This northeastern outpost is quite a change from the bustling streets of Shanghai. Stark contrasts abound. For example, one mall is chalked full of top end fashion stores and bustling with people and the next door mall is dying a slow death with years of deferred maintenance and empty storefronts. The wealth is definitely evident strolling by the parking lot of Bentley’s parked outside the Grand Hyatt on a Saturday morning. Every other high rise is under construction or in a state of suspended construction. It is interesting to think what would happen in Shenyang if DPRK decided to join the global community and trade opened up.

Here are some interesting observations from my time in Shenyang.

My coworkers introduced me to duck blood soup….. after I had consumed half of it. Apparently it is a common practice to flavor dishes with cubes of gelatinized duck blood. I thought it was salty tofu!

This was a big disconnect walking past Versace, Rolex, D&G, Tiffany’s, in a high-end mall only to encounter a life size chessboard of Simpson characters! Doh! The fun continued outside with humanoid bottles of Duff Beer representing various emotional states or character flaws. My favorite was ‘Surly’. God Bless America.

I spotted cannibal Koye fish attacking one of their dead mates in a fancy hotel lobby. Who knew Koye fish were so mean?

Horse and buggy are still legitimate forms of transportation in Shenyang! At least you can hear him coming!!

I call this one, ‘Cage of Dogs on Moto’. Yummy!

My new favorite word is ‘Generato’ !!!

Onward and upward!

“Hey Froto, I got yo ring.”

And finally, Korean BBQ, yes and amen.