Quack Quack Tofu Quack

Staci and I were planning on going to the vegetarian restaurant last night, but as we were headed out the door, a fellow teacher, came our way and invited us out to dinner with a few others. It's so nice to be here with a big group as it allows us to make friends and experience being in a foreign place with like-minded adventurers.

We had a bit over an hour to spare before take off, so the two of us headed out to get some bubble tea from this place we've seen next to our hotel. They had a small menu translated in English and we ordered a pineapple tea and a blueberry tea. It turned out not to be the type of bubble tea we were expecting, yet still delicious. Crushed ice with flavored syrup and chunks of fruit-----YUM!

After a bit, we met up with the group and headed out for what turned into a beautiful feast. What enticed me to want to go out in the first place was the desire to try Peking Duck for the first time. The group suggested going to the original Peking Duck restaurant in Beijing, where they have been serving up our fine feathered friend since the mid 1800s. After some thinking, we agreed to try a different place, one much closer and in walking distance from our hotel.

We found the building without any trouble and randomly picked the right floor on the elevator to get off on. The restaurant was BEAUTIFUL, and we were taken down a hall and given a very private room with a large table and a couch off to the side. The Chinese sure know how to eat (well, at least serve lots of food!), so having a couch 10 feet away from the table is perfect for fans of eating.

We had someone with us that spoke better Chinese than the rest of us, so we had im order for the 7 of us. The following is what came, beautifully prepared and served:

-7 beers, a whole carton of orange juice, and a hot water.
-Mixed vegetables and tofu
-seasoned beef with celery
-spicy tofu
-rice
-PEKING DUCK!!! with little pancakes, plum sauce, celery, etc.

I had never had peking duck before, and wow was it good.
Staci stuck to her spicy tofu and enjoyed it too, but it came with little pieces of meat that she had to pick out. We are still learning how to order vegetarian dishes that are actually vegetarian.

For a feast like this in the States, I would guess the bill to certainly be over $150. We ended up paying as an entire group a bit over 220 yuan, which ends up being a bit over $30 (yes, thirty). We left happy and full, and we quacked the whole way home. Staci did her best tofu impression.

till next time folks,
martin

---

---