While I was living in China and visiting the States, my only prerequisite for dining out was absolutely no Chinese food. Part of it because I was missing baked goods, cheeses, and avocados so much that I didn’t have time for Chinese food, which could be acquired cheaply and made deliciously in China upon my return. Now that I have moved back to the U.S., I am often overcome with cravings for hand-pulled noodles or spicy dongpo pork knee (trust me, it’s delicious) or bitter melon. Sichuan pulled noodles (拉面), the perfect way to start your morning (Meishan, Sichuan) A true Sichuanese feast (Meishan, Sichuan) The best mapo tofu I’ve ever had (Chengdu, Sichuan) Despite having a Chinatown, Washington D.C. is not a hub for quality Chinese food. Nevertheless, I scoured the interwebs for anything to tingle my tongue. A friend and I visited Sichuan Pavilion, and we ordered Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐), garlic paste chicken, and dandan mian (担担面). We ordered in Chinese, and the waiter followed up, “Chinese style or American style?” We answered in sync, “Chinese please.” Followed by the clichéd phrase, “不怕辣怕不辣 (bú pà là, pà bù là, not scared of spicy, scared not spicy enough).” Mapo
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James Fallows painted a bleak picture of what it’d be like to visit TAM Square on June 4. So when I decided to visit today, I decided to forgo bringing my Canon 5d and brought my compact camera, instead. Indeed, more plainclothes security than visitors that day. Some followed us, others tried to photograph us, but all-in-all a very uneventful day (as expected). Guard standing at one of the entrances to the Square Sea of umbrellas Just standing around with umbrellas, very inconspicuous Tons of ?? (wujing, special police forces)
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My bike is my new best friend. It takes me any and everywhere I need to go. Last Friday, I biked from the post office to a photo developer in Dongcheng District. I arrived at 4:25 only to find out that it closed at 4:00. Then I biked to dinner with a friend, and from there home, for a total of around 15 miles. It was a great bike ride, I saw many things. The downside is that I have inhaled an unfathomable amount of smog that blankets Beijing on most days. My bike route Sunset on East Chang’an Ave Chairman Mao is never alone The restaurant Trying to get seated An empty Tiananmen Square
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Earlier this month, my roommate Julia and I found used bikes online. Problem was, they were across the city and you cannot bring bikes onto the subway. So, we thought we’d go on a bike adventure back from our pick-up spots! Below is a photo of central Beijing. My commute is the blue line, and Julia is the green line. We met up at a point on third ring road and continued together (purple) all the way home. I believe the total distance I biked was around 22 km (13 miles). Although biking many miles in one day after an extended period of inactivity may not be the smartest thing to do, our bike adventure was worth it. I have to say, biking in Beijing is so different from the subway or taxi. In the subway, I see nothing but the faces of the commuters around me and hear nothing but the bilingual droning of the subway voices announcing which stop we are approaching, and how we should prepare to get off. On a bike, I feel closer to the things I pass. I see the expressions on people’s faces as they cross the street, wait for the bus, or
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On Tuesday, I had this conversation: Woman at camera shop: Are you from (whispers) Xinjiang? Me: No, I’m Chinese-American. You thought I was a Uyghur? Man at camera shop: Uyghur women are very beautiful, you are very beautiful, that is why we asked you. Me: Ummm. I don’t know what goes on in Chinese people’s minds when they get all wound up in determining someone’s ethnic background.
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Last Saturday was my last day in Harbin for a while. I need a break from freezing my ass off. The American students took the train Saturday night I woke Sunday morning to the melodious voices of propaganda infotainment about the wonderful city of Beijing. After a long haul of heavy, overstuffed backpacks and suitcases to and fro, I was ready to settle in to my new apartment and new life. In the past week I have spent thousands of yuan on rent, furniture, and appliances with my great new roommate and fellow Fulbrighter, Julia. This includes haggling over the prices of plates and bowls, spending about 6 hours at Ikea, and begging the owner to buy me a desk that isn’t 24 inches wide (think about it, that’s tiny). It’s been tiring physically, mentally, and financially, but things should improve rapidly. I also look forward to using our full-size built-in oven that is so coveted in China/Asia. To say the least, I am in love with my new Beijing life (except the air quality part), and hope these next ten months are fulfilling.
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Due to extremely poor internet connections (we’re talking 20 minutes to load one single page here), I have failed to update as much as I’d like. In a few hours, I am headed to Shanghai and Nanjing for a little over a week. I have opted not to bring my laptop, which is a bold move on my behalf. I think I will survive.
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