Blame it on the Wal-Mart

Today was an American day in Beijing. I went to Wal-Mart AND Pizza Hut. Yes, that’s right, for those of you that know me, it is going to come as a shock that I even set foot in Wally World. Although I was doing it as more of a cultural experience, to see the differences compared to the ones at home. There were major differences, let me tell you. First of all, instead of aquariums to sell pet goldfish, there were tanks of large live fish and crabs fresh for the cooking. Also, octopus and snails that were sorted through carefully by shoppers to be taken home and cooked… followed by live turtles (and I don’t think these guys were in the pet section, if you know what I mean). In the meat area, there were smoked ducks and whole chickens and sausages the size of small children. I am not exaggerating any of this. I opted to pass on the live animals and pick out some snack food (you can’t go wrong when there’s a cartoon king on the label… and yes, they do have Oreos).

Pizza Hut in China is a more upscale dining experience than in the States. I had a Beijing-esque Stuffed Crust Pizza with shrimp, (real!) crab, calamari, and pineapple. It hit the spot. I will be ready for more traditional Chinese food tomorrow, but tonight the group consensus was that our stomachs needed some home cooking. We also visited the Silk Street Market, which is a huge building full of vendors that sell everything from shoes and pearls to knockoff purses and real silk. In China, you have to barter with about everyone, and I think I did pretty well today. The vendors are very anxious for your attention and will do anything to get you to buy their goods. I got two pairs of cute shoes for 170 RMB (about $26 USD) and some other small items. The trick is to walk away after asking a price and they will come after you with a lower offer. Very fun, I thought, but tiring. Then we got lost on the way to Wal-Mart, after getting three different sets of directions. Such is life; tomorrow we are meeting with the Olympic Committee organizers to learn more about our work—I can’t wait! 30 days til Opening Ceremonies!

Photo: Andrea enjoying some cow tongue on special at Wal-Mart
Note: I stand corrected on a pronunciation in an earlier post: If you need to order something mild in Chinese, it’s boo-lah, boo-lah, not blah-blah as previously mentioned :)