Tuesday, May 22.
Daniel is just amazing. A married man with a son about 9 years old, he had an office job at a trading company. They live in my neighborhood, and would sometimes give me rides home when he was leaving Web at the same time my shift ended.
He and his wife opened an exporting business with a store front as well, selling kitchen cabinets.
Apparently his little business is doing well, because he quit his day job. Now his time is his own.
He took his son to school and then swung by for me. We drove to the restaurant equipment shop and although it was not yet eight o'clock, they were open.
We bought the heavy stuff. A dough mixer, proofing box, cooling racks, refrigerator, tables. The smaller stuff, like trays and bench scrapers, bowls and so much more, we would do next week. They are at a different location, probably next door to their cramped store where we were shopping. Most everything I wanted was probably in stock, so there is no hurry.
Daniel and I then came home to my place, and he set up his computer on the coffee table. He finally found the same JUSTA oven at a better price. He spoke with the vendor (online chat feature that is common at these online shopping sites) and got everything arranged.
I tried to pay for it, but there was a hiccup. The bank limits my online purchase account to 5,000 rmb. No problem, the vendor broke the purchase up to two items. I paid one immediately, and the next day sent the second payment. On Wednesday the vendor called me to confirm the shipping address. She said it would arrive in a week.
With Daniel's help I also connected with a grain shop selling through Taobao. I ordered rye flour. She asked me what coarseness I wanted; ground to order! I only ordered 5 kgs, to try it at first.
On Tuesday I sent to Sophia my order for bread flour, to be translated and sent to Mike. I included photos. On Wednesday I finally got the prices from Mike. I'm sending him over 2,000 rmb for 200 kg of flour, and some bran. Now I wonder if I can't get better prices directly through Taobao. That would be an ironic twist to a long saga. Daniel and I will have to have another online chat session with the Rye flour lady.
I had no breakfast. At lunch time we were both starved, but our transactions were still in process. I had very little fresh food in the house. I whipped together an omelet with eggs and powdered milk. For filling I carmelized onions, then added sun-dried tomatoes and some kalimata olives, Italian herbs and a pinch of hua jiao. I served it with toasted bread I had made last night, and a fresh pot of coffee. He seemed satisfied. He is delightfully open to new taste experiences.
He said he is frustrated with his English skills. He's been studying ten years, he says, and he still can't speak it well. Perhaps, then, spending a day with me was also beneficial for him and his English skills. I hope so, I hope he got something out of it because he was an enormous help to me.
In the end, not counting the oven, I spent 13,000 rmb.
The apartment landlady came by, too, as the rent is due. There went another 18,000. How much longer before the well runs dry.
The restaurant equipment store has an added service. They come to your site and do a floor layout for you. They came Wednesday. They took Daniel and me to another bakery, so we could better visualize how we wanted everything. This helped them, and me. They would finish the drawing and fax it to me in time for the remodeler who would come to my shop Thursday at 3, as Jane arranged.
Daniel is just amazing. A married man with a son about 9 years old, he had an office job at a trading company. They live in my neighborhood, and would sometimes give me rides home when he was leaving Web at the same time my shift ended.
He and his wife opened an exporting business with a store front as well, selling kitchen cabinets.
Apparently his little business is doing well, because he quit his day job. Now his time is his own.
He took his son to school and then swung by for me. We drove to the restaurant equipment shop and although it was not yet eight o'clock, they were open.
We bought the heavy stuff. A dough mixer, proofing box, cooling racks, refrigerator, tables. The smaller stuff, like trays and bench scrapers, bowls and so much more, we would do next week. They are at a different location, probably next door to their cramped store where we were shopping. Most everything I wanted was probably in stock, so there is no hurry.
Daniel and I then came home to my place, and he set up his computer on the coffee table. He finally found the same JUSTA oven at a better price. He spoke with the vendor (online chat feature that is common at these online shopping sites) and got everything arranged.
I tried to pay for it, but there was a hiccup. The bank limits my online purchase account to 5,000 rmb. No problem, the vendor broke the purchase up to two items. I paid one immediately, and the next day sent the second payment. On Wednesday the vendor called me to confirm the shipping address. She said it would arrive in a week.
With Daniel's help I also connected with a grain shop selling through Taobao. I ordered rye flour. She asked me what coarseness I wanted; ground to order! I only ordered 5 kgs, to try it at first.
On Tuesday I sent to Sophia my order for bread flour, to be translated and sent to Mike. I included photos. On Wednesday I finally got the prices from Mike. I'm sending him over 2,000 rmb for 200 kg of flour, and some bran. Now I wonder if I can't get better prices directly through Taobao. That would be an ironic twist to a long saga. Daniel and I will have to have another online chat session with the Rye flour lady.
I had no breakfast. At lunch time we were both starved, but our transactions were still in process. I had very little fresh food in the house. I whipped together an omelet with eggs and powdered milk. For filling I carmelized onions, then added sun-dried tomatoes and some kalimata olives, Italian herbs and a pinch of hua jiao. I served it with toasted bread I had made last night, and a fresh pot of coffee. He seemed satisfied. He is delightfully open to new taste experiences.
He said he is frustrated with his English skills. He's been studying ten years, he says, and he still can't speak it well. Perhaps, then, spending a day with me was also beneficial for him and his English skills. I hope so, I hope he got something out of it because he was an enormous help to me.
In the end, not counting the oven, I spent 13,000 rmb.
The apartment landlady came by, too, as the rent is due. There went another 18,000. How much longer before the well runs dry.
The restaurant equipment store has an added service. They come to your site and do a floor layout for you. They came Wednesday. They took Daniel and me to another bakery, so we could better visualize how we wanted everything. This helped them, and me. They would finish the drawing and fax it to me in time for the remodeler who would come to my shop Thursday at 3, as Jane arranged.
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