Holidays in the Pre-Holiday Season

I've had an exciting last couple of weeks here in the Beijing. Despite the fact that the days are getting shorter, people are still out celebrating various occasions into the night. It began with Halloween. I'm fairly certain that most Chinese people had no idea why all the Westerners were dressed in funky costumes and wandering around in groups. I overheard many a confused conversation and had many a local confused as to why someone, who looked like one of their own, was in costume. I'm also fairly certain that my neighbors were a little confused about this holiday in which one was supposed to wear a costume and beg for candy. Nonetheless, it was great. I think my favorite costume of the evening was my old high school friend, Andrew, who slapped on articles of clothing from various decades, donned some goggles, those running shoes (that aren't really shoes, but are those toe-sock things with hard rubber soles that you run in), and attached a fanny pack to himself, and called himself a time-traveler.

What was even more exciting than my time traveler friend, was that before going out we ate at this Brazilian BBQ place in the neighboring district. For 16 Dollars I had an unlimited supply of delicious appetizers, steak, pork chops, sausage, lamb, and chicken. I must admit, I felt a little bit gluttonous, but I forgave myself quickly because it was a holiday. The rest of the night involved me dancing with zombies, animals, and locals who felt a little awkward dancing near zombies and animals.

The following night I got to see Kanye West at the Worker's Gymnasium in Beijing. That was really exciting. It was weird to think that only a month or so ago, Kanye's performance space was filled with Olympians. The only downside was that the sound quality wasn't all that good. Though, it was worth it to watch him perform "Stronger," as I have had that song on my "practicing Chinese characters" playlist for a while. Kanye has been part of the reason why I am now slowly becoming literate in Chinese. Thank you, Kanye. Thank You.

A few days after Kanye was the election. 99.8% of China supports Obama, and nearly every US expat I have met is also an Obama supporter. I don't think China was nearly as excited as Seattle was (people flowing into the streets and all), but many cafes and restaurants had parties and were giving out free drinks. Other than that, China was relatively quiet.

A couple days after the concert, I also got the chance to go to a simmered lamb restaurant over by the Forbidden City. Dare I say, while Kanye was exciting, this was more amazing. I’ve had hot pot before, but this was just a little bit different. Hot pot generally involves a large pot of broth set at the center of the table in which people toss in pre-chopped pieces of food. It’s like French fondue or Japanese shabu shabu. But simmered lamb, unlike other forms of hot pot, is a Beijing specialty. The lamb has no aftertaste and it’s all so tender. And occasionally, one is also served roasted lamb skewers dusted with Xinjiang (a western region of China influenced heavily by Islam) spices. One is also given the option to have fresh green vegetables, Chinese radishes, seafood, or sesame sauce (which is almost like peanut sauce) to accentuate one’s meal. I left the restaurant quite satisfied.



Most recently, I went to go see what I've been told was the 2nd drag-show in Beijing. I was really excited to go especially after working so hard to organize the second ever drag-show to happen at SU last year. It was really fun. The LGBTQA community in Beijing has really formed an interesting foundation. First of all, there are two communities: the Chinese speaking community and the English speaking community. It's interesting because I've been weaving in between both when I go out. There's usually a "Chinese side" and then the "not so Chinese side." It seems like it’s mostly a language barrier that keeps the two sides from coming together, but there are also really big cultural divides in terms how people interact. When Chinese people go out, they tend to sit down in closed groups while the expatriates tend to walk around making small talk. Nonetheless, the drag-show was a success.



The drag-show was primarily attended by the expat community, but it was fantastic. It wasn't like Julia's, but it was one of the most spirited events I've been to in Beijing. It gave many of the expats a little taste of home that they had been missing for a long time. I even met some new friends. It's hard finding LGBTQA people in everyday life in China unless you actively seek them out. This is nothing like living on Capitol Hill. But, I'm glad I've found them. Beijing just became that much less foreign to me.



Until next time,

George