Drew and I started the day with lunch with his adviser, WF, and one of WF’s former students. This provided us with the opportunity ask WF all of our puzzling questions about the things we had observed in Beijing. We made a mental collection (with some help from the notepad function on my phone) of all the things we wanted to ask him, known as the ‘Ask WF’ list.
We asked him about parking on sidewalks and learned that cars are a relatively new phenomenon in Beijing, and so people are still working things out, like where to park. There aren’t parking garages here, so people park anywhere they can. We also asked about turtles. I’ve seen turtles on sale at Wal-Mart, which is a little distressing. We learned that turtles can be pets or food, but not pets first and then food. We also asked about the lack of Mexican food. Apparently, Chinese people just don’t like Mexican food. WF said that even his Chinese friends living in the U.S. don’t like Mexican food. But there’s more: Chinese people don’t want to associate with anything Mexican. Food is more than just food- it’s a status symbol. Starbucks, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken are embraced because they are signs of privilege and upward mobility. Not so with a Taco Bell. Finally, we asked about interracial relationships. It’s not that they’re looked down upon; it’s just that they are rare. Chinese people see interracial relationships depicted in movies and television, but not in real life. Apparently, Drew and I are an anomaly.
Later in the afternoon, Drew and I went to Summer Palace. This summer retreat was commissioned by Emperor Qianlong for his mother’s 60th birthday in 1750. (that is some birthday present) Many palaces were plundered and burned by Anglo-French forces in 1860, and instead of funding the navy, China renovated the Summer Palace. Empress Dowager Cixi retired here in 1889 and later moved the seat of government from Forbidden City to Summer Palace. I can see why. The Summer Palace is way cooler than the Forbidden City.
Summer Palace is really big (700 acres), and most of it is water.
We arrived around 5pm when it was finally cooling off and when many of the tour buses had departed. If it seemed like we were elbow to elbow with people at Forbidden City, it seemed like we had the place to ourselves at Summer Palace. It reminded me of Central Park, except with a really big lake. And temples. And a really big hill. Okay, so maybe it’s not like Central Park at all and it only reminds me of it because of all the trees. Anyway, Drew and I wandered around, exploring the temples and halls.
On our way home, we stopped off at 85 Degrees for some bread, and we found a woman making sushi.
Of course I had to have some. I got a roll with carrot, cucumber, yellow pepper, and kimchi and a few unidentifiable sauces. Mmmm, it was so yummy, I ate most of it before Drew could have a chance.
Below are more pictures of our day:
Chris with a 'K' 