Food! Food! Food!

There's one thing that moving to China hasn't changed a bit: 

My inability (or umm... lack of desire) to cook. 

There are many reasons for this, but right now I'm going to blame it on the fact that we only have butter knives in our kitchen. We cannot find a good knife anywhere! I cut up an enormous, juicy mango with a butter knife just yesterday, and it was not pretty at all. 

For the record, that mango deserved better. 

Thankfully, Beijing has about 10,000 restaurants. That is not an exaggeration. Restaurants are EVERYWHERE, and Curtis and I have decided to make it our personal mission to try as many of them as we can. 

I am no chef, but I absolutely love to eat. 

Eating's my favorite. 

Here are a few of me and the husby's most stand-out Beijing dining experiences so far...

Vietnamese at Susu

This place is ahh-may-zing. The restaurant is in a beautifully restored old Chinese home. They serve up some of the best Vietnamese food I've ever had-- and I've been to Vietnam! Our favorites included the tangy Susu shrimp salad (top left), the rare beef pho served in a rich broth with wide, flat noodles (left middle), and the deep fried spring rolls that were so delicately fried, the wrapper was still a little chewy (right middle). Everything was so fresh, seasoned perfectly, and presented beautifully. Oh em gee I cannot wait to go back!

Chinese-Muslim at Xinjiang Crescent Moon Uyghur Muslim Restaurant (Yeah. Curtis and I just call it "The Tasty Lamb Place")

This is supposedly the best place in Beijing to get the kind of food you might expect whilst traveling the Silk Road. "What does that even mean?" you ask. It means delicious yumminess everywhere. The lamb kebabs seasoned with chili and cumin came out piping hot on metal skewers, and the fried flatbread with lamb was can't-stop-eating-it good. The eggplant was tender and smothered in a thick, sweet-ish sauce, while the green beans were stir-fried with dried chilis until they were crisp on the outside and puffy on the inside. We were also served bowls of smooth and creamy homemade yogurt that I sweetened with sugar and devoured for dessert! 

Thai at Thai Express

This is one of our neighborhood go-to spots. The spicy seafood salad (on the left) was vinegary, refreshing, and flavorful like a green papaya salad, but had a big kick to it that had our eyes watering after a few bites. Top right looks a little weird, but it's just steamed mixed veggies with a very light coconut sauce, which was mild and scrumptious. Bottom right is one of my favorite desserts in the world-- fresh mango with sticky rice, topped with sweet coconut cream. Mmm...

Drinks at Flamme

I know, I know... drinks don't technically count as a meal. But the (Australian) bartender here is kind of a creative genius and mixed us up a few cocktails that were truly memorable. One of the drinks I ordered was served as a mini chemistry set that I got to mix myself! Hooray for fun! Curtis's favorite was the Passionate American (tee hee) which was bourbon, passion fruit, and bitters served with half a passion fruit in the glass (top right). My favorite was the Sichuan Beauty (next to the Passionate American). It had Sichuan peppercorn infused vodka, house-made passion fruit syrup, and fresh lemon juice. I could drink that all summer long...

Korean at a random place we meandered into for lunch

Being half Korean, it is pretty much mandatory for me to love Korean food. And I do! I always order the Bi Bim Bap, which is rice topped with a whole slew of seasoned veggies and a little bit of meat, which is then topped with an egg (bottom left). The corn pancake thing on the bottom right was the winner of this meal. It was like a thick crepe with sweet corn in it, and it came with a sesame seed and soy dipping sauce. That was not a great description. It tasted better than it looks or sounds (according to my bad description). 

Hot Pot at Haidilao Hot Pot

I think this is a perfect meal for friends to share 'cause you're all cooking your food together in one big pot at your table. We thought we'd introduce this experience to John Keeling (fellow Hallmark alum!) and his partner, Colin, during their recent visit to Beijing. We ordered the heaven and hell hot pot (half mild, half spicy) and a bunch of meats and veggies that would be thrown into the soup to be cooked. Everyone's favorite was the Noodle Dance, in which a very energetic guy does an impressive dance while hand-pulling the noodles (what's not to love about this?). I did not capture this well with my photos because I was too busy squealing and clapping with joy. I could not get enough of this dance. (Possible new life dream: To spend the rest of my time in China learning how to be a professional Noodle Dancer!!! Yessss!)  

So there you have it-- a sampling of some of the wonderful food we've been enjoying. 

Fear not, though, our cute little kitchen isn't completely going to waste. Sometimes Curtis feels like whipping up a good ol' American breakfast. 

And that is (still) one of my most favorite things of all. 

Day trip to Chuandixia

Curtis and I learned a very important lesson over the weekend:
When in China, don't even try to do anything during a Chinese holiday. This is because no matter what the holiday is, you essentially have 1.3 billion people trying to be somewhere other than wherever they are at the moment.

Naturally, mayhem ensues.

This past weekend was the nationally celebrated Qingming Festival, a.k.a. Tomb Sweeping Day in China. Since this was not noted in the Office Max calendar I purchased in Kansas City before we left, I only found this out when Curtis came home from work on Friday and told me one of his co-workers mentioned it in passing. "It has something to do with people showing respect to their ancestors... I think they go and tend to grave sites or something like that."

This was great news! After all, we had a big weekend planned of going to Ikea to get more essentials for our apartment, and we had scheduled our first day trip to a nearby village. Now we would obviously have everything to ourselves because the 25-35 million people with whom we share this city would all be dusting tombstones!

Isn't it so amazing when your new country conspires to make your weekend even better than you had planned???

On Saturday we learned that apparently another way of showing respect to one's ancestors is by having a shopping day at Ikea. All of Beijing was at Ikea when we got there. We had to literally push and shove our way through a sea of people in order to get our mixing bowls, coasters, and Swedish meatballs. Thank gawd they also have wine.

After such a stressful shopping trip we could not wait to get out of the city center for our day trip to the village of Chuandixia. We woke up at the very crack of dawn on Sunday with big smiles and lots of cheerfulness. Let me tell you that nothing can wipe a smile off of my face quicker than a packed subway car at 7am on a Sunday. I was squished in on all sides by people who smelled like their last meal had been garlic soaked in garlic. No bueno.

Thankfully, this longish story has a mostly happy ending.

I will fast forward (through the horrifically horrifying traffic we endured) to say that Chuandixia is a charming, old-timey little village nestled in the mountains with stone-paved streets, steep and narrow stairways, and courtyard homes. It was founded during the Ming Dynasty (i.e. a really long time ago) by the Han family, and is currently home-sweet-home to about 93 full-time residents. Curtis and I met some really nice people, did some hiking, breathed some fresh air, and ate a lovely meal.

Here are the pictures to prove that Tomb Sweeping Day did not completely ruin our weekend:

Gotta love the warning sign. Although we cherish our lives, we did end up choosing to climb some of the wild mountains that surround this village. And we even lived to tell of it!

We enjoyed a lunch of locally-grown food before spending a few hours exploring and hiking. There are a bunch of tiny temples around town and that is me standing awkwardly in front of one.

Cool details everywhere! The top right photo is the inside of what was once home to the wealthiest person in the village. The bottom-right photo is some rooftop weeds that were being kind of show-offy with their prettiness.

 This is us on our climb up the wild mountains to get a better look at the village. The guy with the broken ankle did great on his first post-surgery hike!

 These were some of the friendly people we day-tripped with. Curtis could not resist having a post-hike street food snack. The smell of roasting corn and sweet potatoes was amazing!

I would like to add that we did pass by several cemeteries on the road to and from Chuandixia and they were all pretty much empty. Clearly everyone in China needs to get on Wikipedia (like I did!) to find out where they're supposed to be on Tomb Sweeping Day.

Tour de Our Beijing Home

Great news alert! 

Curtis and I have officially moved into our Beijing apartment!

Ta-da! This is our building.

After three months of living out of suitcases (two months in KC while Curtis's ankle healed and one month here in a hotel), we are unpacking everything! We have found our extra toothpaste! We know exactly where all of our clean undies are! 

It is a dream come true!

Now let me tell you that finding our little abode was quite an interesting experience. Curtis made an appointment with a realtor almost immediately after we arrived, and we soon learned what our budget would get us here in Beijing. 

The short story here is: Less than we thought.

The first few places we went to were dumpity dumps. Some of them were filthy, with great big pieces of paint or wallpaper missing. Others reeked of cigarette smoke. Apartments come furnished, and several of the ones we saw looked like they had been decorated by intoxicated three-year-olds. I'm talkin' hot pink sofas with gold fringe curtains. One of them did not have a "shower box." There was just a drain in the middle of the bathroom, and when you shower, water gets everywhere. Our realtor walked out of there shaking her head and muttering, "No shower box. Foreigners love shower boxes." It's true! We do. 

Here you have an example of a box-less shower.

Even after upping our budget, we soon realized there were certain things we would just have to get used to. Like hallways that have sound-activated lights, so when you get off the elevator, you have to stomp around in the dark until they go on. Also, no one really maintains the common areas in many buildings, so until you step into an apartment, you sometimes think maybe you're in a falling-apart haunted house. And most kitchens don't have ovens. Also, no clothes dryers, so everything must be hung. In certain buildings, hot water is not available 24/7, and in most buildings, heating is controlled. It goes on in mid-November and gets turned off in mid-March. If it's still freezing outside? Get a good blanket! Oh and another thing. There are mailboxes, but you will probably never get a mailbox key because people just don't use 'em. The mailman will come directly to your door and if you're not home then I don't know what. 

Big sigh.

When Curtis and I first started our apartment search, we were like giddy schoolgirls dreaming of The Perfect Guy. We were all, "Stainless steel appliances! Granite countertops! Hardwood floors!" Then we went on a bunch of bad dates and were all like, "Ummm... something with painted walls and a shower box would be nice." 

We really thought we would have to settle for something less than love, and we were not so thrilled about this at all. 

Then we found it.

Hardwood floors? Check! Shower box? Check!!!

From the moment we walked in, we knew this apartment was different. It felt cozy, the decor was simple but modern, it was spacious and bright, we could get hot water whenever we wanted it, and best of all, it was so clean! Our realtor also pointed out that it was on the 9th floor, which is a number that signifies harmony in Chinese culture. Bonus! It also faces south, which apparently is good feng shui. Nice! We called our realtor later that day and told her we would take it! 

So last night was our very first night here. I got to make our bed with our new Ikea bedding! I got to do a whole bunch of laundry in our little washing machine! I got to put our pictures up in the living room!

Our bedroom! We have a second bedroom, too, because we just know you cannot wait to visit.

I also found out that our (government subsidized) utilities don't cost very much at all (the last couple who lived here said electricity cost them about $15/month), everyone from nearby restaurants to the dry cleaner to our local grocer will deliver, and we can have a housekeeper come once a week for about $10. How amazing is that? Very! There's even a 7-11 right across the street that serves up some pretty dang good kung pao chicken for a little over $1.

Here is our little kitchen that I will barely use because of the aforementioned kung pao chicken.

So there you have the tour of our apartment where we will be living for the next year. I think the feels-like-we're-just-on-vacation phase of our journey has officially come to an end!

One Fine Day

There is a point in many traveler's journeys when they say to themselves, "Okay this was fun, but I'm ready to go home now and sleep in my own comfy bed."

Curtis and I arrived at this point last week.

The Beijing subways were feeling too pushy and squishy.

The hotel breakfast buffet lost its luster. 

Also, no good tacos. Anywhere. 

I would list all the things we miss from back home, but it would be much shorter and equally accurate to simply say, "Everyone and everything." 

I know, I know. We are lucky to be having this experience! We are lucky to be living abroad and be immersed in a whole different culture! There is so much for us to learn, see, and do! All of that is true. But the only thing I've been wanting to do lately is fly back to Hawaii and smooch my very smooch-able nephew who I haven't seen in seven months.  

See? Irresistibly smooch-able. 

Things got really bad on Thursday. Curtis and I sat around staring at each other, hoping we could maybe tap our heels together and get Wizard-of-Ozed back home. When that didn't seem to be working, we came up with the next best brilliant plan.

We decided to pay our first visit to Ikea Beijing. 

At 452,000 square feet, it is the 4th largest Ikea in the world. 

A subway and taxi ride later, I was doing some extreme smiling. As we got closer, Curtis started pointing at the building and shouting "Na yige! Na yige!" (That one! That one!) to the taxi driver, because that is about one of three Mandarin phrases he knows and he could not contain his excitement. I think the driver was a little annoyed by this because: 

Duh. 

It would be an understatement to say that stepping into Ikea was like stepping into beauteous heavenly perfection. The air smelled fresh, everything looked cheerful and clean, you could actually sit on the toilets, and they had a huge food court filled with delights like spaghetti bolognese and their famous swedish meatballs. Most amazing of all-- they had WINE (de France!).

Oh the happiness!

We ate and drank until our pants struggled to contain us, then decided to work off our meal by wandering through the massive showroom. What a great escape from the city this was! It felt like we could be in any Ikea in the world! Except...

Oh-em-gee.

Beijingers were sleeping all over the furniture. They were in REM sleep on sofas! They were curled up under the quilts on the beds or playing with their babies post-nap! At first we just snapped a bunch of pictures out of total amusement-- then it occurred to us with our very full, afternoon bellies that this was, in fact, the BEST IDEA EVER! 

Snooze-a-doodle-doo!

Eventually we got around to picking out bedding for our future apartment, which, as you can imagine, was endlessly fun for me and Curtis. Then, before we knew it, it was time for Ikea happy hour! Followed by romantic Ikea dinner for two! 

Woot! Woot!

We left this oasis-in-the-city feeling floaty, refreshed, and rejuvenated. Sure we still missed home, but a bit of the heaviness had lifted. We were all like, "Yay, adventure!" all over again. 

And not even our super-packed subway ride home coulda changed that. 

Honeymoon Stage

So I finally got around to reading (most of) the "Welcome to China!" manual provided by Curtis's place of employment.

I'd been putting it off, thinking it wasn't actually a thing people read-- like mutual fund prospectuses or fine printy things. Turns out it is loaded with tons of useful information for getting settled here in Beijing. Who knew??? One thing I learned is that based on the short amount of time I've been here, I am in the Honeymoon Stage of culture shock. This is fantastic news! It is the first and best stage, because apparently I think everything about my new country is exciting and wondrous.

Time out for honesty: Even though this was great news, I did not believe it for a second. I mean, seriously? Everyone smokes here, which is driving me just a teensy bit insane. People are constantly hocking up loogies and spitting them everywhere (everywhere!) on the ground like they don't even care that you're wearing your brand new Franco Sarto boots that you love. I have personally witnessed 4 people very publicly picking their noses with gusto in the last 36 hours, and Curtis heard a man shamelessly and rhythmically farting with each step as he walked past us the other day (step poot step poot step poot).

WHAT KIND OF CRAP HONEYMOON IS THIS?
(deep breaths. deep breaths.)

Okay fine. Maaaaybe I'm noticing some other stuff, too. Like how you can be exploring the old, maze-like hutongs (alleyways) of Beijing, when suddenly you find the most shockingly lovely, scrumptious little restaurant that just charms your socks right off.

Or how spectacularly efficient and clean the public transportation is that always gets you where you wanna go for just $0.33 per ride. Just prepare to cuddle with your neighbors during rush hour. Hard.

And while I wouldn't really call this a pretty city, you can be wandering down a street one day looking for something remotely recognizable to snack on, when you happen upon an absolutely stunning Chinese mosque built in 996 AD for the 10,000 Chinese Muslims that apparently live in the area.

Do you see what China is doing to me? Just when I'm ready to pack my bags and move back to clean air and treasured friends and Orange Julius, it reveals something INCREDIBLE to me that makes me wonder what else I'm gonna find if I just hang around a little bit longer. Dammit, China.

The thing I'm really understanding is that this country will not lure you in under false pretenses. There is absolutely no padding in its bra. You either love it as it is, or you go home. Either way, China's all like, "cool."

So yeah.

Stage 2 of Culture Shock according to the manual is apparently the part when I think EVERYTHING about this country is utterly frustrating and generally sucks. After that, it'll be two more stages before I'm emotionally stable-ish again. So, something to look forward to, right??? A couple of our new friends have been here for two months and are pretty deep into stage two. The other night at dinner, one of them said to the other, "Honey, when were we crazy Americans? Was it Tuesday?" Of course, we all thought this was very funny, and it kinda made me wonder when, where, and how Curtis and I will go all Crazy American on China. Will it happen in a grocery store when we can't find the dang Honey Nut Cheerios? Or perhaps on the subway when someone pushes me out of the way at their stop, at which point I'll act like I think personal space is even a thing in this city?

Whatever the case, it'll be something to write home about. Or blog about. And probably laugh about.

Eventually, anyway.

Beijing: Week One

I have discovered the secret to feeling young again!
All you have to do is move your whole life to Beijing and then try to survive there.
Seriously-- that's it!

Curtis and I have now been here for one week and we have transformed into toddlers. Everything is brand new to us, and it's either fascinating and exciting, or ridiculously frustrating. In order to cope, we have employed several techniques used by two-year-olds around the world that I shall explain here should you ever need to use them:

1) Vigorous pointing
Want the thing that THAT guy has? Vigorously point!
Want to explain where you wanna go on a map? Vigorously point!
We use this all the time with reckless abandon. Just be warned that sometimes vigorous pointing can end with you getting two big bowls of the most spicy, mouth-numbing noodle soup you've ever had in your life, because you couldn't actually read the menu explaining that this particular restaurant you wandered into specializes in SUPER HOT food using a certain spice that makes your whole mouth tingle like crazy and then go completely numb. So fun! And terrifying!

2) Look adorable and maybe a little bit dumb
Babies have known for centuries that this behavior will let you get away with a lot. Curtis is good at looking adorable and I am good at looking kinda dumb, so together we are invincible! If a guard questions the water bottle you have on the subway, keep smiling and nodding until he gives up and lets you pass. If the doorman at the apartment complex you wanna check out is getting all hung up on the fact that you don't have a key to the front gate, put on a cute face and shrug while muttering in English and voila! You're in!

3) Learn to use the potty
Not to brag or anything, but back in the states I was kind of an expert potty-goer. I mean, I could practically go in my sleep. And then I moved here and came across this:

Oh jeebus. When I encountered my first squatter the other day, I just stared at it suspiciously while mentally gauging how much I really needed to go. (Pretty badly.) Then came the questions... Which way do I face? (Toward the wall.) Why is there no toilet paper? (It's BYOP.) Why is the little open trash can filled with crumpled toilet paper? (You can't flush used paper. LOOK AWAY from the trash can.) Will the tight jeans I squeezed into allow me the luxury of squatting all the way down? (Thankfully, yes.) Why is the ground all wet? (Roll up your tight jeans and quit asking questions.)

Not all the toilets in Beijing are like this, but seeing what kind of toilet a place has is always an exciting adventure!

4) Try (mostly) everything just in case it's fun and/or delicious
Riding the equivalent of a tin can down a busy Beijing street: Partly fun but mostly crazy.

Meeting a new friend to have a wonderful hotpot experience with all sorts of interesting veggies: Fun AND delicious! Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

5) Take time for naps
Pointing, squatting, and all-day adventuring can be so draining. Here is Curtis wearing his sexy smog mask whilst napping on a crowded subway ride. He's a good little napper, that one.

6) Finally, when things don't go your way, scream and cry
Okay, so we haven't actually had to do this yet, but I was tempted to this morning when I woke up to this view of "hazardous" levels of smog from our hotel room:

The air is expected to be better by this evening. Until then, we'll probably just stay indoors and watch one of the awesome $2 DVDs we bought from the tiny, hidden back room of a marketplace we stumbled upon.

Oh China.
I can't wait to see what you have in store for us next.

First Days In Beijing

I can't sleep. 

Right now it's somewhere between 3-5am, which United States Melissa would consider to be an outrageous time to be conscious.
China Melissa wakes up at 3am (Thank you, jetlag!), waits around for the hotel breakfast buffet to open at 6:30am, and then takes four-hour naps in the middle of the day.
Curtis and I have been living here for about three days now, and as you can probably tell, it has been an amazing life so far!

In the days leading up to our move here, I mentioned to a couple of people that moving to Beijing felt like getting ready for a first date. Yeah sure, I was here two years ago for three days, but that didn't count. I mean, at that point, Beijing was just a fling to me. I didn't think it would ever turn into a serious, long-term thing.

My hope was that upon our arrival, Beijing and I would run toward one another in slow motion with arms outstretched.

Forget the fact that we don't speak the same language. 
It would be love at first sight.

The reality was that after traveling halfway around the world for an entire day, my hair was bad and my breath wasn't much better. So maybe that's why Beijing didn't feel like trying very hard to impress me.

Fair enough.

The day we landed, the air quality here was measured by the U.S. embassy to be "Very Unhealthy." What that means is that the air looks thick, brown, and soupy. I've been trying to think of how to describe what it tastes like when you breathe it... dirt? metal? filthy grossness? You get the idea. We put our masks on, but I could still smell it. I tried my very best to breathe as little as possible and only when absolutely necessary. It was like a game! Only not fun.

The next day was the same, so we stayed in our hotel room with the drapes pulled shut. It was just too depressing to look outside and not be able to see anything but the heaviness of the air. I mostly just slept and counted down the minutes to the next breakfast buffet. I've never been an emotional eater, but hey-- new country, new habits, right?

Thankfully, the air got much better yesterday.

Curtis and I ventured outside hand-in-hand to explore our neighborhood and breathe in all the clean-ish air we wanted. We wandered into a market and ooh-ed and aah-ed at the variety of strange-to-us foods being sold... from the teensiest bananas I've ever seen, to a bin of what we think might have been live silk worms, to big piles of chicken and pig's feet. (Yum!) We tried what turned out to be a custard tart and a strawberry-filled pastry (descriptions are all in Chinese, so we just had to guess), which were both very good.

For dinner, we caught a taxi to a different area of the city, filled up on beer (Curtis), wine (me), and some pretty dang good Italian food. Then we had a Taiwanese dessert of mochi balls in hot, sweet, black bean soup. It was delicious.

So yes, it's been a bit of a rough start, but I think me and Beijing are starting to warm up to each other. Will it ever be love? Who the heck knows. But Beijing is (kinda sorta) trying to learn my language:

Sure, we've got a ways to go before really understanding each other, but we've gotta start somewhere.
And speaking of starts, I think it's time to go and start my day with my favorite breakfast buffet.