50% sure this is meat

High off of a successful meeting with my advisor, I was ready for an adventure!

What could be more adventurous than… Walmart?…..

Okay, well I wanted to show Kristin the juxtaposition near Walmart, and she hadn’t been off campus since the airport, so it’s legit. And we were going to see some Olympic sites (!) at night (!!).

Arriving at Zhichunlu after the inevitable bump-and-grinding that is the subway, we emerged at exit G1 to the little market. It was much more alive this evening than Saturday morning, though the meat market was closed. Well, that’s better for vegetarian Kristin, anyway. We walked by the stalls and saw the little tin roof community behind before looking at grabbing a bite to eat. One vendor had a display of delicious-looking pot stickers separated into three bins. I smiled at the lady and said, “Mei you rou de?” Without missing a beat, she pointed to the purported meatless stickers and I ordered 10 ($0.06 ea). I couldn’t really tell if the contents were meaty, so Kristin took the plunge. Later--several tasty minutes later--she said what we both were thinking: “Yeah, I’m 50% sure that this is maybe meat.” I won’t mention that she ate a few more. Leaving the market, we had no way to guess the probability that within minutes we’d be getting foot rubs from two young women straight out from a Grease sleepover.

The heat and humidity really takes it out of you, ya know? As we approached walmart, I read the name of a business we were passing, “Foot Spa Heart Way” and jokingly suggested we stop. To my surprise, Kristin’s response was a quick “yes.” Oh, well… heh.. um, well I’ve just heard things about seedy massage parlors, and with our super non-proficient Chinese I didn’t want to get into uncomfortable situations. But after we entered through the beaded string-azzled entry, we found a few very nice clerks in a clean environ. After a bunch of spoken attempts which broke down to more charades and gestures, we found ourselves following a worker up some steps. And we were trying not to laugh at how funny spontaneity in a foreign country feels (looks of “oh my gosh, what have we gotten ourselves into?” were exchanged). After being seated on massage beds, our masseuses arrived: two women in their early 20s who were super excited to rub the feet of some Americans. No, really, they were incredibly giddy. But at least their good nature lessened any anxiety we may have felt. Fifty minutes of pediatric glory later, and we walked out on clouds. Sometimes risks have their payoffs (not including raw vegetables that may be poisonous).

The walmart (which Kristin says is way better than US stores) was just as bustling as before, and we descended on the moving pathway towards the food-filled bowels of the store. Of course, we knew the identity of very few things (“This could be lunch, maybe?” The description: “Daisy with rock candy”. Fine by me!), but managed to fill our baskets. My highlights include a stand of meat and individually packaged pickled (?) chicken feet. I didn’t get any of those items (I’ve really been trying to kick the habit of eating bird feet), but did get the relatively safe jello shots (no, not the alcoholic type). Upstairs, Kristin found a Japanese-style mattress (two inches of cotton to be used on the floor) and I got another set of hangers (you always need a few extra on hand, of course). Oh! And we got matching water-tight tupperware containers (inscription: “Chahua. Fresh and beautiful each day.” that pretty much describes me.) that we can use to save foods from the canteens for later.

Even though we were hot and sweaty and tired, a trip to the Olympics (!!!) was in order. The excitement in the air, at least in my mind, thickened as the subway approached the Bird’s Nest. We exited and….. there it was: a mammoth pile of twisted metal strips! Unfortunately, it was pretty late and any spotlights were extinguished. We also couldn’t see the water cube. But that just gives me another excuse to come back when we can enjoy more Olympic glory. The subway station actually closed as we exited, so we had to walk to a stop on another line. Beijing created a huge thoroughfare that is well visited, even at that late hour. Several vendors rented roller blades, supplying a swarm of gliding teens (at one point, there was a 30% chance that Kristin would get run over. She emerged unscathed.) We also saw a few outdoor karaoke stands. I’m pretty sure the residents of Beijing will be exposed to my amazing singing and roller blading skillz in the near future.

Soo… that was our evening. It was pretty spectacular and an example of when taking chances and flying by the seat of one’s pants has its rewards.

Also! I’m 100% sure that I’m seeing Harry Potter in Chinese on campus tomorrow.