吉姆 JIM HOFMAN | Photography Faces & places in China
Food
Urban Micro-Farming
Farming in China is like the period after the US civil war, when the excess labor pool created by emancipation proclamation resulted in each ex-slave getting a mule and 40 acres to farm. The only difference is Chinese farmers don’t get the mule (and fewer acres).
Night BBQ
This is another place in China I love, the night BBQ. It’s just down the street from our factory and next to my favorite alfresco restaurant. It’s a smorgasbord of inexpensive treats-on-a-stick that are barbecued right in front of you. The smoke and smells are part of the experience, but unfortunately they aren’t captured in photographs.
Boys Night Out
So, after eating dinner at a Thai restaurant, a German guy and three Americans walk into a German bar in China owned by a guy from Scotland. Sounds like the build-up to a joke, but it accurately describes my evening last night.
China Village Night Life – 11.15.11
Another night of prowling the village for some interesting shots. I used a fast F1.8 lens + high ISO to turn night into day.
Nighttime Street Food
I love street food. Especially at night. I enjoy supporting the local entrepreneurs. I guess I’m a nocturnal locavore.
Eating street food in China is like bungee jumping, every once in a while there’s a small risk of death.
Beijing – Strange Food
We found a small alley just off a main shopping district that I began calling “Scorpion Alley” because of one of the treats served there.
Beijing – Peking Duck
Peking Duck (now Beijing Duck) is an experience, not a meal. We went to DaDong (translation: “Tall Mr. Dong”. No joke.), which is apparently the number two duck restaurant in Beijing. It was only two blocks from the hotel and was so incredible we went there for dinner two nights in a row.
Village Nightlife
I went prowling around the village last night with a fast 35mm f1.8 lens to test the low light capabilities of the D3100. Not bad. Some of these shots look like they were taken in the middle of the day because of the amount of lighting in the village and the fast lens.
Ping Pong & Lunch
After spending thousands of hours playing ping pong as a youth I decided to test my rusty skills with some friends here in China. Because it’s one of the national pastimes most people tend to be pretty good. Unfortunately I was not. I got smoked by the “number one lady player” at our factory – along with everyone else.. We had a nice Sunday afternoon reunion lunch before playing.
Uighur Family Portrait
Today while eating lunch, the wife of the restaurant owner (not an English speaker) used “charades” to ask me if I would photograph her daughter. Of course this was a great honor for me, so I came back with my camera gear and started shooting away.
Things-on-a-Stick
These two happy guys are selling stuff on a stick. It’s actually a traditional Chinese candy called “iced sweet gourd” because the shape is like gourds strung together.
Hanson & Daughter
I’ve known my friend Hanson for about 10 years. His daughter was a baby when we first starting having lunch together. This photo was taken at Hanson’s apartment after we shared a very good hot pot dinner together.
Sugar Cane Cart
One of the popular “sidewalk snacks” in China is raw sugar cane. It’s sold by street vendors and the outer layer is husked after you buy it. Customers chew off chunks and suck the sugar from the cane – then spit the rest out on the sidewalk.
Dumpling House
This unremarkable photo of an unremarkable looking restaurant does have significance. For the last 5 years they’ve been feeding me most of my (great) meals while I’m in China. The TsingTao is always cold and the service is fantastic. It’s probably the only restaurant on the planet where I’m considered a “regular”.
At the meat shop
Shopping with Mom, the pig tails were great. She’s standing on the back of Mom’s bike while Mom is texting. At least she stopped riding the bike…
Staff Dinner
After all of the customers leave the restaurant the staff gets to eat dinner. I take a lot of photos at this (“big”) restaurant, so they didn’t mind when I stood on a chair and started taking photos.
Favorite Waitress – Big Restaurant
Our favorite waitress has memorized the food we like and helps us order dinner. She doesn’t have an English name and I can’t pronounce her Chinese name.
Noodle Shop
I LOVE this place. A bowl of soup and a huge bowl of noodles for US$1.50. There are only 6 tables inside the restaurant, but we usually hold out for the “alfresco table” out on the sidewalk. It’s just like sitting in a small cafe in Paris – but with tractor trailer trucks rumbling by.
