Hi Everyone, welcome back to Astronomer in Shanghai. I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of winter, maybe even some snow (I miss snow–unlike Beijing, Shanghai is still quite warm (mid 50s) and it never snows). If you work in Academia, I hope that your fall semester has gone well, too. I hope that all of you had a lovely Thanksgiving, whether you were able to celebrate together with family and friends or virtually. For those of you who celebrate, I hope that you had a happy Channukkah filled with latkes and sufganiyot (doughnuts)! As you read this, I hope that all of you, your family, and your friends continue to stay safe and healthy (and boosted).
This was a very eventful month for me with multiple Thanksgiving celebrations and even more Channukkah parties, as well as a few other fun things to share!
Astronomy in Shanghai
Unlike in the US, the fall semester is still going strong in China (it ends in mid January before the Chinese Lunar New Year). So, I’ve been hard at work on a variety of my different Astronomy projects. Most of my focus has been spent on what I will refer to as Project Population, my Luminosity Function project. I’ve been tinkering a lot with the different parameters and measurements in my mock and am getting close to ironing out all the nuances. I’m also in the process of building another Bayesian MCMC (markov chain monte carlo) statistical model to study the weak lensing profiles I measured as part of Project Proxy, my analysis on different galaxy cluster halo mass (the amount of dark matter in a cluster) proxies. Additionally, I’ve been working on both adjusting some of my measurements relating to Project Outskirts, my project studying the faint intra-cluster light and it’s evolution as well as beginning to do some writing! Thanks to advice from my friend/collaborator Yuanyuan, I’ve been spending 30 minutes writing for that analysis every day and am in the process of putting together a paper (even though we’re still finalizing the analysis). I’m also planning to resubmit my paper on the DES stellar mass – halo mass relation and it’s evolution (Project Magnitude Gap III) as soon as possible. Lastly, I’ve just started getting my DESI (the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument) research on massive galaxies going! So, I’m doing my best to balance a lot of really interesting research projects! So, hopefully it’ll be a very productive end of 2021 and start to 2022.
Additionally, this past month, I was featured on DESI’s website as part of the meet a DESI member feature! Check it out to learn a bit more about what I’m doing as part of DESI!
Life in Shanghai
Although most of my time was spent working on my various Astronomy projects, I also spent time doing other fun things. Over the past 14 months, I’ve been doing Duolingo to learn Mandarin. Last Spring, there was a class offered for foreign scientists at SJTU’s TDLI institute. Unfortunately, the TDLI institute moved off campus, so I’m no longer able to participate in those classes (the new location is far from by campus and my apartment). However, one of Emmet’s friends in Beijing is leading an 8 week virtual Chinese survival course, which has been a great help so far in providing me some of the key phrases that I need for simple day-to-day interactions. Emmet and I also participated in a virtual course lead by the Vegans of Beijing about how to ask if food is Vegan (which is much more complicated than it is in the US, so I will likely be mostly sticking to vegan/vegetarian/Buddhist restaurants). Though I’m nowhere near close to fluent, I can now more easily do simple things like introduce myself and buy food at restaurants, without simply pointing!
While I didn’t have Solo staying with me this month, I did go over to visit him (and feed him for a few days)! He’s so adorable, that I couldn’t resist sharing a few photos with all of you!
One of the main highlights of this past month, was Thanksgiving! This is my third Thanksgiving in Shanghai. Thanksgiving is a tough holiday to spend abroad, without family, so I’m so grateful for my friends who invited me to share the holiday with them!
On the actual Thanksgiving, I was invited to join the Potter-Lewis family (one of the families in the Kehilat Shanghai community that I’m close with, both the parents and the sons) and my friend Josh (the former KS president) at the lovely and elegant restaurant M on the Bund! Though not everything I ate was traditional Thanksgiving food, it was so much fun to join them for a festive meal!
I enjoyed a green soup, a lychee drink, sweet potato gnocchi (I had 2 servings), and a lovely trio of three lemon deserts! Though the vegan/vegetarian food options weren’t Thanksgiving themed, the sentiment and feeling throughout the meal certainly was! It was such a wonderful evening and it was so nice to celebrate on Thanksgiving, unlike in past years.
Additionally, I couldn’t help but take some amazing photos of the Bund at night. Shanghai’s skyline is so majestic!
On Saturday, my friend Kim invited me to a lovely Friendsgiving! There was so much delicious food! I made seitan to share, which people really enjoyed!
You can see some of the delicious offerings! Including a wonderful mushroom soup, many vegetarian dishes and a fantastic desert spread!
Even though I had two lovely in-person Thanksgiving celebrations, the most meaningful celebration was on Friday morning, when I got to celebrate virtually with my parents and Emmet! I haven’t been home for Thanksgiving since 2018 (I moved to Shanghai in October of 2019). Even though we couldn’t virtually run the Turkey Trot together, it was really nice to all talk together around the dinner table (though Emmet and I were eating breakfast). Since I haven’t been able to return home in over two years, family holidays like Thanksgiving and Passover are particularly difficult, so I’m grateful that I was able to virtually join my parents and brother and share my gratitude for all their love and support.
Overall, I really enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving three times this year; all very different, yet wonderful experiences!
In addition to my Thanksgiving photos, there were a lot of other cool things I wanted to share with you. First, I wanted to give you a sense of Shanghai in the fall/winter, so here are a bunch of photos of either the Former French Concession, where I live, and one of the SJTU campus, where I work!
One of my favorite aspects of the Former French Concession is that it doesn’t feel like it’s in a mega-city. It’s so much smaller and manageable. In terms of winter in Shanghai, as you can see some of the trees to change colors. However, it’s still quite warm, so it doesn’t really feel like winter to me. Most days are in the mid to upper 50s. When I go running, I rarely have to wear a jacket (or even my full length tights), which is nice! I’m usually running 2 times a week and going to F45 on the other days, so still exercising a lot!
Additionally, here are some photos of cool decorations, signs, statues, or other things around Shanghai! I love that whenever I go for a walk, there is so much cool stuff to see!
And of course, I had to take a photo of the Benjamin Bunny sweater at Uniqlo! Also, for those of you who are curious, there are Christmas decorations up all around Shanghai. Most are located at malls or in front of big foreign brand stores. However, Christmas is entirely a commercial holiday in China (it’s not a day off, though some international schools give the day off).
Food in Shanghai
At the beginning of December I went to one of my favorite vegan/vegetarian restaurants, Godly, with my friend Anton (he’s Solo’s human)!
We enjoyed kaofu (spongy seitan) with mushrooms, potato shreds, ma po tofu, sword beans (my favorite), stewed tofu hot pot, and a sweet and our soup! Overall it was another delicious and spicy meal at Godly!
Jewish Life in Shanghai
This past month was filled with so many wonderful and fun events within the Kehilat Shanghai community! While much of the month was fixated around Channukkah, one other thing that I wanted to share was that this week, I led a very interesting discussing as part of the adult education program on whether Joseph should be viewed as a role model. We focused on the forgiveness he gives his brothers (a lesson we can all learn from and applaud) as well as his actions as the Vizier of Egypt (where, to survive the famine, he creates a system of indentured servitude, which I don’t think is very good). Overall it was a really interesting and captivating discussing. I look forward to leading other discussions in the future. 🙂
Unsurprisingly, the highlight of this month was all the Channukkah parties! I went to three!! We are so fortunate here in Shanghai that we are able to safely gather with friends and as a community. Even though I know that many of you were not able to do so, I hope that you still had a fun holiday and enjoyed some delicious latkes!
To me, Channukkah would not be complete without lighting my menorah every night. Though not always in the same place, I love sharing photos of my menorah from each night!
On both the 1st and 8th night of Channukkah, I was invited by members of the Kehilat Shanghai community to their homes to celebrate Channukkah! Many of the people that I joined with are members of the Family Shabbat community, the Kehilat families with young children who gather once a month for a relaxed Shabbat dinner of Pizza, and sometimes desert made by me!). Even though I don’t have a family here in Shanghai, these people, especially my friend Ha, have welcomed me with open arms into their community to join them. Although the screaming children can sometimes be a little much (though often it reminds me of fond memories of my time in Michigan spent with my cousin Margaret and her family), I’m so grateful to be part of such a caring and warm community! There is so much warmth and kindness that emanates from that group and I’m grateful to be included.
While these Channukkah celebrations were both lovely and intimate, the most fun Channukkah celebration was our 5th annual Shabbatakkah, Shabbat of Channukkah celebration! Ha and I co-organized this party again at Tacolicious! We had over 100 community members, including many of my friends, join us for a fantastic celebration with so many delicious latkes and sufganiyot!
As you can see, the party was so much fun! It was so beautiful to see a full row of menorahs all lit up! It was so great getting to relax and celebrate with so many of my friends and fellow community members! Next year, I’ll have to remember to take more photos with my friends, too! And of course, the latkes and sufganiyot that Chef Thiis made were absolutely fantastic! I can’t wait to celebrate together again next year!
I hope that you all enjoyed hearing about my Thanksgiving and Channukkah celebrations! For all of you on the other side of the street celebrating Christmas next week, I hope that you have a lovely and safe holiday with your family and friends. As we all enter 2022, I want to wish you all a Happy and healthy New Year! I hope that 2022 is a year filled with great joy and successes for everyone as well as much improved health and safety around the world.
In peace,
Jesse
Hi Jesse,
It sounds like you had another fantastic month. I’m glad to hear your research is progressing nicely! Hopefully you’ll have the last of the edits from Chris soon so that you can resubmit your paper in early 2022. I love the idea from Yuanyuan about 30 minutes of writing a day. You should DEFINITELY keep doing that for your other projects, too! I’m going to start doing that once the semester ends (I still need to bank a bit more results before I can start writing). Thank you for sharing the photos of Solo! He’s such a cutie! I miss spending time with cats. I see a lot of the neighborhood cats, but it isn’t the same. I’m glad you were also able to have a meaningful and happy Thanksgiving. I especially agree with your sentiments in regards to missing seeing Mom and Dad and having the whole family together. Hopefully I’ll be able to come visit you (or you visit me) sometime soon. The Bund at night looks so majestic! The next time I visit, we need to find an excuse to go there at night. I will say that I can barely tell it’s fall by the photos you shared. And no jacket when you’re running! Lucky you. I’ve been bundled up in 2 shirts, 2 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of gloves, 2 pairs of tights, 2 hats, a bandana, and a neck gaiter and still feel cold here. I love seeing the giant statues/ads in Shanghai. It’s so interesting to see what’s similar between the two cities (and what isn’t). Your Channukkah sounds amazing! I love the orange menorah! Who’s idea was that? I’m so glad that you got to have smaller more intimate celebrations and a big community party, too! It’s so nice that people invited you to their homes to be a part of the festivities. The party at Tacolicious looks amazing. I guess the only question is were their latke tacos? I’m so glad that it was a ton of fun and a successful party! Also, your meal at Godly looks amazing!!! I hope you have a fantastic end to 2021 and an even better start to 2022! Happy New Year! Stay safe and healthy!
Love,
Emmet
Hi Emmet! Thanks! As you know, I just resubmitted the paper today! The 30 minutes a day (M-F) for writing has been really helpful. I’ll definitely do that for my other projects when I start writing them up as well. I agree with you about the neighborhood cats, while they’re nice to see, they’re not nearly as friendly as Solo. I hope that we can meet up again soon. I’ll definitely take you to the Bund at night, even if it’s just for a walk. It’s certainly much warmer in Shanghai than in Beijing (hope your apartment is warm enough). Thanks for the complements about my Channukkah celebrations. They were all really lovely. The orange menorah is something that my friend Bec and her kids make! It’s super cute! No latke tacos, but maybe one day! I hope that you also have a fantastic end to 2021 and a great and productive start to 2022!
Dear Jesse,
This was a wonderful post to wake up to on a Sunday morning. It brings me great joy to see you as such a vital member of the Shanghai Jewish community, surrounded by so many adults and children who clearly have become like family to you. Highlights of your post for me are the bund lit up at night, the Benjamin Bunny sweatshirt, the menorah made from oranges (which also caught Emmet’s eye), the sword beans (top on my list to try when I can come to China, fingers crossed in 2023), adorable Solo, and you smiling.
I am delighted to hear of all the progress you are making on your research. The daily writing that Yuanyuan suggests is an excellent strategy to continue. Fingers crossed you can submit the DESI paper very soon. And that was a great profile about you! I will be turning to writing an article myself now that I have just finished the semester and am grading final papers. I have been playing elf, collecting for our wonderful department assistant (Theresa) and delivering jam to colleagues on campus, temple friends, our doctors and dentists, and longtime community friends. I also posted jam to friends and family near and far. It feels good to share some sweetness during this ongoing pandemic (and reminds me of how my father, your Bompa, of blessed memory liked to share his photographs with others)! And we had fun visits with Peri and her adorable sons Eli and Ronen for a late Chanukah celebration
( I brought out my flannel board of Peter Rabbit that I made for you and Emmet eons ago, and Eli told me the story) and Maggie’s Matilda (we baked and did crafts and flannel boards and visited the park). And we had a fun Chanukah party with cousins Adam, Alice, and Milo including vegan latkes made with Just Egg. Thanks for recommending that product to me.
Zoom Thanksgiving was a highlight for me too. I miss you so, but it gives me comfort that you and Emmet are in a safer place as this pandemic rages.
Love,
Mom
Hi Mom! Thank you!! The Kehilat Community is wonderful and have really helped me adjust to life in Shanghai. I knew you’ld like the Benjamin Bunny sweater! I’m so glad you liked so many of the photos! I’ll definitely be continuing Yuanyuan’s writing strategy going forward! And the DES paper was just resubmitted today!
I’m glad to hear that your semester went well. I hope grading goes well, too. That’s so thoughtful of you to deliver everyone jam. I know it’s not as much fun as it was pre-covid, but I’m sure everyone appreciates is. I’m glad to hear that you had so many fun Channukkah celebrations too. I’d love to try latkes made with Just Egg!
And yes, so glad that you and Dad enjoyed Zoom Thanksgiving! Hope you have a Happy New Year!
Hi Jesse,
The timing of your blog was perfect – I just finished reading
The Last Kings of Shanghai, by Jonathan Kaufman. It’s a history of two Jewish families originally from Baghdad , the Sassoons and the Kadoories, who came to Shanghai in the early 1800s and
how they shaped the city, China, and the Jewish people. So looking at your photos of the Bund has a
new historical resonance for me.
The Jewish community there has a rich history; no wonder your Kehila communities are so vibrant!
Life here in Maryland is dominated by the Omicron out-
break. Schools and restaurants are closing and mask mandates returning; lines for testing and for vaccines are longer than ever. I’m
discontinuing in person sessions with my clients and returning to virtual sessions only. We’re hoping that Zack and Jared will still come later this week, tho it will be a very quiet, home bound visit.
Hope you stay well and continue to thrive as your semester winds up.
Love, Judy
Hi Aunt Judy! I hope you enjoyed the Last Kings of Shanghai! It’s high on my reading list! And glad you enjoyed seeing the Bund! It’s still just as majestic (if not more so), than when the Sassoons and Khadoori’s built most of it! Let me know if there are any other places that are mentioned in the book that you’ld like to see! And yes, the history of Jewish communities in Shanghai is something my Kehilat is quite fond of.
I’m sorry to hear that covid has once again come to dominate life in Maryland. I hope that everything returning to being virtual and having mask restrictions helps. I hope that Zack and Jared can come home for a visit as well, since I’m sure you’ld love to see them! Hope you all stay well and have a Happy New Year!
Another delightful post, Jesse. Thank you.
Solo looks so different from the cats around here. Do you know the name of Solo’s (he? she? ) breed? Is she/he purebred or a mix of breeds? I agree, that cat looks lovely.
Emmet’s last post that I read suggested that it was not so easy to get Channukah candles in the capital but seeing so many chanukiot alit with candles seems that it was easier in Shanghai? How easy was it for you to find candles that would fit chanukiot owned by members of the community? As a sidebar, I offered the idea of using oil rather than wax candles: easiest way is to get 9 shot glasses and fill each 7/8 with water and the remainder with oil. If you can find wine bottle corks and you can drill a hole through them and then slice them almost wafer thin you now have floats into which you can insert wicks of about 1/2 in. If you can’t make (or buy) these floats you can bend paper clips to hold the wicks, but then you will likely need to modify the length of the wicks a little.
That said, I loved the brown ball-like shapes holding the candles. A lovely chanukia (menorah) .
The photos of the Bund area at night are so lovely.
Omicron, here is quite scary. Not so much because of the intensity and seriousness of the symptoms but the speed at which this “new” strain appears to be infecting people. My wife Lisa’s school in Manhattan has had 14 kids infected in the last couple of days and the school admin has decided to go back to off-site teaching and learning beginning tomorrow for the remainder of the term. They will decide what to do when school reopens after the winter break in January. Empire State, my college, had planned to have a winter commencement today (for about 2000 students and their families, and although attendance is limited to those fully vaccinated and wearing masks (and with social distancing), being in an enclosed space with so many people for an extended length of time is , in my opinion, insane. It’s like something out of a horror movie where a virus has succeeded in getting humans to do everything IT needs to replicate at the expense of human life.
Last thought: sounds like you have reached a fabulous point in your research with so many projects taking off in so many productive ways. May 2022 be a great year for your work and your life.
Bernard
Thanks Bernard! So glad that you enjoyed it! I don’t know what breed Solo is, but I’ll find out and let you know! He’s very lovely and always fun to visit!
It was definitely a little easier to get Channukkah candles in Shanghai. I got mine from Chabad, which is ultimately where Emmet got his from. However, the Chabad rabbis in Beijing had just returned to Beijing, so they weren’t quite as prepared as the ones in Shanghai, where they were selling candles and menorahs weeks in advance. Though, there really is only one option (other than using birthday candles).
I love the idea that you suggested for wax candles! That must make for a beautiful menorah! And yes, the Bund is always one of my favorite areas to see at night!
I’m sorry to hear how scary Omicron is for you as well. It does seem to be very transmissible. I completely agree with you about the graduation (not something I would choose to go to at this time). And yes, it does seem like we’re living in a horror movie.
Thank you so much for the kind words about my research! I’m hopeful to turn a few more of them into papers in the coming months! Hope you have a happy and healthy 2022 as well!
We really enjoy reading your blogs. The amount of fun and work your able to do In one month is amazing. Our lives seem so boring and mundane compared to all you accomplish. We had a fun Thanksgiving with Dana’s boyfriend Mark’s two children. Chloe is 9 and her brother Declan is 7. We made an arts and craft project using pine cones and construction paper. Then played a toy story monopoly game which was a lot of fun. I would also like to know the breed of that beautiful cat you’ve befriended . Sol and l want to wish you and your brother a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Love,
Halli & Sol
We really enjoy reading your blogs. The amount of fun and work your able to do In one month is amazing. Our lives seem so boring and mundane compared to all you accomplish. We had a fun Thanksgiving with Dana’s boyfriend Mark’s two children. Chloe is 9 and her brother Declan is 7. We made an arts and craft project using pine cones and construction paper. Then played a toy story monopoly game which was a lot of fun. I would also like to know the breed of that beautiful cat you’ve befriended . Sol and l want to wish you and your brother a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Love,
Halli & Sol
Thank you so much Halli and Sol! Although it may seem like a lot, there are plenty of weeks where all I do is work. 🙂 I’m so glad to hear that you had a fun Thanksgiving! It’s so nice that you could celebrate with Dana and her family. I will definitely let you know what breed Solo is (I’ve never seen another cat like him). I hope that you both also have a Happy and Healthy 2022!