By J. Gordon-Ewing
Shanghai: the land of new opportunities for anyone willing to travel half way around the globe. Businesses are flocking to Asia for cheaper operating costs and office space. Job seekers are relocating for good paying jobs and a lower cost of living. I was visiting Shanghai looking for new business opportunities. What I found was a home away from home.
Having a smattering of four languages under my belt, I believed I could pick up Chinese pretty easily. Silly me. I found myself struggling to learn a few phrases in Chinese so I could hail a cab, only to learn that locals in Shanghai speak a different dialect known as 'Shanghainese.' China has two official languages: Mandarin and Cantonese. Each City, Village or region has its own unique dialect. This language barrier was a humbling experience. 
I found myself feeling isolated. My inability to understand or speak even a little of the language made me feel quite helpless especially when it came to ordering room service. That was sort of like a playing a game of darts blindfolded. While the waiter watched, I pointed to items on a menu written in Chinese. With each jab of my finger I hoped I wouldn't be served something that would be staring up at me from the plate.
After an interesting mishap with jellyfish smothered in something green, I begged the English speaking concierge to please order some soup for me and have it sent to the room. He recommended the chicken soup. I was thrilled! I graciously tipped the waiter who delivered the steaming bowl to my room. I sat down, put the spoon into the bowl and the only chicken that surfaced... boney, scaly poultry feet.
I'm from Colorado and I know where chicken feet have stood. I've observed the beasts standing in their own excrement despite having several acres of free range to roam on. I finally realized that it was time to find English speaking people and western food before I starved to death.
It was Sunday night. I asked the patient concierge at my hotel if he could direct me to a place where I could find other English-speaking people. I soon learned of an English speaking community known as "Expats," an acronym for expatriate. He arranged for a cab to drop me off in the club district near Hengshan Lu and Dong Ping Lu. I wandered around until I looked up and saw the light... a lighted Guinness sign on the side of a western-styled structure. I heard laughter and inviting folk music coming from within.
When I walked through the doors at the Blarney Stone I felt instantly at home. Owners Paul Curran and Dave Kelly have managed to bring a little piece of the west into China. The atmosphere is friendly and inviting any night of the week, but if you are fortunate enough to be there on a Sunday night, you will hear several talented musicians playing for your entertainment. Paul Curran is a gifted tenor with a strong clear voice and you will enjoy hearing him lead the others in song. Whenever I get homesick for my home away from home, I pop in the CD of music from the Blarney Stone and it takes me back to my friends in Shanghai.
I met so many lovely people there from the Great Britain, Canada, Ireland, Scotland and even my home state of Colorado. If you want to associate with friendly people, listen to inviting music and eat really good, recognizable food, look for the Blarney Stone in Shanghai. Tell them the blonde from Colorado sent you!
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