Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Nuclear Baby

In Beijing, we enjoyed Western food, and tacking on the Beijing 'r' at the end of our words, like saying "nar" instead of the Guangdong "nali" for "where?" We practiced the pronunciations our prescriptivist teachers insisted on, and we were understood. I ordered a shot of tequila at TGI Fridays in Chinese, to avoid the calories in a full-on margarita. I was able to buy small packs of Twizzlers. We had Starbucks almost every day. One night we had Papa John's(!) These small things, having been without them for so long, satisfied some of my culture shock, and gave me hope for the rest of my stay here.

There were other amusements as well. We spotted a number of curiosities in the Beijing domestic airport. This particular one we have dubbed "Nuclear Baby."


Then, in the last coffee shop we saw before heading to our coffee desert, we spotted "Raspberry Rash" on the smoothie menu.


-吴佩芙

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would like to try Peace Pleasure. Maybe someday, I too can go to Bejing and try to "read" the signs and see all the beautiful architecture. Matka

Anonymous said...

Hi Beth,
Chase

Anonymous said...

Have you heard about the green wall of China? I heard about it on a TV special about "the state of the planet". This week I spent a few days enjoying the sights and SMELLS of tulip festival in Pella. It wasn't Bejing, but it would have helped cure any soul longing for home.
Take care,
MJ in CR