Fire Pot

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” -Marshal Ferdinand Foch

Some people go to China to study. Other people go to do business. No matter the official reason for staying in the country, I believe that everyone has the subconscious goal for experiencing the unique variety of Chinese cuisine. Personally, food has played a large role in motivating me to explore the city of Beijing, and the rewards of my excursions have significantly contributed to my overall cultural immersion.

The fire pot (or sometimes referred to as hot pot) is truly a jewel in the Chinese art of eating. The food is not only delicious but also provides an opportunity for friends and family to sit together at a communal table and delight themselves in conversation. The most basic element of a fire pot is a simmering pot of broth, sometimes divided into mild and spicy sections. There is an ongoing fire underneath the pot to maintain its temperature. Various ingredients such as sliced meat, tofu, vegetables, mushroom, and seafood are brought to the table in raw form. It is the job of the hungry customers to put the food into the broth for boiling. Soon, the food is fully cooked and is eaten after being dipped in sauce for additional flavor. The two main kinds of sauces associated with the fire pot are sesame sauce and seafood sauce, to which parsley and scallions are usually added. The meal is perfect for cold winters, but even the hottest and most humid summers do not deter eager and starved students like me.

The restaurant was on the second floor of this building. A heavy rain was coming, as my friends and I would later discover.



The atmosphere was very lively. It was a busy Friday night.



A waiter who would wildly swing a very long noodle to entertain his guests before serving it to them



A mouthwatering moment right before voracious consumption



We ordered so much food that it didn't all fit on the table.

Exploring the Chaoyang Commercial District

“Money, not morality, is the principle commerce of civilized nations.” –Thomas Jefferson

Living in the Chaoyang district is unique in its own right. The area is located several subways stations away towards east from central Beijing. Within walking distance of my dorm, there exist restaurants of all kinds, from extremely affordable to expensive, from Korean to Italian to Vietnamese to French to American to Chinese. Aside from international consumer good giants like Walmart, there is also a plethora of small, family-owned businesses, thus laying the seeds of capitalism. Consequently, bootlegged products are commonplace. Although technically illegal, the police seem to be relatively lax in the enforcement of such laws. They are much more likely to hand out ~200 RMB tickets for parking outside of designated areas, causing many car owners much grief and inconvenience as these parking areas are hard to find and are not always located at places that need them. Although detrimental to brand name corporations, the bootlegged goods seem to have a positive effect in stimulating the economy, giving many people a humble chance to lift themselves out of impoverished conditions. These consumer goods have become so ordinary that there exist very renowned multi-story shopping centers of fake brand-name products where people (especially tourists) go to bargain for good prices. Usually, a skilled buyer can bargain prices down to less than half of the original asking price. There are no price tags, so the asking price is anything that the vendor states. Usually, it’s whatever price that the vendor thinks will be a good starting bargaining platform. The setting is very prejudiced. If the vendor believes that the buyer comes from an economically developed country (such as America), then he or she will usually want to charge a higher price, since they know about the disparity in prosperity between China and such nations. Below is a picture blog of life near CUEB:

Colorful residential buildings in the background of the hustle and bustle

Evolutionary Fitness Center (进步）is where most ACC students go to exercise. The membership fee is 400 RMB per month.

Cardio and weight training equipment on the second floor

Locker room

Midnight MacDonald runs are good temporary escapes from homework. This one has 24 hour service.

Chinese MacDonalds are extremely well decorated. This particular one had thousands of dollars worth of musical instruments hanging on the walls.

Chinese MacDonalds are usually bigger than the US ones. This one even has 2 floors.

The chicken actually looks and tastes real!



The Korean "stone bowl" should be mixed before eaten. The contents of the bowl may vary. This one had beef and vegetables. There was also a raw egg, which cooks in the sizzling bowl when mixed.



I was halfway done eating before my friend's food got there. He had curry on rice.



Korean "cold noodle" is a delicious way to cool off.



On the walk over to Walmart



Still on the way to Walmart



Walmart

Night at Houhai (后海）

“We aren’t in an information age, we are in an entertainment age.” –Anthony Robbins

First, I just want to apologize to my blog readers for the lack of updates. I have been traveling for 3 weeks in China (including rural areas) and have lacked reliable internet access. I will try my best to quickly post the remainder of my experiences. Thanks.

There are various places in Beijing that people go to in order to quench their thirst for coffee, tea, and beer. One such place, which has gained a reputation for having some of the best bars, attracting floods of foreign visitors, and charging outrageous prices, is Houhai. Several weeks ago, my friend Evan and I had the opportunity to experience the nightlife at Houhai. The area consists of over 180 restaurants and bars including Budweiser, Heinicken, and Carlsberg. The Houhai district surrounds a lake, which takes about 45 minutes to walk around at a comfortable pace. While walking around, I saw various artists whose works included caricatures and stone carvings. Unfortunately, there were also people who incessantly followed us. Apparently, their sole job was to lure visitors into their bars.

An entertaining street performer at the entrance of Houhai.

Juggling

This guy attracts a huge audience.

Evan

Busy night

Beautiful scenery

Second floor of Carlsberg bar, loaded with a gigantic television. Everything on the menu is unnecessarily expensive.

When Man and Mountain Meet

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright. -Henry David Thoreau

A couple weeks ago, I visited the Beijing Botanical Gardens along with some family friends, or should I say friendly families. We passed through the gardens, and then we passed through some forest settings as part of a small hike towards the top of a small mountain. My friends served as my tour guides due to the disparity of our familiarity with the region (I had none).

The weather wasn’t completely cooperative on that day, as precipitation ranged from light drizzles to heavy showers. We nonetheless forged onwards with umbrellas in hand to the top of the peak, metaphorically speaking. It was more of a quasi-peak, designed for the enjoyment of visitors. I hear that there is a famous butterfly exhibition center, but it was unfortunately closed. However, to make sure that I did not miss out on the variety of wildlife and to guarantee that I will have some recollections of the experience, my hosts gave me about 10 dried up and preserved samples of butterflies and leaves that may be found at the park. Pleasant. There most definitely existed serene beauty in both nature and the artificial structures. But beauty speaks for itself. Allow the following picture album to communicate what I cannot.

An elegant display of flower power

I guess lots of people like to take their minds off of urban complexities on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It seems that nowadays, nature is a good escape from reality.

There are cool displays in this building, but it was closed. You might be able to make out the words "one world" written with flowers. It is part of the Olympic slogan "one world, one dream."

An Olympic doll riding a bicycle. So apparently, more and more people are starting to ride bicycles. 3 reasons: rising oil prices, traffic congestion, and environment protection. I learned this from a guest speaker today.

A complete contrast from the hustle and bustle of the city (although this is technically in the city)

Scenic view. Should have waited until the people walked out of the way.

Very cool rock. As you can see, I am easily fascinated.

A gate. I don't look too excited, but appearances can be deceiving. This is a general lesson for living in China. For example, some of the shabbiest restaurants have the best food. The locals agree.

I think the the harmonious arrangement of the parallel roads and trees is neat. Again, I am easily fascinated. Sorry if you don't derive the same level of pleasure from looking at this as I do.

Bamboo garden. It is currently off limits.

Sights like this are commonplace.

This ancient aqueduct called "River Wall" was constructed in 1749. It is a water transfer system beginning at the Cherry Valley and ending at the Jingming Garden of Yuquan Hill.

Neat architecture

Falling off would be bad.

Water, bridge, and mountain

It became pretty dark at one point.

A cross-sectional view of a really large tree trunk

At the top. A memorial for the December 9th Movement.

As part of the December 9th Movement, teachers and students of the Architecture Department of the Beijing Industrial University designed these structures. The triangles symbolize military camp tents. They are arranged in the form of the character 众, indicating that the Chinese people are united together against Japanese aggression.

They say that touching this stone is good luck.

Total tranquility

After leaving the botanical gardens, we went to a pretty expensive (good thing I wasn’t paying) and well furnished, nearby Manchu-style restaurant. The restaurant is supposedly owned by some well-known Chinese movie star, but unfortunately, he is not well-known enough for me to remember his name. The food was delicious. It tasted like Chinese food, but it came in a slightly different form. Also, I guess it is a Manchu habit to sit on the floor while you eat. (On a related note, my uncle told me the following information: eating and sleeping on the floor was actually a Tang dynasty invention. Because Japanese scholars believed the Tang culture to be very developed at the time, they brought the habits back to Japan with them, thus explaining their modern behaviors.) For specific details of my experience, check out the following pictures.

Inside the restaurant

There's not much room from the floor to ceiling.

The menu is made of wooden sticks. You pick the sticks that represents the dishes you want to order.

One of my favorite meals yet