Down In There With the Jiaozi

Where are we going?  Head achy, up in the front seat.  Vaguely carsick, reading on my phone.  My colleague had mentioned that we’d be heading to Shangdi.  We drive for an hour from San Yuan Qiao before glancing at the driver’s GPS, I realize we’re not even close.  I’m busy with emails and phone calls before I realize just how far out, we are.  And though we’re at the foot of the magnificent mountains, there is still a subway stop here by this tier-one bank’s enormous, post-modern exburbia campus. 

Later, back at the Olympic Village for lunch, we find a jiaozi guanr in the basement of the building where our meeting will be.  The jiaozi are delicious.  All the more so as I get to watch people who’ve never really had dumplings before enjoy something that should and does delight them.  But with each plump bao I imagine myself getting more and more tired for the afternoon meeting that will start before long.  Still, I finish the plate full of pork and leek xianr.

Yes, there’s a Starbucks on the first floor. Yes, we’ll be stopping there before the meeting.  Yes, every single person in the party of seven wants a beverage, which I end up buying.  No, I did not say four different cups of espresso.  I want four shots in one cup with about this much ice.  I’ve got this methamphetamine substitute down in there with the jiaozi almost immediately while the others sip their cups in the elevator. 

Trainings, meetings, debriefs and then everyone piles into a super-sized DiDi to speed over to Ghost Street, inside of Dongzhimen.  I used to have one or two hot pot places I knew on this street, but they’ve long since gone I let my colleague pick one, which, as we pile into a tight space in the back I realize, I’ve been here before.  One of the guests wants to know about local liquor.  I could have lied.  I probably should have been cagier, but soon we have a little bottle of erleizi Erguotou, paint-thinner there on the table.  They want to go on and on but fortunately I have a call at 10:00PM and escape the descent into a second, nasty bottle.

Tuesday 09/24/19