shanghai postcard #28: contrasts

Yep, those are whole dried chickens in a confused pile, right in front of a display of Pelligrino and Perrier.

In the weeks leading up to Chinese New Year (which kicks off in two weeks), it starts to smell really bad around here - dried meat is traditional gift, and carcasses of every imaginable small animal are hung outside markets and buildings on laundry poles to "dry" or "cure" - from the resulting stench, some other processes are occurring as well. 

Here's hoping your neighborhood smells better than mine this week!