Surviving is hard but oh so much fun (sometimes)
On Friday 8 January, for once the second Friday of the month (and the year), our monthly lunch at Morel’s Restaurant.
I think we beat or equaled our highest attendance with 37 participants.
We nearly filled our side of the restaurant. As always the mixed crowd enjoyed the casual discussion and mingling.
Xibei serves Shanxi specials and has many outlets all over Beijing. I call it Chinese fastfood because of the large crowds, the queing and the rather cheap prices. My visit was on 7 January 2016.
I had to wait for well over 20 min. at the Ginza Mall outlet (Dongzhimen), made interesting as I could watch some of the cooks preparing the food. All pretty well organized and clean.
I was told the “long-hour stewed fish” was recommended but by the time we ordered they had run out. Oh well next time.
The dishes were pretty good and I liked their popular cold noodle dish, among others. Price very reasonable: no drinks (free water) and food (plenty) for two: some RMB 110.
Always puzzling why some restaurants are so popular while others remain rather empty. One of the mysteries of Beijing, at least for me.
Well, it is not really mystery anymore I guess. That day is also my birthday.
A special day for me, to review both the calendar year and my year.
I follow a ritual since many years: I disappear for the day to get away from everything.
But the evening is obvious: the family heads to Morel’s Restaurant for the celebration of my birthday and New Year’s Eve.
This time only the two of us as our daughter Valerie has moved to Brussels, but ended up spending her Christmas and New Year with our friends in Vienna. Stella, the wife of our good friend Peter joined us as Peter was on a concert tour in Europe.
As it happens a number of good friends were there too to wish me a nice Bday.
Thanks to all, and thanks to Susan and Renaat for the great food and service.
Oh well the pics are not that great because we were simply too busy enjoying ourselves!
I missed it in 2014 but this time 7 December 2015 I made it to Kurt’s great Christmas party where I could meet the teachers and other students of this exceptional school in Beijing to learn Chinese.
See: https://www.beijing1980.com/learning-chinese/
I wish they had more lessons – I would gladly continue!
Nice opportunity also to meet some well known personalities of the Beijing foreign community, and friends.
This time I was back for the monthly lunch on Friday 4 December, in Morel’s as usual.
We were exactly twenty, we always have a different mix of people. And they all are chatting happily, the ,old-fashioned way.
Next lunch is Friday 8 January as the first Friday is, well, kinda special!