Back in the late 80s when Nintendo games were huge, some company put together a series of VHS videos called “Secret Video Game Tricks, Codes, and Strategies.” The series starred the U.S. National Video Game Team aka a few teenage boys with mullets wearing jumpsuits selected for the video.

The hosts would tell you tips and tricks that were common knowledge at the time, and perform these gems during the video in real time. For example, in one trick, you’re told to pause the game during a boss battle for one minute; the video shows the pause sequence for the entire minute. Other production magic included the hosts’ incessant plastic controller clicking and heavy breathing.

Continuing in the tradition of posting about weird chips sold in China, I came across these “Natural Ocean” Pringles “Limited Edition” Seaweed flavour chips at the local grocery store and decided to give them a shot. Limited edition. They must be good.

Well, the first sign that this may not be the case was when I opened the can to find that they were all green in colour.

Opening a can to find green Pringles just doesn’t seem right. I could see maybe having some green ‘seaweed flavour’ seasoning on the chips, but completely green? And such a fake looking green?

I could look past this if they tasted good, but no. They taste like pure MSG. In fact, I’m pretty sure they are just pure MSG.

I was walking out of Xinzha Road metro station yesterday, when someone handed me what looked like a mini-CD. I thought it was odd because people handing out things on the street almost never approach foreigners directly (not me anyway). Once I had it in my hand, I realized it was just a cardboard promotional flyer… but I then realized why I was singled out.

Some company has opened an American Haunted House in Shanghai, dubbing the event SHANGHAI NIGHTMARE.

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When I first came to China, whenever it was discovered that I was Canadian, I noticed a pretty common reaction from Chinese people: their eyes grew wide and a smile came to their face. Most would say Canada is a ‘good friend’ to China, and many mentioned ‘doctor’ followed by a Chinese name that I did not understand. I assumed it was their relative who was a doctor in Canada or something, and although a bit confused, I would smile and nod.

Months later, someone mentioned this doctor again, but this time followed by his English name: “Norman Bethune.”

I stared blankly and said I had never heard of him. They were shocked. “You don’t know Dr. Bethune? He is the most famous Canadian!! Everyone in China knows him!”

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Car free days, where motorists are encouraged to leave their cars at home and use public transportation for the day, are popular in the west. How effective they are is debatable, but a lot of Asian cities with growing congestion and pollution problems due to a flood of new cars on the roads (including Shanghai, which had approximately 24,600 cars on the road in 1999 vs. 2.1 million on the road in 2007) have adopted the idea.

Unfortunately, this year’s Car Free Day in Shanghai could hardly be called a success.

First, instead of a full day ban on private cars, it was actually just limited to two and a half hours. Second, the ban was limited to only a few blocks around Nanjing West Road. Finally, the city didn’t properly inform the public, so nobody knew about the ban.

The result: angry motorists all along Nanjing West Rd. idling in a massive traffic jam which, ironically, caused more congestion (and probably pollution) than you would see on an average day.

Hugely popular in Japan, Taiko Drum Master (Taiko no Tatsujin) is another in the long line of rhythm music games like Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, etc. But this one is based on traditional Japanese taiko drums… sort of.

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Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up, and with it comes everyone’s favorite Chinese holiday snack: moon cakes. Moon cakes are starchy pastries filled with egg yolk, meat, fruit or something sweet. They’re also extremely heavy, and very filling. A single moon cake often contains 1000 calories (some even more), or roughly the equivalent of two Big Macs.

During Mid-Autumn Festival, friends and families give moon cakes to each other and most employers give out moon cake vouchers to their employees. The funny thing is, like Christmas fruit cakes in the west, not many people seem to actually like them.

In recent years, modern moon cakes have made a big impact with an assortment of new fillings. Coffee chains like Starbucks and Costa Coffee have all jumped on board, selling fancy gift boxes of moon cakes at pretty hefty prices of 200 RMB ($30) and up for a small box of 4 – 8 cakes.

Last year, my company gave us Häagen-Dazs ice-cream moon cakes, complete with dry-ice compartment in the package to prevent them from melting. This year, I received more traditional pastry moon cakes with some great fillings such as mango cream, coconut, red bean, and green tea.

The latest member of our household, Dosa, joined us a few weeks ago. We picked her up from this guy who took her in after he found her abandoned outside his hi-rise. He warned us that she had a ‘dog-like’ personality, whatever that meant.

So far we’ve discovered that she has a foot fetish and the appetite of a cow.

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Surprisingly, Vietnamese pho noodles in Shanghai are usually a mixed bag. Most places are overpriced, unauthentic, European/Vietnamese fusion restaurants that seem to miss the point.

That said, “Pho Sizzling” (it appears to be mandatory for a pho restaurant in Shanghai to have “pho” in its name – “Pho Real”, “Pho Fans”) on Wujiang Road is pretty decent. It has reasonably priced, tasty – if generic – pho, rice dishes, sandwiches, and assorted appetizers and side dishes. The restaurant itself has a very comfortable atmosphere with old Vietnam cigarette and beer ads on the walls, a modern design, and a great street view looking down on bustling Wujiang Road.

For 22 – 28 RMB, you can get a decent sized bowl of beef or steak brisket pho, and the afternoon tea special includes a drink for 23 RMB. They also have pretty amazing grilled meat and avocado sandwiches, and a great drink menu with some excellent iced coffee and assorted iced teas.

I’ve been debating getting a video game system for a while, and decided to pick up a Nintendo Wii. I wanted to get an XBox 360 (primarily for Street Fighter IV and Katamari), but it costs significantly more, and a lot of the great 360 stuff is online which from my understanding is either inaccessible or a pain in the ass to access from China. Also, if I were to fork out for a 360, I’d have to get an HDTV to really enjoy it.

You can buy Japanese or Korean Wii systems at little shops around the city (every neighborhood has at least one mom ‘n pop – or gangster and cronie – video game shop), and right now they seem to be selling for 1250 RMB or so with one controller. “Backup” games are pretty standard at 5 RMB. Since Nintendo doesn’t officially sell its products in China, I don’t think it’s possible to purchase originals.

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