one thing i've taken for granted growing up in america, was the ever present availability of doughnuts.  whether its my favorite organic, vegan doughnut from seattle's(one of CQ's sister cities) "Mighty O,"  or a pack of the hostess donettes from the nearest gas station, doughnuts, in america are everywhere.  and no matter where you are, its not easy to find a bad doughnut.  of course some are far superior to others, but most doughnuts are in some way enjoyable, even in china. 
i have found one however that goes beyond merely being enjoyable (i would go as far to say it is absolutely delicious), and that is the dico's doughnut.  yes dico's the over-priced fast food haven finally gives us a reason to enter its doors and that reason comes in two flavors, powdered sugar, and chocolate.  both being tasty, the chocolate exceptionally so, and at RMB3 and 3.5 respectively you can't go wrong.

as i'm sure most of you have heard by now, the world has lost a genius.  a rare specimen indeed, michael jackson, admit it or not has moved each of us in one way or another.  and in honor of his life, today from 2:00 -5:00 pm, 88.1 love fm in chongqing will be playing tribute  to the man who's moonwalk even  out did neil armstrong's. so if you're near a radio or 'bout to hop in a cab, put the dial to 88.1 and jam along with the king.

posted by: sidewalkspew

da li shao kao is definitely a place you need to find your self at some point and time while your in CQ, right outside ci qi kou in shapingba by the guys that nagg you to rent a bike, is the food  from the south of the clouds province,  known for its specialty herbs and beautiful scenery. Now like most shao kao places that cook it for you, here you can experience the pleasure of grilling the food yourself while drink some old mountain city beer or bai jiu if you prefer. I personally have been known to douse my food with a bit a brew on the grilling plate , and for those who really are not the biggest fans of that gourmet powder well you can regulate that so called gourmetness....

If you find yourself there on a Thursday you can continue the evening and boogie on with a reggae woman click for details.

PRICE RANGE: 2-20 per plate

As much as i love da pan ji, gong bao ji ding and the ever so good xin jiang ban mian. There is nothing and i mean nothing like the sweet satisfaction of stuffing your face into a half pound of pure minced beef cooked medium well surrounded by fresh lettuce, red onion, tomato and relishhhh, bathed in a healthy serving of mustard and ketchup, with the extra ketchup for the the double  dipps 'ahhhhh'. Ohh! lets not forget the thick fresh cut wedge fries that are the size of Chinese roaches " BIIIIGGG, " AND ITS UNDER 50 RMB. So in the words of  Senator  Clay Davis of Maryland," SHEEEEEEEEEEIIT....."  this burger is definitely worth buying flowers for. and you can find her on the 6th floor of da du hui plaza in jie fang bei across the new york new york building.

Dont forget your flowers, cause she is a beauty!!!

Address: L626 METROPOLITAN PLAZA NO.68 ZOURONG ROAD
Tell: (86)023-63726100

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For the most of us Chongqing has been the city we see form the little pockets of walking streets, shopping centers and bars we cling to so dear. Many a times i have asked and been asked what the real culture in the city i have grown to love and appreciate is?  Well i finally found the answer to that question, and found it in the works of Colin Jones a 6 year resident and a good friend who from his teens got into the dirt like Jailing does the Yangtze and came out swimming with his Range Finder in one hand and images in the other. Thus earning him first place in the annual Carl Zeiss awards and leading him to work close with the National Geographic Society within China. 

nothing can describe the man more than his unofficial soundtrack, a little taste to get you ready to experience the city,  his city； Colin Jones （Jay Z） the city is mine

A must see show for all and it will be held on the 16th of  July in  Bridge Book House in Long Hu Jiangbei. STRTS AT 7:30.....
Address: 1-1-5, Crystal Palace, Crystal Town, Chongqing (below Ferrari & Maserati 3S store )

rude boys and rude girls, natty dreads and nappy heads, come one come all, and skank your way on down to cotton club for CQ's only reggae night with DJ NANA(Ghana), thursday nights starting at 10pm. 
and just in-case you can't wait til thursday to get your fix of island vybez, we're hooking you up with an exclusive mix from chengdu's very own DJ EVP2 .  he's mixed together the reggae/dub cover-album of Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon,' entitled, 'Dub Side of the Moon,'  in addition to the exclusive mix, i'm gonna throw in one of the greatest reggae inspired songs of all time, and the inspiration for this post's title, Stevie Wonder's 'Boogie on Reggae Woman."

Easy Star All Stars - Dub Side of the Moon(DJ EVP2 mix) [dwnld]
Stevie Wonder - Boggie on Reggae Woman [dwnld]

as i sit in createa(bottom floor of the "capital retail" shopping mall @ san xia guang chang), my coffee shop of choice here in shapingba, i am overly annoyed by what i assume is some of that infamously horrible chinese pop music playing throughout the cafe. a quick google search of the lyrics reveals that the song is "pretty pretty boy" by the group m2m, which is in-fact a norwegian pop group(my ancestors must be rolling in their graves), but a bad pop group all the same. the song has played for the 2nd time in less than an hour, and is tempting me to pay the extra 7-20 RMB for a cup of caffeination over at starbux, but my past experiences, all of which pleasant, especially to my wallet(10RMB espresso/americano, 16 RMB med. soy latte), convince me to stick it out, and turn my annoyance into inspiration.
inspiration to share with you, what the unkowing may consider to be oxymoronic.   good chinese pop music, or shall i say "indie-pop."  in particular, a couple of bands who recently made their way to chongqing. Life Journey(gallery) and Hedgehog. 

Hedgehog - (24 hr rock party)24小时摇滚聚会 [dwnld]
Hedgehog - (day dreaming)白日梦蓝 [dwnld]
Life Journey - (back to babylon)回到巴巴拉拉的城堡 [dwnld]
Life Journey - Dog Dog Dogs [dwnld]

CQ via Beijing  photographer Daniel

rumor had it that a new pizza restaurant opened up in shapingba, and after reading a post on cqexpat, i decided for myself to see what and where the hype was all about.  as I read in the post, suzie's was in the most unassuming of locations, located on the 23rd floor of an apartment building, but with the simple directions i had(across from the 2-story mcdonalds in shapingba[not the one by starbux]), it was fairly easy to find(if standing with your back to mcdonalds its in the tall gray building across the street and to the right), and well worth the trip. 
I tried both the chicken oregano and the hot & spicy pizzas, and both were quite good.  I was especially pleased with suzie's use of real cheese ,                                                                                                    a  homemade sauce and crust, that was delightfully crispy.  

suzies is located @ 沙平坝，[三峡广场重庆大酒店旁边]商社电器楼上，金沙国际B-23-4
or you can call her @ 136 9641 9353 for 24 hour delivery anywhere in CQ. [menu]