Beijing, Beijing

When I create a mental image of Beijing, it is one that it is on the cusp of the old and the new.

As I'm sure you're all well aware, Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics. In preparation for the event, the city inevitably had an incredible push towards modernization. In the first 30 minutes of riding the tour bus on that cloudy Monday afternoon, I thought to myself, "This feels like any other major American city center, except everyone walking along the street is Asian." In addition to the landmark "Water Cube" and "Bird's Nest" constructed for the Olympics, Beijing also boasts some impressive modern architecture, the largest railway station in Asia, and gorgeous luxury hotels.

But to say that Beijing is a modern city center would be a mistake.

What is it, that creates dissonance in the attempts to classify Beijing into a category with other major cities I may have visited in the past? Is it the pagodas that dot the skyline, the unmistakable presence of the Forbidden City at the heart of this busy metropolis? Is it the hawkers selling food in cluttered side streets at sunset, presenting neat rows of barbecued meat or candied fruits on skewers for purchase? Or is it something more subtle and insidious, like the ever present vendors pressing cheap toys and souvenirs on tourists unfortunate enough to make eye contact with them? Is it something in the voices of the beggars that dot the streets outside high traffic tourist attractions? Is it the ramshackle appearance of derelict stone buildings, falling apart at the roofs but apparently still housing families withing? Is it in the way the streets are punctuated by the presence of the green uniformed military? Sometimes it's just one or two soldiers standing at lazy attention, other times it's an entire squad marching crisply in unison down the sidewalk, demanding wordlessly that pedestrians yield and move out of their path.

Without a doubt, Beijing has its faults. There's definitely an issue with pollution, and the city is somewhat dirty. It didn't really feel safe. There are reminders all over the city of the poverty and underdevelopment still plaguing China as it tries to turn itself around. Traffic is always congested as taxi drivers, motorists, cyclists, and buses turn a 3 lane road into a 5 lane free-for-all, competing with one another to navigate the concrete arteries and filling the air with the sound of angry honking.

But, also without a doubt, Beijing is beautiful. The cherry trees that line the road were beginning to bloom the week we were there (late, due to an unseasonably cold spring), sending brilliant splashes of scarlet and pale pinks around the urban landscape. The temples and pagodas speak of centuries of history, culture, and tradition that it is difficult not to be moved by. Despite the fact that this is, without a doubt, a bustling center for business and modernization, there is an organic feel to the city that isn't entirely unpleasant.




Hold on! Isn't this supposed to be a food blog?!

Unfortunately, I can't speak as much to the food as I'd like to. The flight between Hong Kong and Beijing found me with some kind of stomach bug (and, for the record, I have to say Air China is completely out of their minds for providing air sickness bags that are sealed at the top prior to use). I was ill for the better part of 4 out of the 5 days we were in Beijing and ended up eating very sparringly (and having to be careful with what I wanted to venture to test my already rebelling stomach with). Also unfortunately, because we were with a tour group, we ended up eating wherever they took us, which was not always traditional Beijing style food. Furthermore, since I was in a tour, we ate in a group and this resulted in me not taking pictures of most of the food.

Compared to Hong Kong, I would say that overall, food in Beijing is cooked with more oil, and more salt. The beer is ridiculously weak. I was happy to try the peking duck while there, but was disappointed by the leanness of the duck and the thickness of the pancake wrapping. Maybe I've become too accustomed to the way peking duck tastes here in Canada. There seems to be a fondness for fatty pork, and a predisposition towards vegetables, fish, and chicken. Street vendors are much more common in Beijing than Hong Kong, selling everything from grilled corn and roasted sweet potatoes, to skewered meats and candied sour fruit. Several booths boasted octopus tentacles, ready to be grilled to order. We were warned, however, that being unused to the local bacteria, we would likely become ill if we ate from many of these vendors.

On the last night we were in Beijing, my parents and I went out on our own to try a local restaurant along what I swear was being nicknamed "White Person Street". I have no idea why it's called that, although the street itself is beautiful with it's hanging red lanterns. There was not a white person to be seen, at least when we were there.



The restaurant we chose was recommended by someone at the hotel we were staying at, and had an outdoor wood pit roasting sweet potatoes, sending their aroma wafting throughout the entrance corridor. Although still greasy, I have to say this was the best meal I had in Beijing (and not just because I was no longer sick, finally). We tried a few dishes we couldn't get back at home, including this "bacon" wrapped in pancake, a lamb dish, and a spicy chicken stew.





The food was quite good, though the dessert was nothing to write home about. Other tables were ordering pots of crayfish, whole roasted ducks (with the carcass wrapped for the customer to to take home and make soup with), and steamed fish.

Some tours are good, and you'll be lucky when they bring you to some reasonably good places to eat. But, it's always best to look for a tour that allows you one or two meals for you to explore the city on your own and be responsible for your own meal. You may have to pay for your own grub, but that's the best way to discover what the local appetite has to offer.

I'm relieved to have finished this blog; I've been working on it since getting back home two weeks ago. It was a lot harder for me to conceptualize Beijing over Hong Kong.