Trick or Treat

I’m a little disappointed that since living in a dorm in college, I have never had a trick-or-treater come to my door.  In DC this was because only drunk homeless men stumbled by my alleyway entrance.  In Spanish Harlem, it wasn’t worth it for a kid to hike up 5 ½ flights of stairs for one lame piece of candy.  In the village, everyone watched or participated in the parade instead.  Which brings us to China…

Last year, I chronicled how Halloween was starting to catch on as a holiday, thanks to the proliferation of expats, especially Americans.  This year, we saw the big nightclub up our street setting up a haunted-house type gauntlet that costumed patrons had to walk through to enter the club.  We saw a row of shops offering sweets to trick-or-treaters who came by (T-o-T-ing at shops, rather than residences, was common in NYC too -- makes sense in big cities of mostly apartment dwellers, I guess).

As for our celebration, we kept it simple this year.  First we got dressed in costume (well, at least one of us did)…

not sure about this outfit, Daddy

ahoy, sailor!

got my T-o-T bag and everything!

…then we went out for a ice cream at Cold Stone (yep, they’re here in Shanghai).  Treat indeed!

no pausing for silly photos, just gimme the ice cream!

can't smile because I'm thinking about that next bite!

Beyond the Pale

Now that summertime has turned to fall, the ubiquitous umbrellas are disappearing.  This isn’t due to a decrease in rain.  Instead it’s because umbrellas here – particularly for women – aren’t used to stay dry.  Rather, they are used to stay pale.

lots of umbrellas, not a drop of rain

I guess a more appropriate term for these required summer accessories would be "parasols".  They are quite fancy here, with tons of colors and patterns, some adorned in lace and sequins, and even including undersides with some pretty serious looking UV-blocking material.  Think ball-gown on the outside, spacesuit on the inside. 

If a lunchtime stroll on a sunny day necessitates a parasol, then what about a trip to the beach?  Well, the new trend in Qingdao and other Chinese beach communities is the "face-kini".**  To me, this doesn’t look like a particularly enjoyable swim outfit, but I guess it does allow women to both enjoy the ocean and keep their skin completely protected.

the makings of a beach-themed horror movie?  (c) AFP/Getty Images 

This concern with remaining pale extends beyond outdoor protection.  When I want to buy face-wash or body lotion, I have to carefully search through the aisles to find the small shelf of products that do not contain “whitening” agents.  There are special creams designed to bleach every part of a woman’s body, from armpits to “down there”.  That particular product was a rather horrifying discovery.

Considering the culture I grew up in includes tanning salons and bronzing creams, I cannot claim any sort of superiority over these women who strive to remain fair.  And frankly, the lady under the parasol will have healthier skin as a result of her habits, assuming she goes easy on the bleaching products. 

But as someone who finds umbrellas rather cumbersome, it seems like a nuisance to have to carry one everyday, just to stay that extra shade of pale.

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**link to related NYT article here