Shopping for Funny Love

[muckefuck]

This may have been our most thorough Chinatown shopping trip ever. We hit almost every gift shop on Wentworth or in Chinatown Square in a six-hour tour-de-force. Highlights:

• Moon Palace Note to self: They don't open until 11. monshu and I escaped the cold by ducking into That Porcelain Place, always keeping one eye on the street for the appearance of niemandsrose. We spotted her about 10:30 and dragged her down the strip for a half-hour of browsing before returning for dumplings, scallion pancakes, and "bread special" (the Chinese name, "silver thread roll", is more colourful, if no more descriptive). A couple came in while we were eating, refused a menu, and ordered fried rice for take-out. I pitied them.
• The Golden Fish monshu spied just what he was looking for in a centerpiece: A sculpture of a leaping fish in gold filagree. Then he spied the price tag! He couldn't bring himself to settle for a fake kumquat tree or bloated moon toad on a pile of coins, but I'm sure we'll think of something just as good.
• Woks 'n' Things We bought two fancy vegetable cutters, one of which monshu promptly broke to pieces the next day when he tried it out. Simpler ones probably would've been smarter--as would softer veggies.
• International Trade Center Know that old structure between the el tracks and Chinatown Square? It's gone through at least three incarnations that I've noticed. Now it's something of a permanent rummage sale (when I described it, the his_regard said, "Oh, a mega-mall", so apparently there's a name for it). monshu likened it to a church jumble sale--at a small and poor parish. Our big bargain was Kitchen confidential for $5. Had we been in the market for fake flowers or cheap key-chains, we coulda made out like bandits.
• Dried and smelly I forgot to note the name of this place--I was too distracted by the huge baskets of unimaginable stuff. Need fish maw by the pound? They've got it--in a choice of grades. Besides the shark fins and birds' nests, there are also the mainstays of Chinese medicine: a dozen varieties of ginseng, deer horn (and heel!), and dried seahorses (straightened or naturally curly). All in bulk!
• The San Rio store Alas, it is no more! (I just see snowy_owlet shedding a silent tear as she reads this.) It's not like you can't find the same characters and their paraphenalia at all the other stores, but this place had a photo booth that printed stickers.
• Aji Ichiban It's no surprise that I go nuts inside an Asian candy emporium. What was surprising this trip was seeing monshu--who usually stands outside and smokes while I fill my bags--charge in and grab handfuls of whimsical sweets. It's going to be one interesting banquet table, let me tell you!

We also hit both Feida and Captain bakeries on our way out. The former has long been my favourite, but I was very favourably impressed with pork corners and custard bun I got at Captain. Plus, in a boon to you picky wimps out there, they prominently list the complete ingredients for every pastry. (Personally, I prefer not to see the word "lard" in print; it's enough just to taste it.)