Good Friends

One of the great pleasures of expat life is getting together with close friends for dinner. It is more difficult than you would imagine because everyone is in the habit of traveling regularly, so when the opportunity presents itself, it is a treat. Saturday night marked the first opportunity in many moons to get together with a fascinating couple I greatly enjoy. They have lived in Asia for many years now, including stints in Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and now Shanghai. They have a knack for finding hidden treasures wherever they go and sharing the wealth of information they have accumulated. They recently discovered a small Chinese restaurant close to Maoming Lu and Julu Lu with four tables. The proprietors spoke no English, but my hosts both have a strong working knowledge of Chinese. Because of its size and popularity, reservations are a must. Food is served family-style – no menus. It was delicious and reminded me of a quaint place in the Midwest that hauls out fried chicken, mash potatoes, overcooked green beans, fantastic sausage and terrible biscuits every Sunday. Very comfortable. There is Chinese comfort food as well.

Tonight was a gathering of two other good friends, one who travels on a regular basis from Canada and another who has lived in Shanghai for about 1.5 years. We all get together three or four times a year for a good meal, beverages and some laughs. We dined at T8 – a nice restaurant in Xintandi frequented by foreigners. Our Canadian friend had just returned from a two week vacation to Africa and was loaded with tales that kept us enthralled for the better part of the evening. Each time I hear stories of far away lands, I am ready to pack my suitcase and go. My list of “Must Go-To Places” increases at a much faster rate than my ability to get up and go. The odds of actually making it to all these places is greatly reduced by the frequency with which I am required to cross the streets in Shanghai. Dodging buses is like swimming with alligators – you do it enough, you’re probably not going to come out on top.

This month I will say goodbye to five friends. A gal from New Jersey left this weekend. Another friend moves back to Hong Kong in several weeks. Two Aussie friends are making their way back to the homeland in early June and the fifth returns to England to get married mid-month. My aunt and uncle who have lived in Hong Kong for 30 years returned to the United States several months ago. In November, a close friend returned to Salt Lake. It is a transient place. Your feet are rarely in one place for long.