Big Trouble In Little China

What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been

2008-08-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

As I wait for the bus to take me to the airport, I feel it only right to leave one last post for all of you faithful readers. For those who have been with me through the good times, and the bad. Seen my happiest moments, and my worst. This trip has been the single greatest thing I have done in my life. The good times far outweigh the bad, but the bad (there have been many) has made me a stronger person/manager, and has prepared me for anything that could come my way in the future. I've learned plenty about the job itself, but I think more importantly, I have learned just how strong I am. I made it through two months in China!

I want to thank all of you for reading this page for the past few weeks, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have! Thank you for all of the comments, they really made my day!

I hope to see all of you very soon!

And I will close with the words of the great Jimmy Buffett....

"It's Been A Lovely Cruise"

Chris

It Just Keeps Getting Better....

2008-08-24T04:57:00.001-07:00

You can't tell from this picture but due to the excitement of meeting this gentleman I peed my pants just a little. Any guesses?!?!?!

A Day In The Life of an Olympic Athlete

2008-08-24T04:13:00.000-07:00

The other day I had the opportunity to experience something that only a select few people are able to in their lifetime. Being an Aramark employee I have very little restrictions as to where I can go in the city of Beijing, and particularily the Olympic venues, and I wanted to make sure that I took advantage of this perk while I was here. So the other day my buddy Dave and I took the staff subway line (yes, Beijing has built a subway line dedicated to all Olympic staff, athletes, and media) to the Olympic Village. This village houses all Olympic athletes, and consists of everything you could ever imagine; from pool & spa to gameroom to bar/dance club. The idea is to have everything an athlete cold ever need right withing this complex. We decided it was time to live like an ahtlete, and make a day out of the Olympic Village. Of course the first stop we made was to the dining hall in the complex. I know quite a few people who work there, so we fidgured we could get a tour of the facility. And that we did! We were taken all through the immense operation, and I couln't believe my eyes! Here is a kitchen that pushes out 25,000 meals per day, includes the maind dining room which is the size of three football fields, and has about 10,000 employees working during each shift! I would of never belived having not seen it, and I am really glad that I did!

From the kitchen we travelled to the Olympic Store to purchase some much needed souvenirs for family and friends, and then just walked the campus. We walked through all of the residential areas, and just snapped a ton of pictures! It was very exciting being behind the scenes. I was seeing something that not a lot of other people will ever get to see. And since that is the case, I would like to share a few of my favorite pictures from my day. I hope you enjoy them.

Once In A Lifetime...

2008-08-22T02:40:00.000-07:00

Viva Brazil

2008-08-19T05:24:00.001-07:00

This picture made my entire trip. Do you know who this guy is!?!??!?!?

Like A Rock

2008-08-19T04:56:00.000-07:00

I have expressed in previous posts how taxing this job has been on all of us here in Beijing, right? Well, now the stress, the constant struggle to keep our heads above water, and knowing that our trip home is just around the corner, is really starting to affect people. I don't know if it is appropriate to use the term, "losing their minds", but that is really how I see things at this point. The long hours, the lack of days off, and everything else has caused people to act in ways I would of never expected from them.

It was about 6:00 am on Monday morning. We had just sent up our first round of hotboxes to the dining room. I was walking into the issue cooler, and as I walked by one of my executive chefs, he had a look on his face that I had never seen on him before. I asked my usual, "you alright?", as I entered the cooler, and he just looked at me with a stone face, shook his head, and went back to preparing his paperwork for lunch service. I was in the cooler organizing all of my mise en place for a good five minutes, when the door opened and in came my chef. On a side note, this is usually where him and I would meet on a daily basis to vent about our day, etc., so this really wasn't anything out of the ordinary. But what happened next was something I never expected in a million years from him. He walked toward me in the cooler, and as he got closer to me I could see that he had tears welling up in his eyes. I asked him what was wrong, and just as I finished my question he broke down. To paint the picture, this is a 40 year old man, an accomplished chef, and a father of three, and he was balling. "I can't do this anymore", is what he kept saying to me. This is a man that I have looked up to since first meeting him, a man who runs a tight kitchen, doesn't put up with anyone's s*it, and the LAST person I expected to act this way. He really was going through a difficult time here. His family was waiting for him back home, and he was having an extremely difficult time communicating with the students. So being the person that I am, I put my hands on his shoulders and encouraged him as best I could. I talked him through his situation, and I gave him as much inspiration as I could. I didn't want to see anyone get defeated by a job, and it was the bottom of the ninth, and he was three runs behind. I won't get into the details of exactly what the conversation was, but I really think that I was able to get inside his head, begin looking optimistically about our situation, and maybe begin to see the light.

Since our conversation in the cooler on that dark Monday, I have come to find out that I am seen in our kitchen as the stable, level-headed individual, who is there for people in their time of need. Not necessarily in situations like the last one, but throughout the day I am there to make people's days. And they look forward to seeing me everyday! I asked a co-worker what it was about me that makes me such an inspiration to those around me and she said, "I look forward to the thirty minutes I get to spend with you everyday because you always have a smile on your face, and you will ALWAYS say something to make me laugh! Without even knowing it, you inspire people in your actions and your words."

Now it really meant a lot to me to hear this. To know that I am going through this difficult time in Beijing, people still look to me to brighten their day. You know what that tells me? That things are not THAT bad here. If I can go to work with a smile on my face each and everyday, and know that I may be able to put a smile on someone else's face as well, I have the perfect job!

And it just took this particular instance to make me realize........

The 24 Hours of Chris (Part 2)

2008-08-17T02:47:00.000-07:00

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.

The 24 Hours of Chris (Part 1)

2008-08-13T03:06:00.000-07:00

It was time. I have been in China for almost two months now, and I really haven't had a whole lot of time to myself. I decided last week that on my next day off I was going to dedicate my entire day to me, myself, and I. Thus, The 24 Hours of Chris......

Monday, August 11th, 2008

6:00 pm- Dinner at Haiku

There is one sushi restaurant in all of Beijing that is said to be THE place to go for fresh seafood, innovative maki rolls, and friendly service. And Haiku was the place. So I strapped on my messenger bag; loaded with my Ipod, camera, the latest edition of the Beijinger magazine, a travel guide book, the directions to the Chaoyang Park area, and loads of yuan (money). If this was truly going to be a night for Chris, I wasn't going to skimp on any expense, as you will fully understand later on in this post.

I arrived at the restaurant, and after being patted down, and my bag inspected (which is normal lately), I was seated directly at the sushi bar where I was able to watch the masters at work. The menu was full of sushi, sashimi, yakitori, udon noodle pots, you name it. There were a few items that I knew I couldn't pass up....

First course was a seared scallop salad. The salad consisted of fresh mixed greens, slice cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, seared scallops, and the traditional Japanese ginger, carrot salad dressing. I was a little disappointed when the salad came out (I was expecting all scallop and no greens), but one bite and I changed my mind completely. It was outrageous....

Second course was called. a live unagi (barbecued eel) hand roll. This roll left something to be desired. The flavors didn't "pop" like I was hoping.

Third course was the Haiku roll, which included spicy tuna, soft-shell crab, asparagus, and avocado on the inside, with spicy mayonnaise, and flying fish roe on the outside. I have eaten alot of maki in a lot of places, but nothing has EVER compared to this particular roll. If you are ever in Beijing you need to try this roll :). Needless to say, I devoured this in about four seconds flat. I ate like a pig. No, I ate more like a duck, pigs tend to chew.

Next came the one dish that I have never seen anywhere else...... EVER. It consisted of two of my favorite ingredients ever, and on one plate! Heaven is the only word that came to mind when I took my first bite. Never again will I be able to find this combination of ingredients, so I savored this dish as much as I could. It took me about five seconds to finish this one!

As I finished up my fourth Tsingtao of the evening, patiently awaiting for my check to arrive, the sushi chef behind the counter graciously offered me a complimentary final course. It was four crispy wonton chips piled with some of the best red snapper ceviche I have ever tasted! It was a great way to finish off a great meal. As I left for the evening, I stood up and it felt as though I was walking on air! It may have been the beer, but I think alot had to do with the fact that I just had a fabulous meal, and had a little bit of (much needed) time to myself. There was a smile on my face.

9:00- A walk through the Solana

The neighborhood that I had dinner in is supposed to be the hip spot to hang out at night. It is filled with bars, clubs, restaurants, and stores, and it surrounds the Central Park of Beijing. There was a definite buzz in the air, so I decided to make my way through the Solana, and tried to find a bar that I had heard about that just opened. It is a 24-hour sports bar, with 65 huge plasma television, said to carry American sports around the clock. It is called All-Star, and it is where I will be on August 31st, at 3:30 in the morning, watching RichRod and the Wolverines kick some Ute butt!!! It was my luck, the bar was closed for training. I was able to speak with the owner (who happened to be from L.A.), and he guaranteed me that they would be playing college football that night. Sweet!

A little disappointed (I wanted to have a beer and watch some Olympics), I decided to call it a night and walk toward the main street to hail a cab. As I walked out of All-Star, I turned the corner, and something caught my eye. It was a large lit-up sign that read Tsingtao. "Hey, they must serve Tsingtao", I thought to myself. And boy was I right. It happened to be the Tsingtao Beer Palace, where they brew the stuff! And they had the Olympics on!! So of course I popped a squat and ordered the biggest beer that they served. And it was big....

After my 32 oz. beer, I was feeling pretty nice, and decided to get my bill. Just as I looked up to find the waitress, there she was with ANOTHER 32 oz. beer!! It turns out they have a BOGO on all their beers. And who am I to turn down a free beer! So I sat with my new American buddies, shot the s*it, and enjoyed my last tasty beverage of the evening.

After that beer, it was almost midnight (way past my bedtime), and I knew that if I didn't call it a night T-Rex might have made his first appearance in China. Only in China it wouldn't be T-Rex, it would be GODZIRRAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

12:30- Sleeping with my shoes on.

As I mentioned before, there was a dish that took two individually fantastic ingredients, and combined them into one of the tastiest morsels I have ever eaten. Below is another picture of this dish. I would like all of you guess what this dish was. And the first person to correctly guess the two main components of this dish will receive a special gift from me upon my arrival in the States. Oh ya, Dad, you are not allowed to vote. It's too easy for you....

To Be Continued....

8.8.08

2008-08-08T05:12:00.001-07:00

The day has finally come. I am sitting in my apartment, once again sacrificing precious sleep, watching the opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games, and I have realized that all of the hard work that I have pot in over the past month has finally paid off. To see the excitement of this city, the smiling faces on the customers that we feed every morning, and the fact that I am only a mile away from the biggest sporting event in the world, it really puts things into perspective for me. I am at the Olympics!!! I will never again have this opportunity to be part of such a magnificent event, and every hour of lost sleep and every bead of sweat is worth it. You know why? Because I am in the middle of the single greatest experience I will ever have! The excitement has been building and building, and I have seen this city transform into what it is today; a huge ball of excitement! I have never seen a country (city) band together for one cause the way that the Chinese people have! I am so glad that I am here right now, and that I am part of this event! I guess I'll stop rambling now, but I had to share this excitement with all of you back home, and the only thing that would make this experience better would be having all of you right here with me!

One World. One Dream. One stoked Michigander!

Words Just Don't Do It Justice...

2008-08-05T05:08:00.001-07:00

Even though it seems like I have been in China for about a year now, the time that I have left is getting less and less as the days go by. I need to get out and see more of the sites before I leave, and in order to do that I need to get up early on my day off, spend twelve hours sightseeing, and sacrifice a little (more) sleep over the next few weeks.

Today was finally the day for me to embark on the Great Wall Journey. If I didn't do it today, who knows if I would have gotten an opportunity to see it before I leave. The weather was your typical China weather; hot, humid, polluted, and foggy. Not your ideal setting for a trip to one the world's most famous places to take in the view, but we had to go. It was now or never.

Everyone else that I know that has gone to the Great Wall before me has gone with a big group of people, everyone pitches in some dough and they rent a bus for the day. It picks them up at the hotel, drops them off, waits for them to finish, and then drives them all the way back to the hotel. Well, Sean (who is the Executive Chef at C.W. Post University in New York) and I didn't really have the luxury of going with a group of people so we had to do the trip the only way we knew how. Public transportation!

A cab would be far to expensive (it is about an hour and a half outside of Beijing), so a public bus was the only way for us to go. Was I nervous, yes. Did I have second thoughts when I arrived at the bus terminal and there were literally 1,000 buses waiting to depart, oh ya! Did this stop us from jumping on the first 916 bus we saw, hell no!!

The bus was clean, we got to sit with all of the cool kids in the back of the bus, and we made a few friends on the trip. But the best part was, with my Olympic credentials, we got the entire trip for free.

I started to feel good about taking the bus as we we left the terminal. We made a few stops in the city before heading East toward the Matianyu section of the wall. Next thing I know, Sean looks over at me and says, "What stop do we get off?". We looked around and realized that there was not one word of English to be found on the entire bus! Everything was in Chinese, and I really haven't learned enough Chinese to be able to decipher written words. Heck, I only know the words beer, hello, and massage. Luckily there was a nice young lady on the bus who noticed Sean and I crying in the back of the bus (just kidding), but she sensed our dilemma and came to our rescue. Her name was Tracy, and spoke decent English. She told us that she would let us know when our stop was. You see, the bus doesn't go all the way up to the wall, we were going to have to jump out and get in a cab to take us the 17 km to the wall. She sat and talked with us for a while, alerted us when our stop was coming, and even got us a car to take us the rest of the way. Only it was not a cab. It was some lady, driving an old, beat-up micro bus, with wood floors, and a carpet ceiling, and of course we jumped in. My first thought was that we were going to be sold into Chines slavery, and we would never make it home, but then I saw the LeBron James bobblehead on her dashboard, and my mind was put at ease. The best part was, she didn't speak of money, so we figured we would get this trip for free as well! Then, about 8 km into the ride, in the middle of nowhere, she pulls the van over to the side of the road, draws a circle on a piece of paper, and the number 100 on either side of it. Now, having played Pictionary on Nintendo for most of my childhood, I knew that she meant it would be 100 yuan each way, and she would wait at the bottom of the wall for us to finish. Of course we accepted. How could we not! We were two Americans in the middle of desolate China, we had no choice but to accept. She could have said a million dollars and we would have paid it because we couldn't be left for dead on the side of the road. Now that's what I call a bargaining tool!!

For those of you who may not know, the wall is built on the top of mountains. We had to take a ski-lift to the base of the wall from the parking lot. From here your only way up is to hike the stairs. I know what you're saying, a physical specimen like me should have no problem climbing thousands of uneven stairs on my through the twists and turns of the Great Wall. But, I'm sorry to let you down. It was rough!!! At times I wish I was back at work trying to communicate with my Chinese students, it was that bad. But all of the hard work paid off. I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Let's just say that I have never seen anything else in my life quite as fascinating as the Great Wall. It was a great experience, I enjoyed every minute of it, and I would never do it again! My legs still fell like Jell-O.

Oh ya, and in order to get down the hill to the wall you got to ride a toboggan down the hill....

Noodle Loft

2008-08-04T00:40:00.000-07:00

I am not usually one to take pictures. Heck, I wasn't even going to bring a camera with me to China until Dad offered to let me borrow his for the trip (thanks Dad!). And even with camera in hand, I tend to to miss the opportunity to get "the shot" that would make for a great picture to send home to you guys. Compared to most of my friends here, I taken a minimal amount. But my theory is, if it's good enough for me to pull my camera out of my bag, I WILL get the picture. Besides, it's quality not quantity, right?

With this being said, I went into dinner last night armed with the Canon G9, knowing full well that I was going to get some amazing shots. And indeed I did....

The Noodle Loft, a 63 yaun cab ride from my apartment, is said to be the best noodle restaurant in Beijing. It has been featured in a number of magazines, television show, etc., and it was one restaurant that I had heard about even before stepping foot on China soil. And the other night was the night to experience what I have been hearing so much about.....

This restaurant seems to be more of an "experience" than your typical noodle house. It was dinner and a show, with strong emphasis on the word SHOW. The open kitchen brought the chefs right out in front of us to do what they do best; make noodles. Now, I know you're saying to yourself. "a noodle is a noodle". Well, my friend, a noodle is only a noodle in America. In China you have.....

Noodles made by one chopstick, where the chef scrapes his chopstick along a plane of dough, and what results is some small, very tasty noodles. This chef is scraping them directly into a pot of boiling water....

One long noodle, where you can order a bowl of noodles, but what you get is an entire bowl of noodle. It is one noodle, that when stretched out it could probably wrap around the entire building...

Shaved noodles, where a chef uses, what looks like, a bench scraper to peel noodles off of the dough...

The food was good at the Noodle Loft (especially the fried duck hearts), but the real draw is the show. I took quite a few videos of the chefs in action if any of you are interested in seeing them upon my arrival. The Internet is too slow to post videos, sorry!

I have been having some real good luck with restaurants lately! And the funny thing is, there are about 1 bajillion more restaurants to try, and only three more weeks to do it! I better get to it....

Check Out This Building...

2008-08-01T02:24:00.000-07:00

Wangfujing Night Market

2008-08-01T01:30:00.000-07:00

As most of you already know, I am a huge fan of the television show "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern" on the Travel Channel, and I had always said that he has the perfect job; travelling all over the world on someone else's dime, and experiencing all sorts of exciting cuisines and ingredients. Well, after my experience at the Wanfujing Night Market (which I had originally seen on his television show) I have decided that he can have that job. I don't want it. Especially if I had to go back an try anything more than I did on my first trip. My plan was to eat sea urchin right of the shell, try all sorts of crazy bugs and beetles, and just try as many new things as I could. Well, we arrived at shortly before ten p.m., and just strolled along the seemingly endless stalls that were selling everything from corn on a stick to silkworms, and I I think I was more put off by the smell than excited to try all of this food. None of the food is on ice, including all of the seafood. Just imagine about a hundred stalls, all serving some sort of meat or fish, in 90 degree weather, and it has been sitting out since 4:00 pm. Let's just say, it's not the most appealing aroma in the world. I would rather a shirtless FUB put me in a headlock for thirty seconds, than smell what I was smelling. So, you're first thought is I left, right?

Wrong. I needed try at least one thing there before I left. So I perused for a spell, narrowing down the very limited selections that I could brave, and after much deliberation, decided on two items I thought would be a safe bet. The first was what the hawkers were calling a "Chinese hamburger". It was more like chopped lamb, with a ton of cilantro, fried and put into a soft white bun.

This was actually pretty darn tasty! I reminded something that you can buy on the streets of New York City, and I happen to be pretty fond of the street food in NYC.

My next pick, on the other hand, was not the wisest choice. I saw Andrew Zimmern do it, so I figured what the heck, I'm only here once. So I ordered fried silkworms on a stick. I'm not going to get into the gory details of what happened next, but let's just say that my first bite did not stay in my mouth for very long. And that is all I have to say about this....

Overall, the experience was well worth it, but I would be content never to do it again. Why come to China to eat bugs, when I could just sit in the backyard and eat the same thing??!?!??

I Knew This Day Would Come...

2008-07-30T03:07:00.000-07:00

Days have turned into weeks, and each week goes by it gets harder and harder to be so far away from home. I know that a lot has to do with my job, and that I spend SO much time at work, it is finally starting to take it's toll on me. I am physically exhausted, not to mention I am at my wits end. For the first time since I started my job, I left without feeling 100% confident in what I was walking into in the morning. Let me give you a little insight as to what it is that I do every day...

2:00 am- I wake up and get ready for work.

2:30 am- I step into the cab outside of my apartment and make the half an hour trek to Media Village 1.

3:00 am- I get to work, change into my uniform, and head to the kitchen to fetch my packet of paperwork that has been prepared for me the night before. This packet includes advance withdrawals for proteins, recipes, pick lists, bulk prep lists, etc. I then have to sort through each recipe (now I know how Terita feels), and organize them by breakfast, lunch, dinner, and overnight.

3:15 am- I begin setting my students up with job duties. I like to fabricate all the meat for the day in the morning, so I can organize my carts, and then work on vegetables and sauces, etc. In a given day, I have over thirty recipes that have to be weighed or measured out exactly according to the recipe. Each recipe feeds up to 900 people. So when I have my students dice chicken breasts, they are not doing a couple breasts, more like 200 kg (which is about 400 pounds). And that is for one recipe!!! Imagine having to do this over and over thirty times a days, with ingredients ranging from lamb shoulder to calamari steaks. This takes most of my day.

12:30 pm- Chef's meeting: we discuss tomorrow's menu, and make any changes, and also prepare for the menu two days out.

1:30 pm- Continue preparations, and meet with my Chinese chef to go over the night's duties and responsibilities.

3:30 pm- Finish all of my things, and attempt to change out of my uniform.

4:00 pm- Still at work answering questions.

5:00 pm- Finally get home from work.

6:00 pm- Usually bedtime.

Did you notice I didn't put down any times for breaks, lunch, relaxation, etc.? Ya, that's because I don't get those things. Which is probably why I had so much fun the other night. I finally felt relaxed.

This sounds like a tough job to do day in and day out, right? Well take into consideration the language barrier, the fact that we only get 60% of the produce that we order any given day, that things change ALL the time, and that the stress level is at a constant high, and then you could empathize with me.

This is, by far, the hardest thing I have ever done. It is taking all of the strength that I have to go to work with a smile on my face, do my job well, and leave with my head held high. I knew this was going to be tough, but never imagined that it would be as hard as it is. I will become a better person for it, I know, but what's keeping me going right now?

I guess it will all come together soon...

But in the meantime I will do my best, keep my mouth shut, and know that I will be home in just a few weeks.

Even In China...

2008-07-30T03:05:00.000-07:00

Anyone Need a Computer?

2008-07-29T04:12:00.000-07:00

Duck, Duck, Goo.... Duck

2008-07-29T02:29:00.000-07:00

Well, my friends, my third day off has come around which means I have an opportunity to write a little bit more, considering I don't have to come home straight from work and go to bed. As I sit in my dining room, enjoying a bag of blueberry potato chips,

I can't help but look back at the meal that I had last night, and smile. There was one dish that I told myself that I had to eat before making my way back to the states, and that dish was Peking duck. Peking Duck, or Beijing Duck, is a long process, that begins with blowing air into the bird to separate the skin from the meat, then roasting it in a wood-burning oven, all the while basting the outside of the bird with a sugar solution to ensure the skin is deliciously crispy on the outside and the meat is mouth wateringly (is that a word?) tender on the inside. There is a small duck place right around the corner from my apartment, and I have gone there a few times, but I wanted to experience the real deal Holyfield. There are said to be two restaurants in Beijing that serve the best duck; DaDong Reastaurant and Made In China in the Grand Hyatt Hotel. We chose Made In China.

First of all, when we pulled up to the front entrance of the hotel, my outlook on Beijing shifted just a little bit. "This place is beautiful," I thought to myself as I stepped out. It is a completely different Beijing than the one that I am staying in, a place full of five star hotels. I felt like Burt Reynolds, or something.

The restaurant was gorgeous, the service was outstanding, and we got to meet the chef. He gave us his business card, and we are all going to take him out to dinner one night. It should be interesting to share ideas with a world-class chef!

Anyway, we ordered the duck as soon as we got there. It takes an hour and fifteen minutes to prepare before it gets to our table. So in the meantime we ordered a bottle of wine, and a couple appetizers to tide us over until the main course arrived. The appetizers were as follows; lamb pancakes (which was more like a quesadilla filled with lamb. Taco Bell eat your heart out!), poached cuttlefish with cilantro and smoked bamboo, smoked and chilled duck breast with kimchi, geoduck clam with glass noodles, beef knuckle salad, pork dumplings (which were made right in front of us in one of three open kitchens), and duck gizzards in a spicy peanut sauce. Each dish was good as the next but I must admit that I was quite fond of the duck gizzards and the geoduck clam. Both items that I have never had before, and both items that would eat again, and again, and again for the rest of my life!
But these dishes couldn't even compare to what I was about to experience. The dish that made made my meal. The dish that forced me to put my night at Made in China in my top ten food experiences of all-time. the dish that I took one bite of, threw down my chopsticks, sat back in my chair, closed my eyes, and enjoyed every bite. All I can say is.... if Heaven has a roast duck restaurant, that's most likely where you'll find me in the afterlife.

The duck is carved tableside, and is put on the table in three courses. The chef was gracious enough to come back to our table and explain to us the method of eating each course. The first course that came out was the skin. It came out hotter than Haiti, and we all took a piece of the crispy skin and we were to dunk it into the little bowl of sugar they had layed out in front of us. You put the skin in your mouth and you immediately get the sensation of sweet and savory, but it only lasts a short moment, before the skin melts in your mouth. It was a flavor sensation, one that I could not re-create even if I tried. The second course was the breast meat. Tender, and moist, we dipped the breast meat in sugar and hoisin sauce, and rolled it in a thin pancake with cucumber batons,and a julienne of leeks. Next came the thigh meat. We did the same with this meat as we did with breast, except added a little chopped garlic to the pancake before we rolled it up. Freakin' AWESOME!!

Oh ya, I created my own fourth course of duck for the evening... duck head. Yes, I did eat the brain. And it was delicious! Plus, I feel smarter now.

We finished our meal, finished our third bottle of wine, and uttered our praises for the meal, as we waited for our check (which came out to just about $42.00 per person). I was completely content. I didn't want to leave. But we had to.

On our way out of the hotel we decided to sit in the lobby lounge and have an after dinner drink. We were sipping our port, I was still smiling like a kid on Christmas, and there was a band serenading us with the musical stylings of Tom Jones and Air Supply. It was the most relaxed I have been in the past three weeks. I needed a night like last, and look forward to taking in even more of this place in the next month.

I just hope that I was able to convey just how special last night was. I know that typing really doesn't do it justice, but it was, by far, the best night that I have had since landing in Beijing. I just hope that each and every one of you are able to experience a night similar to this at least one time in your life. You need it!

FYI: Beers Are BIG In China

2008-07-23T05:52:00.001-07:00

"Mister, We Have Your Buddha Size"

2008-07-23T02:22:00.000-07:00

Well, my second day off has finally come around, an I wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity. So Dave, Arin, and myself decided to take the subway to a place called the Silk Market, which is four stories of booth after booth selling really inexpensive items from watches to "underwears". First of all, I was a little apprehensive about taking the subway. I have been taking taxis everywhere in the city, not knowing what to expect from the subway system. The train was surprisingly clean, air conditioned, and very good shape! And best of all, I can ride the subway for free with my Olympic accreditation badge. So I'm thinking this is the way to go. It was a little crowded at times, but nothing different than New York City during rush hour.

We arrived at the Market and began winding through the seemingly endless rows of clothes, hats, ipods, Nintendo Wii's, you name it, you can get it there. I ended up buying three Tommy Bahama Hawaiian shirts, two authentic Chinese shirts (which are freakin' cool), and two pair of brand new Nike Air Max tennis shoes all for $150 U.S. it was a steal...

The craziest thing about this market was that as you pass every booth, the lady working there would call to you, grab you bag, pull your arm hair, anything to get you to step inside. It was a little overwhelming at times, especially when you have three or four Chinese ladies pulling in all different directions. Dad, you would gone crazy.... guaranteed

Here are the kicks....
Arin got this North Face coat for $42 U.S.
Tonight I am taking another shot at finding the Noodle Loft. We got lost last time, but the second time is always a charm, right? Or is that the third time is always a charm?!?! I don't know.

Happy Birthday To Me

2008-07-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

I am not proud to say that my latest excursion led me to a place that I despise in the States. Said to have the best wings in the city, however, and the fact that I have been wanting some decent American food for a while now, was the impetus for my decision. It was Saturday night, we had just gotten out of work, and Matt, Dave, and I wanted to get some food, and maybe a drink or two. We all had to be back to work the next morning at 4:00 so it wasn't going to be a late night. We got directions to this noodle restaurant that is said to be very good, and we got in a cab and headed on our way. Little did we now that the address the receptionist at the desk wrote down was not the correct restaurant. So we got out of the cab anyway, walked down a very shady area, saw some things I would rather not discuss, (this guy was cutting chicken)

was solicited for you know what by more than a few young ladies, and then decided to get into another cab and off to a neighborhood called Sunlitun. This is where all of the Westerners hang out. It's just a neighborhood, near the American embassy, that is full of restaurants like Outback that cater to homesick Americans. And that's what we were! So we walked around for a little while, after buying a Corona from a street vendor, and took in the sights as we drank our warm, skunky, beer. Finally we saw Hooters, and it seems like he sky had opened up, and the Angels of heaven began singing their enchanting tune, and almost beckoned us to enter. So we took the bait.

Upon arrival, it was nothing different than any other Hooters I have been to in the States; cold beer, chicken wings, a lot dudes sitting at the bar, and a lot of girls prancing around in the patented tight, orange shorts, and white tanks. The only difference is, I had never seen a Chinese girls working at Hooters, and everyone working there was from China. We were greeted at our table by Cookie, a college student, born in Beijing, who was very cute, was an Aquarius, liked to read Nicholas Sparks, enjoyed long walks on the beach, liked to eat dog, and was very prompt in her service. We ate dinner and were enjoying an after dinner drink, when I noticed that every waitress in the place was coming toward our table. As they all gathered around, they made an announcement; "Ladies and Gentlemen, we would like to announce that it is this man's birthday!!!!! (pointing at me). And then they all broke out in song....

I looked over at my buddies and they were busting out laughing. It turns out, while Dave told us he was going to the bathroom, he actually went to tell out waitress that it was my birthday, and that I wanted nothing more than for them to sing to me. So, after about five minutes of pure embarrassment, and three songs later, the group had dispersed.

just an FYI..... my birthday is in December.

$17.00

2008-07-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

The answer to the riddle was $17 U.S.

Me No Speaky Chinee

2008-07-17T04:47:00.000-07:00

One thing that I was looking forward to heading to China more than most was eating traditional Chinese style dumplings. I haven't had much of an opportunity, but tonight a couple of us decided to go. I bought a few travel books before I got here, and one of them named Xian'r Lao Man the best dumping house in all of China. This HAD to be the place to go, so we asked the receptionest at the desk of the hotel to talk to the taxi driver, and explain to him the directions on how to get there (if you haven't gotten it already, it is almost impossible to communicate with the taxi drivers in Beijing).

We arrived at our destination a short time later, and we hadn't written the name of the restaurant down before we left. We were dropped off in front of a building with about ten different storefronts, all serving dumplings. We had no idea which one to go to! Luckily, I had the directions to the restaurant in my pocket, so we started asking random Chinese people where the place was. After talking with four or five people, we were able to understand which one it was. It was a huge restaurant, and we were definately the ONLY Americans in the whole joint. In fact, I'm willing to bet we were the ONLY people from outside of China! Of course, they didn't have any English on the menu, so we asked the waitress to just keep bringing plates of dumplings out to us (Mind you, this wasn't an easy request. It took five people hovering around around our table to piece together what little English they knew to understand what we had asked. One word I learned the first day was pijiu. We ordered a round of pijiu (beer), and anxiously awaited the arrival of the caravan of dumplings that was sure to arrive shortly. Then the dumplings began to arrive, ten to a plate. Plate after plate of delicious dumplings with fillings such as pork and scallion, seafood, egg and greens, etc. Some were fried, some were steamed, others were wrapped in a delicious pancake and grilled on a flattop. And they just kept coming. In all we polished of eight plates of dumplings, and a couple beers each (always 22 oz. beers at this joint). As we slowly finished off the last plate of dumplings the bill arrived. But before I get into that, let me just say that this was an EXCELLENT dining experience, and was everything that I had hoped for in Chinese dumplings. We will be back there.... soon. You know how I said that I had a fantastic meal the other night, and only paid about $14? Well, tonight I had an even better meal, in a better atmosphere, with better company, and guess what we paid? Remember, this was a dinner for four people....

Foie Gras and Ketchup

2008-07-15T06:10:00.000-07:00

So far, the "foodie" side of me has been pretty disappointed with the food in China. I was so anxious to get over here and try all of the crazy dishes, and eat a bunch of things that I have never had before. shortly after my arrival in Beijing I was warned that eating those sort of things can get someone extremely sick. There are only certain places that you should eat at, and any other place is a risk. I am willing to take risks, don't get me wrong. I have eaten plenty of unfamiliar items (including the the cold poached pig ear with daikon and green papaya at the Taiwanese restaurant last week), but nothing has stood out to me as being AWESOME!! There was the Korean BBQ restaurant (the one that served dog) that had some very tasty food, the roast duck pizza on Sunday, and that Big Mac that Adam brought me home on Saturday night. Those were all really good, but I was waiting for that WOW factor to kick in. And tonight was the night....

We decided to head to the mall down the road from our apartment for dinner tonight. We went into the food court, which consisted of about 40 different stalls all serving completely different dishes. Everything from Shabu Shabu to Peking duck. We noticed a teppenyaki restaurant all the way in the back of the court. For those of you don't know, teppenyaki is a Japanese style of cooking where the chefs prepare your food on grills right at your table (similar to Nagoya in Toledo, or the Benihana chain). I am 100% confident that this food blew these restaurants out of the water!! In such an unassuming location, I didn't expect the food to be any good, but boy was I wrong. I started with a dish of diced beef, green onions, and a ton of garlic. It was fantastic! The flavors were clean and simple, but just popped with every bite. That dish led to a thinly sliced lamb steak with red onions. It reminded me of the best cheesesteak I have ever had (minus the cheese). I wanted to throw it on an Amaroso roll, smear it with Cheez Whiz, and eat it on the streets of Philadelphia. I could of eaten it all day long!!! Things continued to get better with a plate of vegetables and bean sprouts, a BBQ'd oyster with garlic, bacon, chives, and lemon juice, and the piece de resistance.... my final course consisted of seared foie gras, wrapped in an omelet, topped with a sauce of reduced ketchup, and apple slices. never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be eating foie gras in china, let alone a foie gras omelet with ketchup! But it was SOOOO good! I could of ordered ten more! But food aside, you want to know the single best part of my experience tonight? My entire meal set me back a whopping $14 U.S. I can hardly eat at Arby's for that much scratch!

All I have to say now is, BRING IT ON BEIJING! I'M READY FOR MORE!!!!!

You Can Stand Under My Umbrerra

2008-07-14T03:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday happened to be my first day off here in Beijing, and I decided long before I got here that the time that I have off is not going to be wasted sitting in my apartment and recuperating from the countless days of work that led up to the day off. And, I have to say my first day in China was everything that I had always hoped (and more). There is so much to tell, so I will just give you a brief synopsis of how my day went...

First, we went to the forbidden City, which was the original kingdom of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

About thirty steps through the gate my sandal began to fall apart.

We saw some amazing sites...

My shoe completely came apart...

I took a picture of a Chinese woman taking picture of the funny Americans...

I found the Holy Grail, a frozen bottle of water (nothing in this city is served cold and it was 1,000,000 degrees outside.)

I took a picture of a random Chinaman...

I kissed Mao...

I saw Tieneman Square...

We went to a neighborhood called Houhai (or Old City). It is a collection of restaurants and bars surrounding a huge lake in the middle of the city.

I saw Chef at a Tea House...

We sat back and had a few beers...

And a few laughs...

(he is sweeping the street)

And some roast duck pizza...

A bird s*it on Dave's head...

And we ended the night enjoying a beautiful China sunset...

This Stuff Is BANANAS

2008-07-14T02:52:00.001-07:00

I know you have all been patiently waiting for my first installment of pictures, so I figured I would start with a few from work, considering that is where I spend 75% of my time. I hope you like them, and I will be sure to post more as the days go by.

Create a Free Slideshow

No Rules, Just (Not) Right

2008-07-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

I have noticed that there are absolutely no rules in the city of Beijing...

1.) People will drive, sleep, and go to the bathroom ANYWHERE. Half of the city smells like urine, we have found makeshift beds in our kitchen when we got there in the morning, and we also found a nice surprise in the dry storeroom one day. Let's just say that someone needed to drop off a load, and it wasn't Raman noodles. DISGUSTING!

2.) I was examined by the Beijing Hygiene Bureau, which could of been the most interesting physicals I have had. There was a line of about three hundred people, in a huge room, and they did every body's business right in front of everyone else! Physicals, blood work, you name it. It was all done in front of the whole building. The most bizarre of them all was, we had to take a stool sample in with us (to make sure we were healthy enough to handle food, etc,). That was not fun in and of itself, but if you were not able to produce a sample to them on that morning, they would make you drop your drawers, and they would get that sample one way or another. It was sick...

3.) I was walking down the street, just after the physical, and started to smell something off. As it got stronger, I notice that there was a van parked on the side of the street, with the sliding door wide open. I looked in the van, and it was piled up to the top with plastic grocery bags of butchered chicken meat. Just sitting on top of one another, no refrigeration, ice, nothing! Then I saw a guy guy jump out of the van with a box full of meat, and he was delivering it to the restaurant across the sidewalk!!! I was blown away!

4.) I have already been to a restaurant that had dog on the menu (pictures to follow). No, Jen I didn't eat it!

The 26 Hour Shift From Hell

2008-07-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

I am still working on posting pictures and such, so please bear with me for the next few days...

I am now three days into my working experience, and with each day I encounter more and more challenges. I have been posted at the Green Homeland Media Village. This is where all of the worldwide media stays throughout their time in Beijing. There are two production kitchens in the compound, and six dining rooms (including one 24 hour operation and a bar). Each kitchen will produce 6,000 meals for each meal period, plus the late night crowd. So we could, hypothetically, serve 25,000 people per day!! For those of you who are not in the restaurant business, that is a s*itload! I have all the confidence in the world in my team, and believe that we will be very successful. We have our soft opening tonight for dinner, and then tomorrow breakfast and lunch. We will be serving Chinese officials, Beijing Olympic Committee, etc. It is going to be a long couple of days though. Today I work until 1:00 am, and then I have to be back at 6:00 tomorrow morning! With the hour long commute there and back, it's almost not worth going home. There are a group of us who may just end up working straight through until 4:00 tomorrow afternoon. Sometimes it's easier just to continue working, as opposed to coming home and having to do it all over again, you know? I have Sunday off as of right now, so I will have that day to recover (hopefully).

I have been given the job of receiver/hot food prep. My main responsibility is receiving orders, gathering, organizing, and preparing mise en place (prep ingredients) for the hot food kitchen (both the Asian side and the International side).

7,000 Miles From Nowhere

2008-07-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I finally made it to China! After a grueling 14 flight, about two hours in the Beijing Airport, and an hour long bus ride into the city, I have arrived at the Somerset Extended Stay Hotel in the heart of the Haidian District. It didn't take long to meet a host of other people from ARAMARK. It seems as though the entire hotel is filled with them. I have two roommates, one of them is Adam and he is from Greenville, South Carolina, and the other is Thomas from Dublin, Ireland. I drew the short knife (for all you Top Chef fans out there), and I have the luxury of sleeping in the makeshift office, turned bedroom. It's not bad, though. I don't mind sleeping on what feels like a wooden board cushioned by Brawny paper towels. I slept well, I guess that's all that matters.

Today begins my first day of work. All that I know is that I am working at the Media Village. Which means I will be cooking for all the worldwide media. I am sure that I will find out a lot more in the next hour or so, and when I get back I will try to update with some pictures or something.

Peace and hair grease, I'm out!!

Oh ya, I've only been here for about twelve hours, and I've already determined this is going to be a CRAZY trip...

I Am Ready!

2008-06-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Since I found out, back in February, that I would have the opportunity to travel across the world, I really haven't had a chance to just sit back and soak it all in. And seems as though every person that I tell is MORE excited than I am for the chance to cook at the Olympics. Don't get me wrong, I am stoked for this opportunity, I just don't thing that it has hit me yet. In just thirteen short days I will be boarding a plane in Chicago, and flying 14 hours, across the Pacific Ocean, in between two people that I don't know, to a place I have never been, surrounded by people who don't speak my language. It's a lot to wrap my big, fat head around, I don't think It will happen until I step off that plane.

The funniest thing about this whole experience is the reaction that I get from the people that I tell. I have noticed that there are three responses people will have...

A. "Really!?!!? That great! You must be so excited!"

B. "Wow! You'll probably meet your future wife over there!"

C. "You better bring your bulletproof vest. Aren't you afraid of terrorist attacks?"

Reaction A is what I expect from people, reaction B sounds pretty good (I'm not ruling anything out :) ), but reaction C really irritates me. I don't get a C reaction from most people, but every time that I do I just want to slap these people around a little bit. 1.) You don't say that to someone who is about travel across the world for the first time. 2.) I can see that these people have been watching too many Mid-Michigan news programs, and have NO idea what is happening in Beijing to prepare for the games. It is totally transforming itself into the perfect destination for the Olympics. But the news programs only want to talk about all of the negative stories that surround China, and it gives us a bad impression.

The people of China are committed to making this the best Olympic games ever. I have read countless articles that support this statement. And you know what? This makes me even more excited to travel to China. I found this video on YouTube, and it gives me chills every time that I watch it! I am going to share in the excitement of the Chinese people, and I am going to do my part in making the 2008 Beijing Olympic games, the best, and biggest sporting event ever!!!

5 Things I already know about China

2008-06-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

5.) Everything in China is crowded.

I know that I won't have a lot of time to go to the beach when I'm in China, but after seeing this, i'm glad!

Look closely. Can you see him? Here's a hint...

4.) The Chinese are not the world's best drivers.

3.) The food. The food. The food.

2.) Some of the greatest actors of all-time have been of Chinese origin.

1.) American boy bands got nothin' on these cats...

Welcome!

2008-06-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

You have officially entered, what will prove to be, THE most entertaining blog on the internet!

My name is Chris Uhl, and the details of my life are quite inconsequential. My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low-grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a 15-year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims, like he invented the question mark. Sometimes, he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy–the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical: summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring, we’d make meat helmets. Ah, but enough about my childhood...

I will spend the next few months of my life in Beijing, China, working as a sous chef at the Olympic Village and I thought I would document some of the more interesting things that happen to me along the way.

I know that work will consume most of my time, but if I am so lucky as to have a day off or so, I want to take full advantage of this trip and see and do as much as I can.

And for those of you who are interested in reading about the things I do, the people I meet, and (most importantly) the things I eat, then this blog is for you!

So sit back, and enjoy the ride...