasteless without the fluid.
The last one is light lemon yellow. It I think is pineapple. Alexanderia says it is lemon however it is lacking a sour taste. Oh well.
Hmm. now in retrospect, the name perhaps is fitting. Nobody really knows what flavour or what kinda crap they are eating... Perhaps is it is strawberry... Perhaps it is cherry... Perhaps is just crushed up bits of expired mints....