The 24 Hours of Chris (Part 2)

First of all, I would like to congratulate the winner of the most recent chrisuhl.blogspot.com trivia question. It only took him three guesses to finally choose the correct answer, which was foie gras and unagi (barbecued eel). Matt, take a bow! You will receive your choice of anything in this store....

Tuesday, August 11th, 2008

10:00 am- My First Beijing Haircut

It was time to chop the mop. In case you haven't noticed from the few pictures I have posted on the site, I shaved my head before I left for China, thinking that it was just one less thing that I would have to worry about while I'm here. And you know what? I'm kind of getting used to the short hair. I think I might keep it for a while...

Anyway, I went to the barber near the apartment. This was not the nicest barber shop in the world, but how could you mess up shaving someone's head, right? Wrong. After getting my hair washed, I sat in one of two barbers chairs in the middle of a smoke-filled, stuffy, room filled with Chinese people (It was like the public transportation of Beijing barbershops), I asked for the #1 blade to cut my hair. He told me that the shortest blade they had was the #3 blade, and my hair is not even that long! So I said screw it. I don't need a blade. So what ended up happening was me getting my head completely shaved! Down to the skin. I felt like an Olympic swimmer getting ready for a meet, you know minus the seven gold medals! After the initial shock of what was happening, I just said, "oh well". It could be worse. The haircut was done, and then I started to feel hands on my scalp. They were massaging my head! It turns out that you receive a complimentary head and shoulder massage with every haircut. It was very relaxing, and I definitely needed it! And then I was so relaxed I almost fell asleep, so I figured I should pay my 20 yuan ($2,75) before I start counting sheep, and I exited toward the apartment.

11:00 am- Painful but Pertinent

As I approached the front doors of the apartment, I noticed the spa that is located just outside the building. I figured what's a better way to spend the 24 hours of Chris than getting a foot massage from a REAL massage therapist, not a barber. I walked in to a beautifully decorated lobby, was greeted by one of the most beautiful women I have ever laid eyes on. I picked my jaw up off the floor, and began to look over the "menu". I ended up choosing a ginger soak foot massage for 128 yuan ($17.00). She led me a private room, asked me take my sandals off and place my feet in this bucket of steaming hot ginger broth, so of course I obliged (Note: The ginger broth does not taste like tea or soup or anything else for that matter. I should know, I drank some out of my hand. It tasted more like feet. I have NO idea why!). I sat in a reclining chair and soaked my feet for about fifteen minutes. I just closed my eyes, listened to the silence, and envisioned the radiant beauty who was going to be massaging my feet. The next thing I remember is my feet being pulled out of the soup, being dried off, and being put on this special foot rest to be massaged. As the massage began, I was digging every move. The loving, the touching, and squeezing, and all in the right spot. I finally opened my eyes to take in the beauty of this young woman massaging my feet. It turns out his name was Alan. But at this point I could have looked up to see FUB rubbing my feet, and I wouldn't care. It felt awesome! The foot massage lasted for about an hour and a half, and extended all the way up the leg to the thigh. I had to cut him off at some point, things were getting a little uncomfortable for this guy (two thumbs pointing at me). After the massage, Alan performed the ritual of "cupping" to the bottom of my feet. Where a flame is lit inside what looks like a candle holder, and then suctioned on to the bottom of my feet in order to draw out some the toxins in my body. I don't really feel that it did anything, but it felt good and that's all that matters. I walked out of the spa feeling like Jell-O, and decided to do something I haven't had a chance to do since arriving in China.

1:00 pm - 3:30 pm- I took a nap.

4:00 pm- Dinner at Baijia Dayuan

There is a lot more to a meal than great food. I know, I know, great food makes the meal, but when you add in all of the other elements to a dining experience, food sometimes takes a close second to these things. Take for instance, Baijia Dayuan. This is an Imperial Chinese restaurant, which means that they specialize in the dishes that emperors used to eat. This particular restaurant (there are only a few n the city) was actually the summer residence of Prince Lee of the Qing dynasty. The property is hundreds of years old, and spans ten acres. There are a total of 400 people working at one time, and at least two people are assigned to each table to ensure superior service. Walking through the many courtyards on the way to our table, you can't help but transport yourself to this time period. There is nothing modern anywhere, and even the employees wear traditional Chinese apparel, bow to you as you walk by, and hardly speak English.

We were sat at a table just inside the main courtyard, and we began to peruse the menu. Going on recommendations from the many people who have gone before us, we just ordered mainly from memory. The dishes we sampled included sweet & sour pork, deer fillet with cashews, fried duck hearts, sauteed asparagus, a flower salad (made with flowers I can't remember), beef with peppers, and the concoction pictured below; the fried duck sandwiches.

All in all, the food was exceptional and I have been back to this place twice since my first trip. I would probably go again, but time is running out and there are too many restaurants to try before I leave.

My one recommendation, however, is that be prepared to see some things on the menu that you have never/will never see before/again. The one dish that completely threw me for a loop was the deer afterbirth with chilies. Even I have to draw the line somewhere.

With all of this being said, the 24 hours of Chris turned out to be a welcoming change to the fast-paced lifestyle I have been living, and look forward to the next 24 hours.