In late January I took a trip to Vancouver, BC in my VW Vanagon Camper. Of course the most important activity whenever visiting Vancouver (and Richmond), BC is to satisfy my craving for hard to come by Chinese food and ingredients. Let me just say here in Portland, OR, I never eat out for Chinese food. I can cook circles around most chefs here except the rare specialties difficult for one to prepare at home.
While in the Chinatown, I stumbled upon this lone store in the edge of Chinatown in which the street has deteriorated. It has the look of a once thriving hardware store and have been around for many decades. The elderly couple now make a meager living selling their remaining inventory, much of which left over from the bygone decades.
i played with this identical toy when I was only a few years old - entirely made with metal; this toy predates the cultural revolution
there is a chick inside when you spin open the shell
wood carving set - these were the first tools my young hands first used; i remember occasionally cutting myself
a foam puzzle of the map of china - this is made relatively recently; $1
this is a table cloth made with very thin pvc plastic. it has a vintage design dating to the mid century - people in China really use table cloth of this low quality. cost me $1
these are very fine pens that were hand made; they cost only a couple of bucks each
you know it is next to impossible to find a nice small ladle - this one is beautifully made may be 20-30 years ago; from PRC still new in a plastic bag
learning pads for letters and elementary chinese words i used in school in my childhood; the design has not changed and probably still produced by the same few factories with the same presses
words of similar constructs but vastly different meanings
alphabets in script
miniature jade animal figures
glass animal figures
porcelain rings with brass frame
paper murals - all hand cut with different color paper and layered and placed to create the finished mural
soap dish for $1; this is a recent production - i just like the cheap chic design and the no-nonsense functionality
hang-everything - i like the cheap chic design $1
this is the gem of all the finds - i didn't notice it until i was ready to pay for all the other finds as the shop owners use it to display many miscellaneous items on sale; fortunately I noticed the price sticker
the design dates to around the culture revolution era with the typical freckled paint appearance and chromed steel tubings and rather crude casters
it stands it own next to citerrio's elegant gastone
it can be folded up for space saving when not in used
still have the inspection label from the factory (合格証 means certificate of quality check); not sure what XF 391 signifies
the date of inspection was january 1981
authentic period posters of chairman mao
propaganda poster during the revolution - to encourage school children to be physically fit so they can serve their country in the great struggle
this is the folklore - the monkey king who always fought with the evil and assisted the weak and poor; monkey king is the topic of many plays in the traditional Peking Opera
propaganda poster during the revolution - to paint a fictional harmonious relationship with the nomad peoples that we all are united
propaganda poster during the revolution - targeting young adults
marching to victory
this is a classic chinese chef's knife used in a restaurant kitchen - most household uses one that is smaller
it is not a cleaver as it is very thin design for able to slice very thinly - this one is made by a famous ago old (may be a century old) knife store in Hong Kong - current production
this deep fried fish cake is impossible to find in oregon; same goes with the very crunchy wonton noodle in the background
fish cake noodle soup i made at home
this one with home made slow braised beef brisket
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