Shanghai today - Hong Kong tonight
Let me start by telling you that saying I'm in Shanghai is an exaggeration. I'm at the very fringe of Shanghai (it's like saying you're going to NYC and then you spend all of your time in Queens at the edge near Long Island.)
I still haven't seen the fantastic city of Shanghai that you see in the picture books... Just too much to do!

I spent today and yesterday working at one of my paper braid factories. It's where I make this fun fedora (this is a Spring 2006 style - trimmed with an etched coconut trim).

(Added March 12th from China --> reader offline request... this hat is called Mambo and is available HERE for $26.99 in 5 colors.)

The temperature is 58F and I work in a cement building with no heat. Oh how I wished that I'd finished my fingerless gloves before I left!

Work in Shanghai went well - some new and exciting projects in the works...

...followed by dinner at Kamii. An all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant located on the outskirts of Shanghai. It's not all-you-can-eat in the Western buffet style or anything like that. You pay one price and can order up any dish, and as many dishes from the menu...along with beer, sake and other beverages.
The menu is atleast 14 pages long, and I can safely say I haven't even grazed the surface of the offerings.



I'll finish this post with a few of my favorite dishes from this dinner:

Cucumber with Japanese Mayo, Black Beans and crab meat (served cold)

Sukiyaki --- Thinly sliced beef that cooks in a sauce. There is a flame under this huge bowl to slowly cook the beef. I don't know if I could get my arms around this bowl -- it's HUGE!

These large snaily creatures are all chopped up, cooked ina lovely light sauce and served back on/in the shell. YUMMY YUM YUM!