Saigon Eats

I am definitely NOT someone who enjoys going out to restaurants.  Thom and I rarely go out back in Shanghai and can be very happy eating cereal for dinner.  However, we enjoyed sampling the local cuisine in Saigon very much.  There is no lack of LOTS of amazing restaurants in Saigon so off we went to enjoy the bold flavors and diverse selection plus the price is right!  A multi-course meal at a nice place will set you back $40 US or 880,000Dong and that includes the necessary wine to accompany.  Cheap!

Shrimp cracker anyone?
Shrimp cracker anyone?

We learned quickly to plan our excursions outside to include an umbrella as every day the clouds open up in the late afternoon and it dumps lakes onto the crowded streets. Our first full day, we encountered a huge thunderstorm so we managed to just make it across the street from the hotel to at Tandoori, a Middle Eastern place.  We’ve become huge curry fans so we had a bold chicken curry with cheese nan and spicy grilled shrimp with saffron rice. As we watched the scooters navigate the water outside, we dug in first to the crisp veggie samosa with pungent sauces to dip into and practically licked the plates. I would have loved to try a new dessert but no room at the inn regretfully.

Not so the next night! I made sure to reserve room to try the strawberry custard while Thom took on the mango sorbet to end our evening. The Vietnamese restaurant where we went, Hoa Tuc, has a cooking school on the top floor which I read is quite good though we didn’t have time to try it out.  This restaurant was tucked away with many other fine places in the Refinery, where they used to produce Opium and now just produce awesome food.  For the main courses—we tried several out to sample. The coconut milk rice pancakes filled with shrimp and rolled in lettuce leaves, dipped in sauces and eaten with our hands was messily amazing. Are your mouths watering yet??? Then, the mustard leaves rolled with crunchy vegetables inside and a prawn secured on top were next.  They disappeared fast.

Mustard leaves roll with prawn
Mustard leaves roll with prawn

Thom tucked away his barbeque chicken pieces and I had Vietnamese brown rice with green onions and shrimp. I have never had such wonderful rice—it was dark brown, nutty tasting and so moist,having been cooked in a clay pot. I ate every grain. I could eat a bowl of that every day and be very happy and full.

Our last night in Saigon, we tried to get the energy to go out and try another new place but we had been upgraded to a huge suite at the Park Hyatt so we opted for a quiet room service dinner to enjoy our luxurious digs. The food was adequate but sitting in our living room in our robes while we ate was priceless.

 

Room Service after a long day spent walking Saigon Streets=PRICELESS!
Room Service after a long day spent walking Saigon Streets=PRICELESS!

Saigon Street Scene

We went to Hanoi earlier in the year over Chinese New Year and did the city scene and a cruise on Halong Bay.  Now, we are checking out Saigon on a long Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival weekend. Not only is it extremely inexpensive by most standards for hotel, food, etc. but very easy for English speakers. We love it!

Vietnam kitchens are on sidewalks, eating on tiny plastic stools and tables
Vietnam kitchens are on sidewalks, eating on tiny plastic stools and tables
Sleeping away the morning in a hammock on the streets of Saigon
Sleeping away the morning in a hammock on the streets of Saigon

We enjoy getting lost and exploring the culture in Saigon.  Around every corner, you never know what to expect so we try to just wander a new street every time we go out.

This morning we saw people squatting on their little plastic stools that are everywhere here on the sidewalks around teeny tiny tables, enjoying their Pho for breakfast.  Everything is done on the sidewalks here-eating, shopping, sleeping, gambling–you name it.  The apartments are probably very small and without full kitchens so most meals are eaten with friends and family at these sidewalk kitchens.  Fruit is sold everywhere with the favored form of transportation big baskets balanced with a pole over the shoulders of sturdy women working hard to sell peaches, oranges, coconuts, etc.  I saw one woman today cooking waffles on a small burner on one side of her basket with the finished product in the basket on the other side of the pole.  Crazy!

Balancing act-green oranges in large baskets on a pole that she will wear across her shoulders as she walks and sells her fruit
Balancing act-green oranges in large baskets on a pole that she will wear across her shoulders as she walks and sells her fruit

While Thom takes much better pictures than me with his super cool camera, I have enjoyed capturing the uniquely Vietnam street scenes with my Nokia phone camera which shoots great pics and videos.  As the rain once again pours down in the afternoon,  a daily occurrence, Thom and I are listening to top 40 hits at the Coffee Bean and enjoying our coffees while we wait out the rain.

Waiting out the storm at the Coffee Bean in Saigon
Waiting out the storm at the Coffee Bean in Saigon

Coffee shops are EVERYWHERE.  While Starbucks doesn’t dominate on every street corner, there are Costa, Coffee Bean, etc. as well as the local Vietnam chains.  For a tropical climate, the coffee culture is strong here.  I’m guessing the balance of sales is heavy on iced coffee products but it also looks like espresso is huge.  Sitting here enjoying our Americano, we could be in NYC or Seattle but the minutes we step outside and are assaulted with the scooter traffic and people living their lives on the sidewalks, we know we are in Asia.

Men with Machine Guns=No Pictures..usually

“Stop asking people with machine guns if you can take their picture.  That’s just stupid.”.  After Thom tried to rationalize his behavior while sharing our adventures in Saigon with our son James, he was having none of it and proceeded to lecture his dad sternly via Skype.  Someone’s got to be the adult and that is obviously James not Thom.

Uzi needed to guard the Finance Bldg in Saigon
Uzi needed to guard the Finance Bldg in Saigon

So, lots of people ask what our kids think about us living in China and having crazy adventures.  When it first came up, my daughter was none too thrilled about China preferring I get a spot in London or anywhere else where she might want to visit.  That wasn’t an option so China it was and she was very supportive though will probably never visit while we are here as she is very busy with being a wife and new Mom to Mia.  We miss her terribly.

James is still in college so he has more flexibility to visit us on school breaks and was receptive to spending time in China.  So he has been able to spend months with us in China over the school holidays and explore with us, though he doesn’t find randomly walking the streets to be much fun like we do.  He likes to travel with a purpose and preferably in cooler weather like Seattle where he goes to school and always plans his days with food in mind.  Boy, do 21 year old boys like to eat–all the time!  His favorite activities with us were tobogganing down the Great Wall, sea kayaking in Hong Kong but mostly eating chicken pot pies delivered to our door in Shanghai by an expat online Pie Shop.  James declared them DELICIOUS-high praise indeed though I strongly believe there is no such thing as bad pie (or wine for that matter) but I’m not so picky.

Today, as we shared our fun times in Vietnam, James scolded Thom for his risk taking.  “You could get killed or arrested.  Stop it!”.  Like Thom will stop behaving badly-NOT!  In the never ending pursuit of cool photos, Thom had seen a building in Saigon and wanted to take a picture of it.  Of course, seeing the armed military guard caressing an Uzi machine gun didn’t stop him even after the guard pursued him and told him, “No pictures.”. Most rational people would apologize quickly and walk away even faster.  But, nooooooo, not Thom-he smiled and asked the guard if he could take HIS picture and asked about the building’s purpose. It was a government Finance Building and, no, the guard didn’t want his picture taken.  You think he wants to end up on Facebook or Twitter??  Hell No!!!  Of course, Thom got his shot and it will soon be all over social media.  Oops!

They do like to protect their government buildings in Saigon.  We ended up behind a chain link rope around one building somehow and when we needed to exit to cross the street, unfortunately we found ourselves having to jump over the chain but now it had barbed wire wound through it.  Now, I’m in a skirt and trying not to impale myself on this as I slowly executed a maneuver to get over it.  Yikes!  I think I flashed the traffic passing by but a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do to keep on having adventures.  This is also why we now carry a first aid kid with us at all times.  Be prepared is our motto-the worst can and will happen in a foreign country, which makes for good memories and interesting stories to share.  Back to Shanghai tomorrow!

Thom doing what he does so well
Thom doing what he does so well

Scooters Rule in Saigon

Scooters rule-they even have their own traffic signal and lanes
Scooters rule-they even have their own traffic signal and lanes

Scooters rule here in Vietnam.  Everywhere and always–they serve as the family mini-van and commuter car.  I have seen families of five on one small scooter.  Helmets required here which is cool to see after the helmet-optional China scene.  I see more air masks on most riders too than in China, though the air pollution is far less.  Ladies ride side saddle, dressed to the nines with their sparkly high heels and crossed legs perfectly comfortable and toddlers hold on for dear life between their parents legs, standing up on the floorboard by the handles.  This is life in Vietnam.

Vietnam's version of the mini van--scooter for 4!
Vietnam’s version of the mini van–scooter for 4!

At least scooters have their own traffic signals and designated lanes on most streets.  You don’t see the luxury cars here that you would in China.  It’s mostly taxi’s and scooters.  Not even really bikes-just a few “seasoned” folks riding old school.  When it poured in a torrential thunderstorm yesterday with high winds, the scooters went into hiding until the weather calmed and then they flooded the streets to resume their commute.  They sell special scooter rider poncho’s everywhere–hood, extended arms and headlight coverage as well.  Still, those poor riders had to be soaked to the bone yesterday with the waves of water coming down so heavy.

Today the weather dawned clear so as Thom and I checked out the boardwalk by the Saigon River, I shot this video–at 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday when we thought the streets would be deserted, making the crossing across the wide boulevard by the river much easier.  We went by there yesterday and didn’t even attempt it.  NOPE!  The scooters were out in full force early so we had to be super nimble and scoot our asses across the street dodging the masses.  That’ll wake you up!  I don’t advise most people to try this–last night we saw our doormen escorting some tourists across a small street by the hotel to keep them alive. Not for the fainthearted! 

Saigon Street Market

As the navigator in charge of map duties today, I promptly got us lost on our first full day in Saigon.  Lucky us, we managed to stumble into a cool art gallery open house complete with artists giving interviews and free wine.  SCORE!  The paintings were very diverse from the Vietnam water buffalo to striking portraits and colorful murals.  I love these type of unexpected surprises when out travelling in new cities.

Gallery show in Saigon
Gallery show in Saigon

While we were the only expats in the place, everyone just smiled at us and let us admire the art at our leisure.  Rounding a corner where one store had 12 feet of nothing but mooncakes for sale, we found a local market where Saturday shopping was in full swing.  This wasn’t the tourist t-shirt market.

The stalls sold veggies, fruits-lots of coconuts ready to be capped and a straw inserted to drink the water-as well as very unrefrigerated meat just hanging out with the flies.  YUM!  Maybe there was so much hard liquor for sale as well to chase down and kill all the germs from eating the street meet.  My Gma Hannah believed in the medicinal properties of Jack Daniels–one shot is a cure for what ails you.  Quick and effective home remedy!

Street meat-yum!
Street meat-yum!

At the market, you could stock up on most of the basic needs–a fan, socks, undies and most grocery items with lots of USA branded snacks available as well.  The scooters, of course, kept us on our toes as we took photos and browsed.  Though there seem to be less scooters on the sidewalks than in Shanghai, in general the scooters dominate all streets.  As we crossed a busy intersection, Thom yelled, “I’m going.  Follow at your own risk”  BAM–He boldly stepped in front of and between the barrage of traffic to get to the other side.  He is fearless and perhaps a wee bit stupid as well, all good traits to have to navigate here.

A couple beside me laughed and I commented that Thom was from NYC and could navigate almost any busy street without dying.  Turns out, the Australian couple I talked to were going to Shanghai next so we traded China best practices (don’t buy street or PC Mall electronics, buy pearls from Sarah’s Pearls at AP Market) and they encouraged us to see Melbourne soon.  Australians are such friendly mates!  I can’t wait to check out their country.

Liquor stall at the market
Liquor stall at the market

As we found our way back to the hotel for pool time, we realized that the shop we had gotten lost looking for was very close by but, had we not got lost, we would have had a very dull morning.  Getting lost is our way of soaking in the local culture and discovering new and exciting places.  May we always enjoy the journey and, with me navigating our adventures, we will surely always get lost along the way.

Arriving in Saigon

After a delay sitting on the tarmac waiting, waiting, waiting (nothing leaves on time in Shanghai), we were off to Saigon!  As the plane neared the ground, the first thing I saw was the cluster of headlights illuminating the sky at an intersection–20 scooters across–what fun we will have trying to stay alive as we cross the streets here!

Ben Thanh market at night-can't wait to see it when open
Ben Thanh market at night-can’t wait to see it when open

Upon arrival, with passengers exiting fast out of the front and the back of the plane, we all ran to the buses that would take us to the small terminal.  The Visa process here is fairly simple with all non-Asian citizens herded into one area for processing.  We paid for “speedy” process and personal assistance but next time we’ll probably skip this extra fee we paid and do it ourselves.  Didn’t seem to get us through any faster and it was very simple.  The people watching was so interesting while we waited–huge diversity of visitors.   Vietnam attracts the hippy backpackers in droves-Bob Dylan shirts, dreadlocks and all.  It’s cheap and fun here.  We love, love Vietnam–everyone is so friendly and almost everyone speaks great English so it’s just easy.

We had paid also to have a private car take us to our lovely hotel, the Park Hyatt, and that was worth it as it is chaos outside the terminal.  Interesting that the waiting area is all outside with a canopy thus saving on A/C bills for the airport but making it fairly miserable for all in the hot tropical conditions.

Enjoying wine at outside café-lots of night life here in Saigon
Enjoying wine at outside café-lots of night life here in Saigon

Throwing the bags into the room, we immediately ventured out and went in search of an ATM.  Got to get us some Dong!  At 22,000 Dong to $1 US, you can get put off thinking something is terribly expensive at 2 million Dong but really not so much.  Dong in hand, we were off to explore Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon–either name seems to work here.

Crossing the street among all the scooters is challenging but when Thom went on ahead, leaving me to cross by myself, I just waited for a group of young dudes to venture out into the crosswalk and I inserted myself into their pack.  There is safety in #’s and they graciously shielded me from harm.  Thanks, guys!

Along the way, we managed to find some beautiful buildings, interesting stores and a Moroccan belly dancing club.  Who knew?  Something I never knew–Thom is freaked out by belly dancers but I’m trying to get him to go just for the experience.  After a glass of wine and some snacks at an outside café, we called it a night, eager to get some rest and explore Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow. More adventures to come!

She Works Hard For Her Money

Even in China, you can find “organic” fruit being touted, though Thom and I know it probably comes from the same field by the highway just like all fruit.  That being said, we really can’t see paying 3x the price for the organic label so, after trying it both ways, we went back to buying from our local fruit lady in our neighborhood.

Every day, from morning to late at night, she sits on the corner by our apartment selling fruit out of the back of her van.  Assisted by probably family, they weigh the produce and bargain with you on the price, sometimes throwing in an extra banana or two if they overcharge.  When Thom buys, this is always what happens because he hates to bargain.

James watches as Thom picks out the fruit from our lady
James watches as Thom picks out the fruit from our lady

The fruit tastes delicious and, if it is raised in contaminated soil with the aid of polluted water then so be it.  As Fiona, our language teacher has taught us, “In China you can die fast or you can die slow-you pick.”. If the fruit doesn’t kill us, all the carbs we eat will so it’s time to enjoy a juicy peach and throw caution to the wind.

Our fruit lady was anxious to know if James was our son.  She pointed to him and then to us with a big smile.  Yes-we were blessed with a son, which always goes over big here.  Of course, we have a gorgeous daughter as well but here in China, the message is always clear-boys are special and men are in charge.

When we were at Tai Chi, after class we lingered to chat with the fellow participants.  The ladies were off talking while Thom and I talked to the guys.  They immediately turned to Thom and asked what he did for a living.  Smiling his huge grin, Thom loves to tell people, “I follow her and support her” pointing to me. The dudes let that sink in and then their eyes turned to me.  “What do YOU do?”. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a man or woman turn to me FIRST when I’m with Thom to ask why we had moved to China.  They ALWAYS assume it is for Thom’s career.  Just a cultural thing that I’ve gotten used to here.

Our fruit lady pointing out the best stuff to Thom
Our fruit lady pointing out the best stuff to Thom

My fruit lady is also in charge at her job and works so hard to sell her produce but always has a smile on her face.  She’s an excellent business woman who understands customer service and that the little things matter like the extra banana thrown in the bag for regular customers or that offering a sample of the grapes will yield larger sales.  Kudos to you, my dear!  You work hard for your money and deserve every RMB you get from Thom–I’m actually okay that he doesn’t bargain with you.  I’m sticking with you for my fruit, even if it kills me.

The Mooncakes are Here! The Mooncakes are here!

Mooncakes are EVERYWHERE.  Somehow the main celebration for the MId-Autumn Festival this weekend in China is centered on a not-so-tasty pastry.  The hell with the mooncakes!!!  Thom and I have decided to celebrate this holiday by going to Vietnam instead of eating pasty carbs but, hey, we’re rebels.  What can I say-Ho Chi MInh City, baby, here we come!

Mooncake stamped with rabbit imprint to signify the moon
Mooncake stamped with rabbit imprint to signify the moon

But back to mooncakes–the front page of the Shanghai Daily featured a huge picture of long lines of people lined up outside waiting to buy popular mooncakes at a bakery.  Monday, I got my first mooncake gift from a co-worker.  The beautiful tin box featured a rabbit motif.  After I consulted Wiki, I know understand that rabbits represent the moon so that makes more sense.  I cut open the really heavy small cake (4 to a box and they weigh a ton!) and saw the inner burst of color.  I tasted that part first but it was really flavorless–Wiki says it is probably an egg yolk, maybe duck egg, symbolizing the full moon.

Our mooncake tasting with egg yolk in middle surrounded by lotus bean paste
Our mooncake tasting with egg yolk in middle surrounded by lotus bean paste

Thom, James and I all participated in mooncake tasting together.  Since each cake has 1,000 calories, I’m glad I only had one bite or I’d be at the gym all week working off the damn mooncake flab.  It tasted like mild peanut butter but maybe that is what lotus seed paste tastes like.  I have nothing to compare it to yet.  I do know that despite complaints that mooncake sales are down dramatically due to controls on government bribes, the lines are still pretty long at all bakeries so I’m not sure that strategy is working for them.  Even Starbucks sells them–always in gift boxes as they are presents to bestow on people you want to gain weight quickly.

So, happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone.  Lots of stories to come this weekend from Vietnam.  Scooters galore!

More mooncake info than anyone needs or wants to know, according to Wiki:

Mooncake (simplified Chinese: 月饼; traditional Chinese: 月餅; pinyin: yuè bĭng) is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiujie). The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching, when mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals.

Typical mooncakes are round pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 3–4 cm thick. This is the Cantonese mooncake, eaten in Southern China in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. A rich thick filling usually made from red bean or lotus seed paste is surrounded by a thin (2–3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea. Today, it is customary for businessmen and families to present them to their clients or relatives as presents,[1] helping to fuel a demand for high-end mooncake styles. The energy content of a mooncake is approximately 1,000 calories or 4,200 kilojoules (for a cake measuring 10 cm (3.9 in)), but energy content varies with filling and size.[2]

 Most mooncakes consist of a thin, tender pastry skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling, and may contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in their center as the symbol of the full moon. Very rarely, mooncakes are also served steamed or fried.

Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for “longevity” or “harmony”, as well as the name of the bakery and the filling inside. Imprints of the moon, the Lady Chang’e on the moon, flowers, vines, or a rabbit (symbol of the moon) may surround the characters for additional decoration.

Mooncakes are considered a delicacy as production is labor-intensive and few people make them at home. Hence, most prefer to buy them from commercial outlets, which may range from smaller individual bakery shops to high-end restaurants. The price of mooncakes usually ranges from US$10 to US$50 for a box of four, although cheaper and more expensive mooncakes can also be found.[original research?]

You won’t believe this story!!!

So, I have written before about flying within China on local airlines and how scary it is but as I read the article in the Shanghai Daily today, I was once again shocked at the lack of safety and common sense.  Holy. Hell.

I’ll summarize but you can read it for yourself at:  http://www.shanghaidaily.com/national/No-smoke-without-ire-on-flight-to-Beijing-/shdaily.shtml

So, a passenger was smoking in the bathroom on a flight to Beijing from Chengdu.  Are you outraged and shocked?  Don’t be-happens all the time.  The flight attendant actually had the backbone to take away his cigarettes and matches (you think???) and probably yelled at him for drama and good measure for making his job difficult.

Later after the flight was diverted due to bad weather in Beijing and they had to refuel in Taiyuan, the Boeing 737 with 150 passengers had to have a refueling on the runway while they waited to take off again on their journey.  While this was going on, not one BUT FIVE passengers were seen smoking at the open cabin door next to the oil tanker. Can you say, “BOOM!”

What did the crew do?  Did they immediately arrest the passengers and stop this crazy stupid behavior?  No way–they did nothing according to the story in the paper.  WHAT???  After passengers called the police and they talked to the captain, he declined to do any security checks because he was “already badly behind schedule”.    I guess the captain was quoted as saying, “They can smoke as long as I agree.”.   If the plane had blown up due to these passengers bad behavior, then he might have had to rethink his logic.  Maybe if he wasn’t toast.

Of course, passengers asked for compensation for their distress and were given 1,800 Yuan and a refund of their ticket.  Luckily, they also got to walk away with their lives.  Asked how the matches made it through security checks, the Chengdu airport said it would try to improve.  Here’s hoping as the only way to get to Chengdu is to fly and I’m sure I’ll be going there at some point for work.  Maybe I should pack a fire extinguisher in my carry on–I know security will probably let it through and it might come in handy.

Bargaining Should Be An Olympic Sport

Today we ventured out to the AP “fake” market in Shanghai under the #2 subway line in Pudong.  We have been there many times to buy pearls, sports jerseys, Rolex watches, LV bags, etc.  I see bargaining for the lowest possible price as a sport.  I just wish it was an Olympic sport because I would totally own a Gold Medal.

Our mission was hunting for stylish yet waterproof rain boots for me.  With my commute of 1.3 miles each way to/from work and no taxis in sight when it rains, I am tired of stepping in the lakes that form quickly in the streets resulting from the city planners–shocker ahead–obviously not realizing that it rains heavily in Shanghai many months of the year. Where the hell did they imagine all that water was going to go???

Thom checking out local shirts to get custom made at the AP market
Thom checking out local shirts to get custom made at the AP market

Anyway, we went straight to our “shoe lady” who has sold us many a Converse-like shoe in the past.  She gives us the local price not the laowai inflated price and she has a nice smile.  Today, James found some nice leather sneaks but, after trying on hideous Croc-like rubber boats to keep my feet dry, we had to keep looking.  The popular Hunter boots were everywhere but I’ve had those (Hannah now looks splendid in them) and they’re just too hot and heavy for Shanghai.  Unfortunately, nothing else really else presented itself except a leopard plastic boot that I just couldn’t bring myself to like.  So, after heavy negotiating I got a short version of the Hunter mock lizard which will make my feet sweat like a bitch but perhaps will be waterproof–with the fakes, you never know what quality you’re getting until you wear/wash them.  They may last and they may not.  I told the guy I lived in Shanghai and would be back in his face if my feet got wet wearing his boots that I got for 160RMB.   He just smiled and waved goodbye.  He has no idea what’s in his future if my feet aren’t happy in the next monsoon.  Watch out mister!

Hunter rain boots and turquoise necklace-my bargains from AP market
Hunter rain boots and turquoise necklace-my bargains from AP market

Since my birthday was this past week and I ended up sick instead of celebrating, I decided to treat myself and give Sarah’s Pearls a visit because I just know they miss my bargaining like a mule which makes Thom cringe.  After seeing a long turquoise(like) and silver necklace, I knew it would look super with a simple black dress so into the lovely sequin bag it went for only 100 RMB–she started at 280 RMB.  Like a mule I am!

After negotiating for a brightly patterned pillow cover–I do have a serious pillow fetish for our boring beige couches–we started looking at custom made trench coats to accompany my new rain boots.  I’ll have to do some research on styles but I shopped for pricing and found I could get one for about 600 RMB (down from 2400) custom made in a few days.  SOLD!  Can’t wait to go back and order when my friend Patti visits.  I’m sure she’ll want some custom clothes too and I can get a better deal if we buy multiple items.  I truly do deserve a Gold Medal in bargaining because I save so much money that I can just keep on shopping, shopping, shopping!