It's now Saturday evening, July 21. There's been just too much going on to write it all down, since I am exhausted by the time I get home. Wish there were internet at the store. Then I could sit and write during the down times, when I'm waiting for dough to rise, or to bake.
The visa situation is unresolved. I got the business visa for one month, then talked with a consultant in Shanghai by phone and email. He said before he could do anything for me, like a 6 month business visa, I would have to have a fresh entry stamp in my passport. So two weeks into my 30 day business visa, I made a mad dash to the border. It was ill planned, ill advised, and cost a bundle of quickly dwindling bucks. Once I got back I discovered that this agent has slunk away, no longer answering my calls and emails.
A passing remark by Jimmy, translated by Tina, now makes me think I could have renewed that one-month business visa for at least another month or two. No one told me that before, however.
Jimmy, whose wife works at the Foreign Affairs Office that issues the visas, counseled me that the only choice left is to become a company. He told me where the appropriate office was, and advised me to show up there at 8:30 a.m.
Friday morning, July 20
I rode my ebike, Tina rode the bus. I thought Jimmy had told her where to go, she being the Chinese speaker and native to the city. I arrived and didn't see her, so headed into the building. The guards at the gate questioned me. I tried to tell them what I want, but haven't yet the vocabulary I'd need. They were trying to redirect me to the government office where you get a business license. I knew that wasn't right. A young man came along just then, and asked me what I wanted, in English. I told him. He was in his early twenties, dressed very casually in a loose tan T-shirt and baggy tan slacks. He said he'd take me there, it was on his way. As we walked through one building and out again, and into another, he explained that there were 9 buildings housing government offices in that complex. My first two years in Changzhou were spent not far from this complex, and so I was aware of its existence as an important local government center. I guess Tina was not.
He took me to 'his' office, and made inquiries. Then we walked along a corridor or two to the other side of that building, same floor. Someone else then picked me up and escorted me to another office, and I sort of waved a goodbye to this young man. Fortunately, he hung around. Turns out, his English was the best of the rest, and he was invaluable. Talk about kismet, he is an 'intern' and only there for a short number of weeks.
The nice gentlemen put their heads together, asking questions, gathering information, and finally coming up with an instruction sheet for how to form a company as a foreigner. They went further, and interviewed me until they had built up a good description of my company, that would include present enterprises and future growth. I took the stance of a consultant to those wanting to open a western style bakery and coffee shop in this city. Advising, consulting and training for concept, recipes, decor, quality control.
They warned me that it was very complicated and time consuming. They asked if I wanted a consultant to help me. They gave me the name of a private agency that does that work. I was glad to have it.
We even kicked around names, so that if the first one I chose was already taken I would have alternatives all ready. They were extremely helpful and friendly.
Kind of reminded me of the time Dean and I took the properly marked photo of the front of my shop with the mock-up sign, to get the city's approval of it. We walked into a small office on the second floor, where four desks were lined up along a window in a narrow room. We took our photo to one desk, and all four clerks perked up and started chatting about it. What was this store? A western-style bakery? Are you doing it by yourself? How old are you? No! You're not retired? What a great name! And so it went. We glowed with celebrity as we exited the small office with the appropriate approval stamp on our application.
Back to Friday morning, halfway through I called Tina to see where she was. She had gone to the wrong government offices, a few blocks away. I felt sorry for her, because we are having a heat wave and she is on foot. She eventually found us, and quickly got up to speed.
When we left there, the internet company was just a block away so we went there before heading back to the bakery.
I had done my homework, but now I'd need a native to do the legwork for me. The first step would be to call the agency and see if they could help. That would have to wait until tomorrow, and a chat with Rachel.
We got back to the bakery and baked a bunch of bread, from the starters of the previous day. I did my signature bread, pain a l'ancienne. With my professional oven they come out so much more beautiful than when I baked them at home, with a great crust.
I made whole wheat dinner rolls, which I needed to deliver to Johnny at Jolly's. The ones I made Wednesday were all wrong! I had had a mind block, forgetting how to properly shape rolls (between trying to instruct Tina, keeping three recipes going through pre-ferment, shaping, baking, and also having a rare visit from ex-pat friend AnnMarie whom I hadn't seen in a couple of months). So Wednesday's dinner rolls were more like hamburger buns, that is flat and not tall. But they were white whole wheat, so the flavor and texture was appropriate. Today I made the recipe with brown whole wheat, and properly shaped the rolls.
Also made ciabatta, filling them with a meaty mushroom cooked with garlic. Don't know the proper name of it, but it is probably my favorite kind of mushroom. There's a story to these mushrooms, going back to my trip to Ganzi a few years back. But, as they say, that's another story. Tina really liked this variety.
Friday night. After a long day of baking, took a quick nap and a shower, gussied up and hauled my heavy bag of breads onto the bus to the north end of the city, where the ex pats live. Hit three western restaurants, gave away all my samples. Jolly's restaurant was pleased to offer me space in his lobby for my shipment of orders phoned in. Now, if I can just get the internet link set up so that people can actually go online and see what they want, and phone in their orders! Aug. 1 is the target for Grand Opening.
I don't have proper business cards, so I had to give people my English Teacher persona cards. I told them to call and ask what was being prepared, and place orders. But of course, they need more than that. I'm working on getting an internet link through which to make announcements about the next day's baking so people can properly text me their orders. Tina set me up with a blog, but it is in its early stages. We need to upload photos and so much more.
Johnny was my last stop. It was well past 9:00. The last bus would leave around ten. I resigned myself to the high cost of a taxi home. We went into his office (the Filipino ladies twosome band was in full swing; they play really good music) so we could hear ourselves think. We had a nice long and friendly chat. What a nice guy! In case you haven't read all the previous posts, he is a Chinese guy who lived seven years in Ireland. His English is excellent, and he is a marvelous host.
He said that of the breads I brought Wednesday, the multigrain was by far his favorite. AnnMarie had bought a couple of loaves during her visit, and she also gave it rave reviews on our ex pat Facebook page. It was the sort of bread you would typically find in Europe. Dense, chewy, brown, slightly acidic with a good crust.
He told me what quantity order I could be expecting from him. I was disappointed, but it is a beginning. He generously gave me a spot next to his wine display, where I could place my basket of orders for people to pick up. His computer system easily allowed him to keep track of my money separate from his. So now I have a distribution plan for my potentially many northern customers. Finding means of delivery will be relatively simple when the time comes.
I stood by the road in front of his shop with an empty bag, wondering how long I'd have to wait for a taxi. Fairly soon, one without flag up slowed down, saw a foreigner, and started speeding up again. I chased him and called after him in Chinese, however, so he and his front-seat passenger stopped and asked where I was heading. He said it was an OK destination (cabbies can be choosy in such a large city) and I got in. I was hoping to get a break on the fare. The other passenger got off and paid him 20 rmb, as the meter read. When we got to my apartment the meter read 38 and he wanted me to pay 30! We settled for 25. A little cheaper than a single fare, but not much.
Saturday was a slow day. I created a soaker, which is what I should have done for the multi grain bread. Instead of doing properly last week, I soaked whole grains, then mashed them up. But the correct way is to grind the grains first, lightly moisten them, and let them soak overnight. I blended a few grains and ground up extra for a later batch.
I also started a sour dough. The last time I did this, in 2004 in Sichuan, I used the method described in Ruth Berenbaum's book. That one took two weeks, but before I got a successful one I got two throw-away attempts. This one takes less than a week to grow. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. It calls for rye flour and fresh pineapple juice. I had to buy a pineapple, cut it up and put it in the blender. I don't have a proper juicer, with a screen. Two days of juice treatment, and then after that the feed is simply the clear wheat flour and water.
I failed to mention the other part of Wednesday. The last of the loaves were half cooled down when in walks Dr. White (bai in Chinese). He is my vet, who spayed my two cats over the past year. He had come by Tuesday, after we texted back and forth and tried to reconnect. His English is almost non existent, but Tuesday he brought a friend whose English was passable. He checked out my new venture. I told him I had five kittens. He said I should stop spending so much money on stray cats.
The Wednesday visit was totally unexpected. We chatted, and I said I needed to take these breads up to Xin Bei, to deliver to Jolly's. He said, I'll take you, I have a car. Wow!!! Tina came with us. On the way, he explained that he wanted to buy an instant blood analyzer for his vet clinic. He felt that it was much cheaper in the States, so could we arrange for him to buy one there and have someone traveling here in August carry it to him. Hmm. We made a couple of stops along the way, mostly in Xin Bei; one was to another vet clinic where he showed me the device he wanted to buy.
Since I knew that Johnny wasn't going to be at his restaurant, I did not stay long. The kitchen crew came out to greet me, however, and showed great interest in my wares. I identified everything, including the ciabatta with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil. One guy perked up. You could see he knew what was what. He asked if I had dried the tomatoes myself, and was impressed with that and also with the fresh basil.
Dr. White also took me to meet his good friend, who is a sous chef at the Shangri-la restaurant. This is a famous restaurant in this city, housed in the 4-star Trader's Fudu Hotel. Through the years I've been a guest there as various ex pat groups have planned gatherings there.
The sous chef had fairly good English. The master chef passed through looking for a cup of coffee, and made a few jokes and comments. He was tall and grey haired and portly, with a German accent and quite good Chinese. The sous chef regretted that the company policy would not permit me to enter their kitchen, but that he would bring down a cook or two to my kitchen to spend the day with me and show me a thing or two. Unbelievable! So we set up the date for July 25.
I did try hard to find a good price for the blood analyzer, although he had not told me how much he could buy it for in China. The prices I found online were, in the end, higher than what he would pay here. So I hope that idea has died now. I can't imagine who I could ask to carry it here in their luggage.
After Tina and I left the government offices Friday morning we went to the Telecom office to see about getting internet service. I had held off until I had the business license, a requirement. That was obtained Thursday by Rachel's mom. I took a photo of it with my phone and was ready to order internet. But we hit a snag.
My theory is that Telecom wants to upset the balance. As it is, China Telecom has the reputation of being the best, most reliable internet service in Changzhou. China Mobile, on the other hand, has lousy home internet service but the best mobile phone service. The saleslady at the Telecom office tried to explain the package she was selling. It was confusing. In the end, it seems that they no longer will supply simply internet service. They will only sell a bundled package that includes two cell phones (free) and phone numbers (not free). That forces an additional charge of 116 a month. If I bought a SIM card straight up from China Mobile, I wouldn't spend 30 rmb a month on cell phone service. Until I have that new phone number, I am not able to get my new business cards printed.
I went to China Mobile on Saturday, to order internet service. My friend at that desk looked my shop address up on her computer. Three times. She made a phone call. It just didn't show up. Clearly, Telecom had wired the shop for service, and it is not possible to switch it over. I am forced to pay the high price for the Telecom package. I will try to find someone whose English is better than Tina's to try again Monday, to talk with a salesman at the Telecom office. I would hope that it is possible to buy the internet service alone, without the phones. Meanwhile, still no business cards.
Today I gave Rachel the sheet of instructions and information picked up at the government office. She read through it, and concluded that it was a very complicated process. She called the agency, and had a very long talk with the woman there. One conclusion was that it would cost perhaps six or seven thousand rmb, around $1,000 US. And that is just government fees, it does not include the agency fee. What recourse do I have? I would spend more than that in six months having to go to Hong Kong for a new tourist visa, not to mention the dread that I might be prevented from returning to China.
Now I have to decide whether to sell the house in Florida, or just try to rent it out and generate a monthly income. I am in desperate need of an infusion of capital. The coffee investment money may or may not materialize in the next ten days. I'm not counting on it.
The visa situation is unresolved. I got the business visa for one month, then talked with a consultant in Shanghai by phone and email. He said before he could do anything for me, like a 6 month business visa, I would have to have a fresh entry stamp in my passport. So two weeks into my 30 day business visa, I made a mad dash to the border. It was ill planned, ill advised, and cost a bundle of quickly dwindling bucks. Once I got back I discovered that this agent has slunk away, no longer answering my calls and emails.
A passing remark by Jimmy, translated by Tina, now makes me think I could have renewed that one-month business visa for at least another month or two. No one told me that before, however.
Jimmy, whose wife works at the Foreign Affairs Office that issues the visas, counseled me that the only choice left is to become a company. He told me where the appropriate office was, and advised me to show up there at 8:30 a.m.
Friday morning, July 20
I rode my ebike, Tina rode the bus. I thought Jimmy had told her where to go, she being the Chinese speaker and native to the city. I arrived and didn't see her, so headed into the building. The guards at the gate questioned me. I tried to tell them what I want, but haven't yet the vocabulary I'd need. They were trying to redirect me to the government office where you get a business license. I knew that wasn't right. A young man came along just then, and asked me what I wanted, in English. I told him. He was in his early twenties, dressed very casually in a loose tan T-shirt and baggy tan slacks. He said he'd take me there, it was on his way. As we walked through one building and out again, and into another, he explained that there were 9 buildings housing government offices in that complex. My first two years in Changzhou were spent not far from this complex, and so I was aware of its existence as an important local government center. I guess Tina was not.
He took me to 'his' office, and made inquiries. Then we walked along a corridor or two to the other side of that building, same floor. Someone else then picked me up and escorted me to another office, and I sort of waved a goodbye to this young man. Fortunately, he hung around. Turns out, his English was the best of the rest, and he was invaluable. Talk about kismet, he is an 'intern' and only there for a short number of weeks.
The nice gentlemen put their heads together, asking questions, gathering information, and finally coming up with an instruction sheet for how to form a company as a foreigner. They went further, and interviewed me until they had built up a good description of my company, that would include present enterprises and future growth. I took the stance of a consultant to those wanting to open a western style bakery and coffee shop in this city. Advising, consulting and training for concept, recipes, decor, quality control.
They warned me that it was very complicated and time consuming. They asked if I wanted a consultant to help me. They gave me the name of a private agency that does that work. I was glad to have it.
We even kicked around names, so that if the first one I chose was already taken I would have alternatives all ready. They were extremely helpful and friendly.
Kind of reminded me of the time Dean and I took the properly marked photo of the front of my shop with the mock-up sign, to get the city's approval of it. We walked into a small office on the second floor, where four desks were lined up along a window in a narrow room. We took our photo to one desk, and all four clerks perked up and started chatting about it. What was this store? A western-style bakery? Are you doing it by yourself? How old are you? No! You're not retired? What a great name! And so it went. We glowed with celebrity as we exited the small office with the appropriate approval stamp on our application.
Back to Friday morning, halfway through I called Tina to see where she was. She had gone to the wrong government offices, a few blocks away. I felt sorry for her, because we are having a heat wave and she is on foot. She eventually found us, and quickly got up to speed.
When we left there, the internet company was just a block away so we went there before heading back to the bakery.
I had done my homework, but now I'd need a native to do the legwork for me. The first step would be to call the agency and see if they could help. That would have to wait until tomorrow, and a chat with Rachel.
We got back to the bakery and baked a bunch of bread, from the starters of the previous day. I did my signature bread, pain a l'ancienne. With my professional oven they come out so much more beautiful than when I baked them at home, with a great crust.
I made whole wheat dinner rolls, which I needed to deliver to Johnny at Jolly's. The ones I made Wednesday were all wrong! I had had a mind block, forgetting how to properly shape rolls (between trying to instruct Tina, keeping three recipes going through pre-ferment, shaping, baking, and also having a rare visit from ex-pat friend AnnMarie whom I hadn't seen in a couple of months). So Wednesday's dinner rolls were more like hamburger buns, that is flat and not tall. But they were white whole wheat, so the flavor and texture was appropriate. Today I made the recipe with brown whole wheat, and properly shaped the rolls.
Also made ciabatta, filling them with a meaty mushroom cooked with garlic. Don't know the proper name of it, but it is probably my favorite kind of mushroom. There's a story to these mushrooms, going back to my trip to Ganzi a few years back. But, as they say, that's another story. Tina really liked this variety.
Friday night. After a long day of baking, took a quick nap and a shower, gussied up and hauled my heavy bag of breads onto the bus to the north end of the city, where the ex pats live. Hit three western restaurants, gave away all my samples. Jolly's restaurant was pleased to offer me space in his lobby for my shipment of orders phoned in. Now, if I can just get the internet link set up so that people can actually go online and see what they want, and phone in their orders! Aug. 1 is the target for Grand Opening.
I don't have proper business cards, so I had to give people my English Teacher persona cards. I told them to call and ask what was being prepared, and place orders. But of course, they need more than that. I'm working on getting an internet link through which to make announcements about the next day's baking so people can properly text me their orders. Tina set me up with a blog, but it is in its early stages. We need to upload photos and so much more.
Johnny was my last stop. It was well past 9:00. The last bus would leave around ten. I resigned myself to the high cost of a taxi home. We went into his office (the Filipino ladies twosome band was in full swing; they play really good music) so we could hear ourselves think. We had a nice long and friendly chat. What a nice guy! In case you haven't read all the previous posts, he is a Chinese guy who lived seven years in Ireland. His English is excellent, and he is a marvelous host.
He said that of the breads I brought Wednesday, the multigrain was by far his favorite. AnnMarie had bought a couple of loaves during her visit, and she also gave it rave reviews on our ex pat Facebook page. It was the sort of bread you would typically find in Europe. Dense, chewy, brown, slightly acidic with a good crust.
He told me what quantity order I could be expecting from him. I was disappointed, but it is a beginning. He generously gave me a spot next to his wine display, where I could place my basket of orders for people to pick up. His computer system easily allowed him to keep track of my money separate from his. So now I have a distribution plan for my potentially many northern customers. Finding means of delivery will be relatively simple when the time comes.
I stood by the road in front of his shop with an empty bag, wondering how long I'd have to wait for a taxi. Fairly soon, one without flag up slowed down, saw a foreigner, and started speeding up again. I chased him and called after him in Chinese, however, so he and his front-seat passenger stopped and asked where I was heading. He said it was an OK destination (cabbies can be choosy in such a large city) and I got in. I was hoping to get a break on the fare. The other passenger got off and paid him 20 rmb, as the meter read. When we got to my apartment the meter read 38 and he wanted me to pay 30! We settled for 25. A little cheaper than a single fare, but not much.
Saturday was a slow day. I created a soaker, which is what I should have done for the multi grain bread. Instead of doing properly last week, I soaked whole grains, then mashed them up. But the correct way is to grind the grains first, lightly moisten them, and let them soak overnight. I blended a few grains and ground up extra for a later batch.
I also started a sour dough. The last time I did this, in 2004 in Sichuan, I used the method described in Ruth Berenbaum's book. That one took two weeks, but before I got a successful one I got two throw-away attempts. This one takes less than a week to grow. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. It calls for rye flour and fresh pineapple juice. I had to buy a pineapple, cut it up and put it in the blender. I don't have a proper juicer, with a screen. Two days of juice treatment, and then after that the feed is simply the clear wheat flour and water.
I failed to mention the other part of Wednesday. The last of the loaves were half cooled down when in walks Dr. White (bai in Chinese). He is my vet, who spayed my two cats over the past year. He had come by Tuesday, after we texted back and forth and tried to reconnect. His English is almost non existent, but Tuesday he brought a friend whose English was passable. He checked out my new venture. I told him I had five kittens. He said I should stop spending so much money on stray cats.
The Wednesday visit was totally unexpected. We chatted, and I said I needed to take these breads up to Xin Bei, to deliver to Jolly's. He said, I'll take you, I have a car. Wow!!! Tina came with us. On the way, he explained that he wanted to buy an instant blood analyzer for his vet clinic. He felt that it was much cheaper in the States, so could we arrange for him to buy one there and have someone traveling here in August carry it to him. Hmm. We made a couple of stops along the way, mostly in Xin Bei; one was to another vet clinic where he showed me the device he wanted to buy.
Since I knew that Johnny wasn't going to be at his restaurant, I did not stay long. The kitchen crew came out to greet me, however, and showed great interest in my wares. I identified everything, including the ciabatta with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil. One guy perked up. You could see he knew what was what. He asked if I had dried the tomatoes myself, and was impressed with that and also with the fresh basil.
Dr. White also took me to meet his good friend, who is a sous chef at the Shangri-la restaurant. This is a famous restaurant in this city, housed in the 4-star Trader's Fudu Hotel. Through the years I've been a guest there as various ex pat groups have planned gatherings there.
The sous chef had fairly good English. The master chef passed through looking for a cup of coffee, and made a few jokes and comments. He was tall and grey haired and portly, with a German accent and quite good Chinese. The sous chef regretted that the company policy would not permit me to enter their kitchen, but that he would bring down a cook or two to my kitchen to spend the day with me and show me a thing or two. Unbelievable! So we set up the date for July 25.
I did try hard to find a good price for the blood analyzer, although he had not told me how much he could buy it for in China. The prices I found online were, in the end, higher than what he would pay here. So I hope that idea has died now. I can't imagine who I could ask to carry it here in their luggage.
After Tina and I left the government offices Friday morning we went to the Telecom office to see about getting internet service. I had held off until I had the business license, a requirement. That was obtained Thursday by Rachel's mom. I took a photo of it with my phone and was ready to order internet. But we hit a snag.
My theory is that Telecom wants to upset the balance. As it is, China Telecom has the reputation of being the best, most reliable internet service in Changzhou. China Mobile, on the other hand, has lousy home internet service but the best mobile phone service. The saleslady at the Telecom office tried to explain the package she was selling. It was confusing. In the end, it seems that they no longer will supply simply internet service. They will only sell a bundled package that includes two cell phones (free) and phone numbers (not free). That forces an additional charge of 116 a month. If I bought a SIM card straight up from China Mobile, I wouldn't spend 30 rmb a month on cell phone service. Until I have that new phone number, I am not able to get my new business cards printed.
I went to China Mobile on Saturday, to order internet service. My friend at that desk looked my shop address up on her computer. Three times. She made a phone call. It just didn't show up. Clearly, Telecom had wired the shop for service, and it is not possible to switch it over. I am forced to pay the high price for the Telecom package. I will try to find someone whose English is better than Tina's to try again Monday, to talk with a salesman at the Telecom office. I would hope that it is possible to buy the internet service alone, without the phones. Meanwhile, still no business cards.
Today I gave Rachel the sheet of instructions and information picked up at the government office. She read through it, and concluded that it was a very complicated process. She called the agency, and had a very long talk with the woman there. One conclusion was that it would cost perhaps six or seven thousand rmb, around $1,000 US. And that is just government fees, it does not include the agency fee. What recourse do I have? I would spend more than that in six months having to go to Hong Kong for a new tourist visa, not to mention the dread that I might be prevented from returning to China.
Now I have to decide whether to sell the house in Florida, or just try to rent it out and generate a monthly income. I am in desperate need of an infusion of capital. The coffee investment money may or may not materialize in the next ten days. I'm not counting on it.
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