Shanghaiist Reads: SH and Shanghai Talk

Another week, another edition of Shanghaiist Reads. SH and Shanghai Talk are on the clock …

SH

• With Shanghai fashion week in full bloom, it’s hardly surprising that the bulk of SH’s coverage is devoted to hot young designers, hot fads, and hot, hot hotness. “Design Time” is a no-frills sampling of the city’s rising fashionistas, though it’s probably safe to say that an all-gray background is hardly the most fashionable layout to accompany all that razzle dazzle. Still, we can’t knock the overall presentation or execution—the SH crew definitely did their homework on emerging styles, trends, and voices. A word of caution, however: at the risk of fashion overload, perhaps ease up on all things sartorial for a few issues? [Feature one, feature two, feature three]
• Farmers’ markets haven’t quite caught on (and when they have, they tend to get shut down: see the Naked Cow), but a compelling case can be made that location, location, location may be the greater culprit. Despite evidence to the contrary, we’re guessing that people are clamoring for their organic food coverage a lot more these days, since that’s all the English-language media seems to talk about lately. [Dining feature]
• Barbecues—now there’s a food concept we can get behind. Too bad the three restaurants SH chose to profile—Han Lin Grill, Latina, and Taojiang Garden—all receive less-than-favorable to middling reviews. We know there’s some sizzling BBQ in this city. Could we maybe recommend a few that have more than a “pleasant dining experience” going for them? [Restaurant reviews]
• G-spot and Club MT—we’re not sure what the differences are, and frankly, we don’t care. Does that make us apathetic clubgoers or just numb to the charms of “hypnotic lights” and “zigzagging passages?” Probably both. [Open bar]

Shanghai Talk

• Does Talk have a stake in Shanghai’s impenetrable real estate market? It would certainly appear so—the cover story centers on Olivia Hsu Decker, owner of the Chateau Vilette (otherwise known as the impossibly grandiose backdrop to Dan Brown’s ubIqituous The Da Vinci Code), while “Shanghai Shoestring” profiles a few of the best budget accommodations (read: youth hostels) in the city. In all sincerity, we have little objection to this sudden flurry of property coverage, since it makes for an interesting contrast to the mostly F&B-concentration of the other local rags, but we’d also like to make a gentle suggestion. Next time, preface things with an editor's note, or at least a proper introduction. Provides the reader with a sense of context and when you're a monthly, context is everything, no? [Cover story, p. 10; feature, p. 12]
• Byron Lee is to reggae as Afrika Bambaataa is to hip-hop, which is to say that without him, the stoners of the world wouldn’t have a rallying cry. So we were both disappointed and impressed by Talk’s interview with him. Impressed because they had the foresight to interview Byron Lee. Disappointed because we wanted to hear more from the man himself. [Art and Stage, p. 29]
• Jonathan “Cao Cao” Kos-Read is back, this time to share the sordid details about his being featured as the cover star of Details Magazine. We usually look forward to Kos-Read’s column—he’s self-deprecating, insightful, and thankfully unencumbered by the trappings of (almost) fame. In other words, he's China's Paul Shirley. (Another must-read for hoop junkies and sub-lebrity hounds alike.) Keep on the lookout for the obligatory Da Shan reference. [An Actor's Life, p. 30]
• “Gastronomia Italiana” begins with an interesting premise: that Italian food is the antithesis of Chinese food: decadent, rich, and overindulgent. And that somehow this was a bad thing. By the end of the article, however, we were far from convinced—the writer seemed to be having far too much fun. Besides, the Italians’ fascination with cheese notwithstanding, the food ain’t all that different. Surely, Marco Polo can attest to that. [Travel Talk, p. 34]
• The Abigail Washburn interview: much better than the Byron Lee interview. [Live Talk, p. 58]