Fourth Old China Hands Anniversary

Happy Anniversary OCH!

On Friday 5 May 2017 we celebrated our fourth Old China Hands Anniversary, being our monthly lunch normally on the first Friday of the month.
I started it indeed four years ago with some six or eight people and soon we settled for Morel’s Restaurant (Gongti) and we never changed. Everybody seems very happy with the place and the formula. I love to organize it because it is a nice gathering of friends.

Good attendance

My “member list” counts a little over 100 people and is updated regularly to add new people or remove those who left us or never RSVP. As most “Old China Hands” are busy people, many can often not make it due to their busy schedule. On 5 May we had around 30 people, being a typical attendance.
The background of the people is very diverse and so are the nationalities.

VETEX in Beer Mania

VETEX in Beer Mania, for our friend Steve

On 1 February 2017 a special birthday party for Steve: none less than VETEX in Beer Mania.
A real great evening, as usual it proves Thierry knows how to run his vibrant café.

Who is VETEX?

VETEX is a group from Kortrijk, Belgium. The name comes from a former textile factory (VETEX) in the city of Kortrijk. The brass band has trumpets, flute, saxophone, clarinet and more, just watch the pictures and the video. They were on a tour in Beijing. Impressive and enthusiastic performance.
See here their introduction in Flemish:

Orchestre International du Vetex is een feestfanfare uit het Belgische Kortrijk.
In 2004 werd het gezelschap opgericht in Vetex, een oude texielfabriek in de kanaalzone van Kortrijk. Vlaamse, Waalse en Noord-Franse muzikanten van diverse sociale achtergrond maken muziek die een mix is van Balkan, Gipsy, ska, Latino en Klezmer, de polka of de Tarantella gedanst kan worden.
De groep bestaat uit vijftien blazers die op fluit, trombone, saxofoon, trompet, bugel, klarinet en sousafoon spelen. Zij worden ondersteund door drums, percussie en accordeon.

See: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestre_International_du_Vetex
and: http://www.vetex.org/

The video

See here a short video, on YouTube (in China needs a VPN). I have the video on file, the original is near 600 MB, the reduced version 90 MB.

Belgian best cuisine in Beijing

Best Belgian food

Belgian best cuisine in Beijing: Morel’s Restaurant for sure. The other “Belgian” locations are great too but have a different focus. In Morel’s it is simply rich and great Belgian food. As some say: the best French food you find in … Belgium. I am not a fan of the large and expensive dishes where we need to find the tiny morsels of food (typical for “Nouvelle Cuisine” or so-called famous chefs). We like it copious. Also, those tiny pieces: before you actually get the taste, it is gone.

Some of the dishes

Of course they have a special selection of Belgian beers but the wine list is also recommended.
Mussels are very popular and the Chinese guests love them, and yes, most patrons now are … Chinese.
For me, the signature dish is still the gratinated endive with ham, cheese, mashed potatoes and more. In Belgium we call it chicon and not endive.

A dish from my hometown Ghent is “Waterzooi de poulet à la Gantoise”. Warning! The chicken dish is as the chicon one very “filling”, so don’t even think ordering something on the side… The dish also exists made with fish.
See here more:
https://www.rtbf.be/tv/emission/detail_sans-chichis/les-recettes/article_waterzooi-a-la-gantoise?id=5857&emissionId=38
And:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterzooi
“Soup-base of egg yolk, cream and thickened vegetable broth. The stew itself contains chicken, vegetables including carrots, onions, celeriac, leeks, Potatoes and herbs such as parsley, thyme, bay-leaves and sage.”

I only eat a (good) steak in Morel’s. I take the best cut, usually with béarnaise. And Belgian fries, of course. The meat is sourced by the chef from the farm he personally knows. No funny ingredients nor treatment, just pure beef.
Bon appetit! Smakelijk!

Location of Belgian best cuisine in Beijing

Morel’s restaurant & café, opposite of Worker’s Gymnasium north gate, close to Subway Line 2 Dongsishitiao Station.
In Chinese:
地址:北京莫劳龙玺西餐厅(工人体育馆北门对面,春秀路路口西北角),北京市东城区新中街 红五楼一层,工人体育馆北门对面

Old China Hands Lunch 7 April

Steady attendance

The Old China Hands Lunch 7 April counted exactly 24 people, we now have a regular average of 25. Sometimes higher, sometimes lower. Many RSVP who can’t make it (much appreciated) – yes OCH are busy people.

The next lunch is 5 May

I am going to be away from Beijing end of this month but I will be back on time for the lunch. I just have to figure out when and how to send the invitations.
In May again I will disappear but back to host the 2 June lunch.
The May lunch will also be our 4 years anniversary! I started it in May 2013 and we never skipped one single lunch!

Spotlight on Mark Levine

Who is Mark Levine?

A spotlight on Mark Levine, whom I have known for years.
In his own words:
I am an American sociologist who has lived in China since 2005. Since arriving I have taught at a number of different universities but my main teaching job since 2007 has been at Minzu University of China in Beijing. I currently teach Public Speaking, American Culture and Oral English.
I am a guitarist/songwriter/singer. I have written more than 60 (English-language) songs about life in China and have performed the and many Chinese songs in 10 Chinese Provinces. I have performed before several audiences of more than 50,000 people, sung at The National Center for the Performing Arts and Beijing’s MasterCard Center as well as in bars, factories, fields and 20 Chinese weddings. My performances have been seen on more than a dozen different Chinese TV stations.
In Side Out is a musical duo that I have formed with Chinese folk musician Fu Han. Ms. Fu performs on her er-hu (a two-string, bowed Chinese instrument) and I play guitar. Singing both Chinese and English-language songs, we share the vocals.
My book, Stories from My Chinese Journey, was published in China by New World Press in April 2014.
See: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhlevine/

Hilton Hotel with FCGroup

On 23 December 2014, one of the many events with a spotlight on Mark Levine. The FCGroup has been the leading networking event group in Beijing. That event was again in the Zeta Bar of the Hilton Hotel.

Beijing Foreign Studies University

On 22 April 2016, at BFS, the evening “East meets West” featured a program by Mark Levine and Fu Han, attended by some well-know Chinese and foreign guests.
Among the foreign guests several winners of the China Friendship award, and also the famous Isabel Crook, our CCTV host Edwin Maher, Michael Crook and many others. See also the picture with Ms. Huang Huanbi, the wife of late Israel Epstein.
Mark also presented his book “Stories from My Chinese Journey”.

 

Chongyang Festival

I have invited Mark afew times at the official Chongyang Festival celebration. I still hope I can have him at the next celebration so he can sing his Chongyangjie song.
See here the clip he made about the Festival:

See here one of the celebrations:

The 6th Chongyang Festival in Diaoyutai State Guesthouse