Oddity Central |
- Tang Du Zoology – Dining in China’s Indoor Natural Habitat
- Esplendor Buenos Aires Hotel – An Art Gallery You Can Sleep In
- World’s Most Generous Vegetable Seller Dedicates Life to Helping the Needy
| Tang Du Zoology – Dining in China’s Indoor Natural Habitat Posted: 07 Aug 2012 09:52 AM PDT
There are plenty of cool places to eat at in China, but one of the most amazing has to be the Tang Dousheng State Park, also known as Tang Du Zoology. This unique venue spreads over 1,600 square feet and features over 1,500 exotic plants and various animals. I don’t know about you but I haven’t yet had the chance to dine in a place larger than three NFL football fields, so the Tang Dousheng State Park in Taiyuan, an industrial city about 400km from Beijing, sounds pretty special to me. But it’s not just the size that makes this place stand out from other food joints in China. Inaugurated in 2005, Tang Du Zoology was meant to be an indoor “natural habitat” full of exotic plants, rugged rockery and rare animals, where people could experience fine Chinese cuisine in a wild-like environment. Usually you have to go outside for a breath of fresh air, but in Taiyuan, you have to step inside this amazing restaurant to let your lungs know what they’ve been missing out on. The place also serves wide range of Chinese food styles (Guangdong, Shandong, Sichuan, Anhui) but the food is not the first reason to dine at Tang Dousheng State Park. Photo: 9iwedding If you’ve ever wondered what a restaurant set up in a exotic environment might be like, this is the place you’ve been dreaming about. Tables are set among pockets of lush vegetation, tall trees, craggy rocks and waterfalls, and wild animals like crocodiles and seals as well as colorful birds take care of the entertainment. Another thing that makes Tang Du Zoology a popular eco-oasis away from the dirty, crowded city outside is the pure water system that investors spent millions of Yuan on. To highlight the ecological character of the restaurant, a state of the art filtration system was set up, to make sure the water in which the food is cooked and the drinking water are above standard. Photo: xdfce And if the size and natural decor of the Tang Dousheng State Park don’t impress you, then the selection of dishes and the kitchen in which they’re cooked surely will. The kitchen has transparent walls so the diners can glance at the hundreds of chefs as they prepare their food, and to choose what you’re going to have, instead of consulting a menu, a waitress takes you on a walk among huge tanks of seafood where you can actually choose what you want cooked. According to Foodnut.com, the variety of food at Tang Du Zoology is simply “outrageous”. Photo: whacan Photo: whacan Tang Du Zoology – Dining in China’s Indoor Natural Habitat was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Esplendor Buenos Aires Hotel – An Art Gallery You Can Sleep In Posted: 07 Aug 2012 07:47 AM PDT
Usually, we only feature hotels on Oddity Central if they’re built on an old oil rig or if they look like a hamster cage, but the Esplendor Hotel in Buenos Aires isn’t weird like that. The only reason we decide to write about is because of incredible collection of portraits made from unusual materials located inside. Although it’s known as one of the best hotels in the Argentinian capital, the Esplendor Buenos Aires Hotel is worth visiting just for the impressive portraits displayed around the hotel, including in the lobby, restaurant or all over the corridors. And while many hotels do their best to treat their clients to some fine art, what the Esplendor offers is truly special – portraits of various South American celebrities, from football legend Diego Armando Maradona to revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara, made from all kinds of unusual materials. The unique works of art on display at the 4-star Esplendor Hotel were created by Argentinian art collective Mondongo, well-known for their offbeat creations. Just last year, we featured one of their series of detailed portraits made with dripped Plasticine. Mondongo, which consists of consists of Juliana Laffitte, Manuel Mendanha and Agustina Picasso, was founded in 1999 and over the years has worked with a variety of materials, from food to bullets. Eva Peron (political figure and social icon) - burnt toast, stale bread and resin
Diego Armando Maradona (football player) - solid gold chains wrapped around nails
Maria Elena Walsh (children’s author and songwriter) - bits of clay
Adrian “Dárgelo” Rodriguez (rock singer) - colored sequins on black velvet
Isabel “Coca” Sarly (vedette dancer) – assorted cookies and resin
Che Guevara – bullets and resin Photos: Facebook and Imagine Argentina Esplendor Buenos Aires Hotel – An Art Gallery You Can Sleep In was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| World’s Most Generous Vegetable Seller Dedicates Life to Helping the Needy Posted: 07 Aug 2012 05:51 AM PDT
You’ve probably never heard of her, but Taiwanese vegetable seller Chen Shu-chu has done more for the needy than many of the world’s rich and famous. Earning a modest living selling vegetables at the market, the Asian hero has so far managed to donate over $322,000 to various charities. “Money serves its purpose only when it is used for those who need it,” Chen Shu-chu once told a newspaper, and throughout the years, the dedicated philanthropist made sure her hard earned cash was indeed used for the right causes. Inspired by her own difficult and impoverished childhood, Chen decided to dedicate her life to helping those less fortunate than her. Even though she earned a modest income selling vegetables in Taitung County’s central market, in eastern Taiwan, the 61-year-old led a frugal life and donated almost all of her money to charities. You’d think there wouldn’t be much to give away, but Chen Shu-chu has so far made substantial donations, including $32,000 for a children’s fund, $144,000 to build a library at a school she attended and $32,000 to a local orphanage where she also offers financial support to three children. In total, the world’s most generous vegatable seller has so far donated over $300,000, and she’s not planning on stopping. But it’s not really the amount of money she has given away that makes Chen Shu-chu a great human being, but her quiet, unassuming style that stands in contrast with many of the world’s publicity-seeking rich and powerful who only make donations when cameras or reporters are around. The modest vegetable seller doesn’t bask in her celebrity, saying “There isn’t much to talk about, because I did not enter any competition”. It’s this kind of attitude that made Time Magazine include her in the Top 100 most influential people of 2010, and won her the title of Hero of Philanthropy by Forbes Asia. Born in 1950, Chen Shu-chu lost her mother shortly after completing her primary school education. The older of her brothers she had to grow up before her time and help her father take care of the family. When she was 18, her brother got sick and the illness dragged on for several years, slowly depleting the family savings. Although they received donations from locals, her brother could not be saved, but the kindness bestowed upon her family by others inspired her to help the poor as soon as she was able. After her father past away, leaving Chen their only source of income, a vegetable stand at the central market, the Taiwanese philanthropist adopted a frugal lifestyle and began donating all her profits to worthy causes. Her vegetable stand is everything to her. She wakes up at three in the morning and makes her way to the market where she remains until seven or eight in the evening. She is the first one to arrive and last one to leave, which convinced other stall owners to give her the title of “market manager”. Chen Shu-chu’s donations have made many ask themselves how a mere vegetable seller who makes marginal profits can donate so much money? "Spend only what you need, and you'll be able to save up a lot of money!" Chen says. She lives a very modest life, without any luxuries. She doesn’t have any desire for material gain and says work is her only form of enjoyment. She says all she needs is work and a place to sleep, everything else is a luxury.
Chen’s achievements are legendary all around Asia and the power of her example is simply amazing. There has been an increasing number of stories about people and children who have quietly been donating what they could to help the poor and many of them have sad they have been inspired by Chen Shu-chu’s story. World’s Most Generous Vegetable Seller Dedicates Life to Helping the Needy was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Oddity Central - Collecting Oddities To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
