Today, I went to a restaurant near my campus with my roomie. Even though “Snoodles” is mostly known for its noodles, I ordered some wonton dumplings (餛飩) as well as a hot dates juice.
The wontons looked like Chinese “Italian” pastas and were so great! It was filled with pork, and the sauce was made of little peanuts and red peppers. Unfortunately it was also extremely spicy. It was probably the spiciest meal I had here (and it had only one pepper on the menu…).
So, after we ate, and because it was an awesome sunny day, I decided to take a digestive walk around my apartment.
I am leaving in a great residential area, with western restaurants on the main avenue, and many local Chinese ones a few blocks away. The sidewalks are large and verdant, and the students meet there when they want to talk around a hazelnut latte. There is a charming ambiance.
While walking, I passed by this long wall right next to my university with many graffitis on it. In fact, I walk past it every single day. It is very artsy and colorful. I did not notice that many street art in Shanghai, so I like this passage. It reminds me of my city, New York, where graffitis were born.
But, as I was wandering around, I discovered that this wall was not the only painted one. There are actually “secret” graffitis disseminated all over my street! You need to get off the main avenue and explore to find them, sometimes half hidden behind construction work, cars, or just in weird places.
But the ones that interested me the most, were these childish series which, to me, seemed like they were made by the same artist. All of his/her murals are very colorful, with cute characters and scenery. It looks like it just came off a child tale. It is basically the kind of drawings I love!
Unfortunately, the artist did not sign! I would have loved to check out others of his/her work…
I think I am going to ask my Chinese teacher how to say “Who did this?” and ask the local stores and restaurant. This will be my little investigation of the week, and a great way to talk to locals 😉
I have to solve this mystery!
A Frenchie in Shanghai 