Beijing -- The First Glance

It contradicts my upbringing a bit, but I love cities.

Not all of them (I don't think, although I'm not sure I've met any I didn't like on some level) and I still prefer to live in a town more the size of my current residence -- but they have a tendency to get into my bones. London was spectacular. Moscow was intriguing. St. Petersburg is eighteen stories all its own ... True love is St. Petersburg.

Chicago? New York? Houston? Minneapolis? Denver? More love.

That being said, I'm now in Beijing, and once again I find myself mildly smitten. It's the bustle and the variety and the anonymity all at once. Even the traffic, which around here is admittedly some of the craziest I've seen. (Even more so than Moscow. Never thought I'd say that.)

It's also the food.

Last night (keep in mind that it's actually just after 8AM here) I bucked my growing agoraphobia and walked to a nearby restaurant that a coworker recommended. For less than 20 US, I had the most spectacular meal -- marinated short ribs (which the coworker, the hostess, and the assistant manager all highly recommended), mushroom risotto, french fries (yeah, those seemed out of place) ... And a Pepsi, which absolutely made my day. (Side note: this was the first Pepsi I've seen since I left the US. As I am an addict, it was a mildly euphoric experience.)

The bottom line here? When I woke up, I still wasn't hungry.

After having vastly similar meals three times a day for about a week, it was absolutely wonderful.

Today will likely be another culinary adventure (as the whole experience has been) -- but first I get to see some sights. Great Wall, here I come!

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