The Local Local Challenge: Week One

It’s the last week before hosting the biggest event I’ve run in Beijing, I just moved to the expat-friendly area of Chaoyang Park West Gate, I’m training for a half marathon and I get a call from my friend.

“Hey, remember that local local challenge idea we were talking about? Let’s do it this month!”

The Local Local Challenge came about as myself and a few friends were discussing ways to more authentically participate in local culture in Beijing. Since moving to Beijing my life has gotten a lot more comfortable, but I find myself less and less likely to explore the city and culture that initially brought me to China. It’s a far cry from my initial six months in Tangshan, where I was one of the only foreigners in a “town” of 1.8 million people.

The idea is simple; try to eat and play locally as much as possible. Chinese lessons and TCM are encouraged, as are riding bikes over taxis and supporting local farmers and food street vendors. I figured that this challenge would force me to rediscover Beijing, or at least push me to get outside of my increasingly expat comfort zone. There’s no pretending I didn’t make a late-night McDonald’s run, or have a glass of imported Italian wine; opting for baozi and baijiu would be much more suitable.

Here are some samples of my diary from the first week of the Local Local Challenge:

Day 1 – Tue, November 1st
Day one started out quite strong. Breakfast consisted of a TCM-appropriate meal of oatmeal and a hard-boiled egg. I donned a sweater and shirt I recently bought at the Ladies’ Market in Liangmaqiao and headed off on my bike to register at the local police station. What could be more authentic than good ol' Chinese bureaucracy?

Unfortunately my schedule was so hectic that I only managed to grab a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner, but overall a good first day.

Day 2 Wed, November 2nd
I had to make a pick-up around Chaowai SOHO, and bought lunch at the very local but traditionally American establishment of 7-11. I always get a kick out of seeing how this American franchise has adapted to the Chinese market, with Slurpees and Doritos being replaced with Chinese buffets and to-go noodles. Clearly the strategy is working, as the lines out the door for 7-11 lunch in China far surpass those in the States.

On my way back from work I stopped for the first time at the fruit vendors under the Tuanjiehu bridge and purchased bananas and persimmons for RMB 16. I was so happy I took a break to stop and chat, as the vendor a jovial guy who threw some free zao (Chinese dates) into my bag! I was a little disheartened to see that despite my efforts to buy local, the bananas were from the Philippines!

Day 3 – Thu, November 3rd
I was making program deliveries for Chi Fan for Charity to the Sanlitun restaurants, and really noticed just how little Chinese food exists in the Village. Since the evening food vendors weren’t out, I grabbed a quick lunch of fried bread with bean paste and lettuce (jidan guanbing) from the only vendor available, and staved off my extreme desire to get a mango and red bean ice drink from Herbal Café.

For dinner I was in a rush and stopped by for the first time to eat ma la tong on the Sanlitun food street. I soon realized that this dining style is not exactly the ideal selection for a quick meal, and ended up waiting for about twenty minutes for a bowl of veggies. I do miss healthy, quick options like sandwiches and salads…but I digress. A big bowl of ma la tang was satisfying and only RMB 16 (1 kuai per stick.)

Day 4 – Fri, November 4th
On Friday morning my roommate made me a “Chinese sandwich” with jianbing, spring onions, cured pork and hoisin sauce. A car hit me on the way to work (I’m ok, minimal bruising, and what could be more authentically Beijing?) and the Chi Fan for Charity silent auction team ordered a great Chinese dinner of dan chao fan (egg fried rice), tudou si, di san xian and spicy green beans.

Day 5 – Sat, November 5th
Saturday morning my knee was a bit swollen, so I opted to take a cab to work. I teach at an international school on Saturdays and we always order a local Chinese feast for lunch. I stopped by Jinkelong instead of Jenny Lou’s to pick up some groceries and purchased a seasonal favorite, nangua xiao mifan zhou (pumpkin porridge.) Unfortunately for the challenge, after the porridge purchase my weekend morphed into an entirely indulgent 3-day expatty rampage.

I helped run the 3rd Annual Chi Fan for Charity dining event and ate at Hercules and drank imported alcohol at Hatsune. However, we raised over RMB 300,000 for local Beijing charities Bethel and New Hope, so that has to help me gain back a few local points!

Day 6 – Sun, November 6th
Sunday I was completely wiped out from work and thinking about going local. At the request of friends (and a party to which I had previously committed to help host) I bought German bread, imported cheese and wine, and generally failed to do anything local.

Day 7 – Mon, November 7th
On Monday the most local thing I managed to do was fix my internet with the phone company, and attempt to eat at Noodle Bar in Sanlitun with a friend. Unfortunately the noodle bar was completely packed and we opted for nachos and Vietnamese at Luga’s Pho Pho. Aya! I WILL make up for these non-local splurges!

Conclusion – Week 1
The intricacies of going local as an expat in Beijing are challenging in different ways than I expected. Yes, language and general lack of time pose significant barriers, but I found it most difficult to balance the inconvenience that it causes other expats in the bubble. After a long day of work, it was hard to suggest to a tired friend that we explore the city and perhaps have a frustrating experience in efforts to discover an awesome hole in the wall restaurant. Scheduling a business lunch at a local dive or food street isn’t exactly practical, and I run the risk of seeming unprofessional to make this suggestion with clients. I wanted to suggest going completely local for my friends’ party, but they were already excited to offer champagne and cheese, so I didn’t think it was worth a fight. Despite my best efforts to remain frugal, I still spent RMB 642.50 (RMB 325.50 if you don’t count the party I helped host), which is far more than I should really need to spend.

Overall I made much more of an effort to go local than during my previous time in Beijing, but I still didn’t get far outside the bubble.

I do, however, have a plan for next week …

Check out more of Erin's (and her friends') efforts to live more locally on TheBeijinger.com blog soon.

Photo: Erin Henshaw

Comments

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Never seen such a lovely, polite reply to such a rude comment. I created an account on the Beijinger so I could say have 5 life points, dear.

Also I love the series, but I have to say I'm getting quite tired of Beijing egg and sausage pancakes for breakfast. I'm used to only having fried food for breakfast on special occasions, such as Christmas. Lately it's all fruit smoothies, and maybe some bread for me.

"Roll on the next instalment, where you try to mate a small puppy in a parking lot at night."

What are you talking about?

Thanks for adding fuel to the challenge. The goal is to try and be more local, but I'm not perfect…and at least I was honest! Your comment also brings up the good point of what is exactly local? I used bread and peanut butter from Jinkelong, whereas my bananas from the side of the street were from the Philippines, so the it's not as straight-forward of an issue as one may expect. Would you be willing to take me out for a day at your favorite local spots?
-Erin

Erin Henshaw
Tonedeaf but hopeful American
Freelancer. Connector.
http://tonedeaftravelers.wordpress.com

Day one of trying to eat local and you can't stop yourself from having a peanut butter sandwich? Day one? This isn't Mars. Or 'nam for that matter. Congratulations for managing to be less local in your first week of actually trying to be local than all but the most sheltered Shunyi-ite. Roll on the next instalment, where you try to mate a small puppy in a parking lot at night.