Laundry and a Steak

Today was a success thus far for several reasons. First, I got a load of laundry done by the hotel for 15 Yuan (2 dollars). We have a special deal here at the hotel where they will wash, dry, and fold our casual laundry for this great price, and we get it back same day. Then, we had our usual three and a half hours of class. Afterward we made our semi-daily trip to Trust Mart and then took a cab to a restaurant called Curtilage Café. This was a very nice restaurant that had a mixture of food ranging from Indian to American to Chinese. I had a sirloin steak that came with a salad, soup, bread, and an egg. It was a good meal that was definitely a change from my normal meals here in China. The whole meal for me was 58 Yuan (almost 8 dollars). The Yuan goes a long way here in China with most items being quite cheap (unless they are American goods that are actually made in the USA). For instance, I had chow mein and a bottle of water at a local café yesterday for 8 Yuan (just over 1 dollar). In the States it would cost twice that just for the water! The picture below is of me with my steak for lunch.