Duck, Duck, Duck.

Beijing is famous around the world for its roasted duck, a meal that has been created for the Emperor Thongzhi, in 1864. 

In French, we say le canard de Pékin or canard laqué (Peking Duck or Lacquered Duck) but it is currently simply translates in English as Roasted Duck. Note that Roasted is important here. Indeed, when you ask a cab driver to take you to a duck place, you have to be specific here. In Chinese, the word chicken refers not only to the bird we eat, but also to prostitutes. And from a chicken to a duck, many foreigners have ended up skipping a meal over a different kind of poultry leg!

It takes more than 70 minutes to cook a Beijing duck, and it is cut in a very specific way, to present its best meat in the plates. The duck is prized for its thin and crispy skin.

To celebrate my arrival in town, we were invited to a dinner by a colleague of Paul, who works with him as his counterpart in Chongqing. He wanted to impress our taste buds and chose to treat us to the best Roasted Duck restaurant in Beijing: Da Dong. 

De da dong roasted duck

The restaurant is so famous that to enter, we had to trail our way through a crowd of people standing outside the door, for hours, with a glass of wine. Mr Xu assistant spared us the ritual by standing herself at the door for two hours. 

The restaurant is busy, filled with a mixed crowed, expatriates, tourists but also Beijingers of all ages. Large round tables are topped with lazy Susan and a number of waitresses are busing around them, filling glasses, serving dishes and helping customers. We are given a menu the size of a coffee table book, filled with pictures more beautiful than most cooking manuals. We leave the selection to our host. 

Swiftly plates are brought to the table. Each of them are both an elaborate display of art and a gustatory pleasure. It was a pity that I forgotten my camera. Later I would remember my cell phone. 

De da dong roasted duck

After several appetizers, a cart was brought in front of our table by a chef wearing a surgical mask. The duck was proudly displayed to our table and its neighbours, before being carefully and lengthily carved up. Only a a few pieces were placed on each plates, and a set of condiments were organized by the side of each of us.

De da dong roasted duck

A young waitress came to demonstrate the way this should be eaten: put a thin crepe in the plate, dip a piece of meat in hoisin sauce, smudge the sauce in the crepe, add a few condiment of your choice and spring onions. The skin is simply dipped in sugar. 

It melts in the mouth! Simply delicious!

Hungry?

Eating is central in the Chinese culture. So much that when they greet each other during the day, they ask each other if they have eaten yet. Big circular tables are ensuring all can share an equal place at the table. Cooking is an art of balancing the ingredients of a dish in the right proportions to ensure they will reveal the best not only their flavours but also the healing powers of some of its elements. Without banquets there are no business deals. Chinese New Year is celebrated around food with family. And I could find you more and more examples (maybe later).
But our Western eyes and stomachs might not always be accustomed to some of the local delicacies. We had our first experience of the Chinese culinary tastes yesterday.

We took a trip around Wangfujing street. It is in the center of Beijing, 20 minutes from us by taxi. Wangfujing is a pedestrian market/commercial area. We found there a huge English language bookstore (yeah!), lots of other stores (Beijing is about shopping it looks like), many new buildings, even a very pretty scaffolding in disguise. The street was filled with Chinese tourists wearing coloured caps in groups and frantically following a guide waving a flag of the same colour.
We arrived at a junction, and on our left several hundred tables are lined up in a row, light up by as many bright red lanterns: the night food market of Donghuamen. On these stalls, an immense display of foods of all sorts. Kebabs are awaiting your selection to be grilled, vegetables and meat are ready to be dumped in hot broth, stirred fried or grilled. Dumplings are steamed, and hot oil is fuming here and there. Every man (and woman) behind the counter is together a cook and a merchant, talking and shouting and stirring and cooking at the same time. The colours are beautiful, the smells intense and my appetite somewhat awaken but damped by the content of some stands. Sea horses, sea stars, water bugs, cockroaches, to name a few. 

Here are a few pictures for you to make your own opinion.

De Food fair

De Food fair

De Food fair

De Food fair

De Food fair

Tiananmen or How to Get Spoted in a Crowd!

After Noam's long afternoon nap, we headed out to discover the touristic venues of Beijing. We have been twice in Hou Hai Lake, many times to the supermarkets in the Russian area, but have no important touristic site under our belt. 

What should we see first?  Tiananmen of course!! 

Tiananmen Square is certainly the most popular touristic spot in China, before or after the Great Wall, I am not sure. We all have seen a journalist speak in front of Mao's picture. The large pagoda behind is the Gate of the Heavenly Peace, separating the square from the Forbiden City, or the Emperor's Palace. The place is also well remembered for the protests which took place in 1989.

De tiennamen square

So Noam and I set off for this destination by subway. The journey in itself was memorable, but it will discussed it in another post. 

As we emerged at the East end of this huge square, I realize again that Beijing's scale is L A R G E. Me and Noam are setting foot in the largest open urban space in the world, with its 100 acres! 

And such large amount of space in China is not left empty: it is filled with tourists from all over the world, but mostly from all over the country. Tourists who maybe have never seen a white baby with blue eyes and blond hair!

De tiennamen square

With this in mind, you can imagine ourselves strolling along, trying to take a picture here and there. Every time I stop the stroller, someone dashes over to tickle Noam or touch his hand. If we keep going, people stare, elbow a friend, point at us, smile, wave at us, come closer, yell "hello hello" in a high pitch voice, and even wave a Chinese flag in Noam's face. As we are crossing the plaza, I feels like we are some people on a red carpet. Are we that famous yet? 

At some point, in fact not that much longer after we started our stroll of fame, Noam looks overwhelmed. It is too much attention, too much intensity. Mind you, every body is friendly, smiley and curious. But I don't want to make Noam stressed and afraid by this situation. So we simply retrieve! We abide! So much for Tiananmen, so much for our touristic intentions... Next time I will set out with my favorite body guard: Pauli.

De tiennamen square

Home or Camping in the Middle of a Big City

Have you ever done some camping in the middle of a very large city? You should try it, it is fun!!! I woke up today with a nice morning light filtering between buildings and shinning down below. We live in Central Park, in Beijing.  

We are high above the ground, in an empty cube. Our shipment arrived in China a day after us, now the question is to know when it will be delivered. Papers, bureaucracy and customs are all involved. It leaves us with a vague idea of a delivery date. So in the meantime we are camping. 

We live with a mattress (and sheets and really thin pillows), a baby bed (schlepped our first trip), a high chair and a comfy chair with its foot stool, a kid table and two kids size chairs (all from Eedjee-ah), a few toys, one pot and one pan, a couple plastic plates and cups. And our 6 suitcases. We also have 4 TVs! They came with the place. There are two miniature TV inserted in cupboards, one for the kitchen, one in our washroom. And to Paul's request, we have 2 giant ones.

De home in beijing

De home in beijing

De home in beijing

Our place is great and big, probably about 250 sq m (or 2500 sq ft). We have 3 bedrooms and a den (eventually will become a TV room). You get the hint? Come and visit us! There is plenty of room!!! We live on the 18th floor, a lucky number for the Chinese. But today while taking the elevator, I realized that there are no 2nd, no 4th, no 13th neither 14th floor. It is probably all due to superstitions - both Asian and Western - so in fact we live on the 14th floor. Don't worry, I am not going to believe it is bad luck as I am not Chinese!

De home in beijing

Just like everywhere else in China, we are surrounded by several others. The towers are arranged in circles, and in middle there are gardens. A larger park has been created over a street, and will unit another set of towers that are currently under construction.

De home in beijing

De home in beijing

De home in beijing

In fact, our complex size is at the scale of the city: composed of 25 buildings, it makes only one city bloc!

De home in beijing

In other words, it is easy to get fooled by a map if you see that we are only 6 blocs from Tienanmen. In fact, one bloc can take 20 minutes to walk, and Tienanmen is not really near by. Once again, I am amazed by how L A R G E Beijing is.

Hou Hai lake

This morning we joined a couple of collegues of Paul and walked around the Hou Hai Lake. A beautiful, relaxing area. I still have to receive our shipment with my guide book to tell you exactly what this used to be, but I beleive it was an area used by the Emperor's leisures. I imagine him boating with his courtisanes. The Forbiden City, the Emperor's Palace, is not far from there. 

De Hou Hai lake 12-oct.-2008

Around the lake you find a series of bars and restaurants, and a good selection of tourist shops. It is surrounded by hutongs, the old traditional courtyard houses. Consequently alot of people just go about their regular activities beside the tourist businesses. You find people playing Majong, playing cards and gambling, exercising, strolling with their babies, walking their dogs, playing ping pong (Paul showed off his skills), and even swimming.

De Hou Hai lake 12-oct.-2008

De Hou Hai lake 12-oct.-2008

De Hou Hai lake 12-oct.-2008 It is the second time I go there. My friend Kerstin had taken us there during our first trip last June. But each time I find myself wanting to back. It feels to me closer to my idea of China and to the poeple than the CBD and its tall bright buildings...

On our way to Eedjee-ah

Just to give you a quick look at what we saw from the taxi window on our way to Eedjee-ah. An endless sea of buildings.
When you start thinking about it, 16 Million people, that takes quite a large amount space!

De On our way to Eedjee-ah 11-oct.-2008

De On our way to Eedjee-ah 11-oct.-2008

De On our way to Eedjee-ah 11-oct.-2008

De On our way to Eedjee-ah 11-oct.-2008

You can also note the quality of these pictures (not in artistic terms, but in terms of pixel/quality of image). All because of my new Canon Powershot A2000, with Image stabilizer. Wow! I am really happy about it!

Ikea or the Scale Factor

Today we went to Ikea. I can't even remember how the taxi driver prononced the name! Maybe something like "Eedjee-ah" said very fast. I can't remember all the new words people tell me. But that can be the subject of another post.

So we set our to Eedjee-ah, by cab. After crossing a good part of the city, we arrived in front of a massive blue box. The second largest store, after the original one, in Sweden. I guess they respond to the demand here! A rising middle class mass.

De Ikea

 

De Ikea

First objective: food. Noam is hungry. So we try to find a free spot in a see of tables and people. After quite a few attempts and rounds around the cafeteria, we find a seat and a high chair, and I set myself in the queue. The same famous meatballs for me and some vegetarian stirfry for Paul. Noam gets a bit of both. Hummmy!

The we are ready to head in the jungle of the display room. It is packed of people! We are in a mission: finding a coffee table/baby table/high chair/cosy chair/plastic plates/plastic cups... 

De Ikea

We emerged 4 hours later: Mission Accomplie!  

Whirling Fun - or One Exemple of How Simple Things Can Be Complicated...

As a good "queen of the household", I am trying to do all things required to make the house "function"... I already mentioned some of the things accomplished over the last day or two. One of them was doing the laundry. No big deal you will say. Well, this is where the real fun started! See the picture below! 

De Whirling Fun

My real estate agent Grace had already found the English manual for the machine. After a good half hour of reading and even of labelling my machine, I can now use this wonderful piece of technology... I can wash AND dry without even opening the door! All in one! and it makes a cute song at the end of the cycle. Noam however, who usually loves washing machine, is a bit less fond of it. He even looked afraid by it... I am not sure why?

A Visit to the Police!

On our arrival, the Chinese Governement requires our registration to the Police. Without this, impossible to get our resident visa.

De a visit to the police

Sounds easy but Grace was key (again) to get this done on time. We needed to get some papers from the property management confirming our residence in their premisses. Photos. Then getting to the station. Getting the papers done by the clerck.
While I was waiting, I noticed that a set of bifocal glasses were attached by a string to the counter. A nice attention to the elderly...

De a visit to the police

A First Day or Amazing Grace

Our first morning in Beijing... 

After sharing a coffee, Paul goes to work, and leaves me with Noam in an empty apartement. Very empty since it is very large (over 250 sq m). I have my son, my cell phone with a supposedly functionning card, and a few suitcases. All the essential things prepared for today are still transiting from DC instead of being here with us, in that misplaced bag. The taxi guide, the maps, the essential guidebook about all the vital places to know in Beijing, and what else. So I have to figure it all by myself... with the help of Grace!  

Grace is this superwoman, very hyper and very efficient, all ready to make sure everything is correct and organized. She is our real estate agent, and she has been helping us finding our super flat. She has now as a mission to fix all the little loose ends to our installation. It is too bad she is not in charge of moving our stuff because she is so efficient that it would be already unpacked (we know it arrived in Tianjin today). 

So my first day is spent doing a load of small things with her, namely some administrative things related to our lease, getting our phone line set up (but the phones are not quite properly installed yet), setting up our 2 TVs and DVDs (included in our rent), setting up the internet, (after 2 technician visits, it is kind of half working... hence the delay in blogging and emails), getting some administrative papers with the building management and going to the Police to register oursleves (required within 24 hours of arrival), selecting curtain fabrics (not my activity of choice but got all done except for the bathroom, so we still give daily shows to our neighbourghs!), selecting our guest bedroom bed (also included in the rent, and also felt like such an irrelevant thing to do on a first day here!).  I have to admit that my sense of interior decoration was quite affected by jet lag, fatigue and a Noam busy "exploring" (read making a mess)... I am not sure of what things will look once installed.

After such intense day, finding and "exploring" the nearest grocery store was a breeze. 

First Impressions

So there we are... Dizzy from a 9 and 1/2 hours long flight, jet lagged and just plain tired, my mind is not quite focused enough to fully realize where we are... Slowly, after quite a few signs with Chinese characters, and a lot of Zhong Wen sounds (Mandarin language), I kind of get more aware. We meet our agent, Grace, who help us getting to our apartment. During our taxi ride from the airport, I feel we are slowly entering a new world. Buildings are densely packing the sides of the road, the traffic slows us down, and as the sun goes down the lights of the city appears more and more bright and dense as we enter the CBD (Central Business District). We are here, in Beijing!!! It feel big, bright, new and dense to me. I never have lived in such large city before...

De first impesssions 07-oct.-2008 21:50

De first impesssions 07-oct.-2008 21:50

De first impesssions 07-oct.-2008 21:50

De first impesssions 07-oct.-2008 21:50

After settling down some details with Grace and the owner representative, we head out for a bite. Japanese food, but no sushi. If tastes more like Korean food to us, but it is still good. After our meal, in an attempt to get Noam to fall asleep, we walk around our large city block, and stroll in front of the stores at the bottom of our complex of 25 towers.  After a few minutes, Pauli makes me realise a strange thing: for all this bright light, the whole place is very very quiet. We are downtown Beijing, it is light up like New York Times Square, but there is barely a noise! Strange!  However, no matter how quiet, Noam wore us off and we headed back to our place with a wide awake baby!

IN FLIGHT

El Al the Isreali way... 

We are very fortunate to have Paul's work providing us with Business Class travel arrangements. A little more comfort for a long nine hours and half trip can make a huge difference!

However, flying business with El Al means getting the Israeli ambiance all the way. The flight was full (I never anticipated such a strong link between those two cultures!), and some people ended up travelling on the stewards seats (like in a bus!)... In terms of ambiance, we were able to entertain ourselves most of the flight with a super Idol show, followed by a Millionaire trivia show, both Isreali version. When the movie finally started to run, it did not have enought time to run till the end! 

As you all know, we are used to flying with Noam. Our best tool to guaranty a smooth flight has always been a car seat, where he feels comfortable to sleep. When the flights are not full, the agents are usually allowing us to use an extra seat for Noam's chair. Other times when the flight is full, flight attendants have let us have the seat on board, so between take off and landings, Noam can doze off in the seat installed at our feet, since flying business means a bit more foot space (or rather baby space for us). As I mentionned, our Tel Aviv - Beijing flight was full.  And as we boarded, we were informed about El Al wonderful policy of no roaming car seats, nor bassinettes for kids bigger than one (I still need to understand that one), so we ended up with Noam on our laps for the whole flights. After bouncing around (litterally) for a couple hours between the two of us, he finally collapsed on me.  Eventually we all ended up sleeping a bit, Noam longer than both of us!

You can check the picture to see who was the most comfortable for this trip!