It was obvious from the first week of the Local Local Challenge that I needed some help.  Throughout my time in Beijing I have been lucky enough to come across a variety of foreigners who have really immersed themselves in the local culture, so I called upon a few “expat experts” to enhance my participation in the challenge.

Day 1 – Wed, November 9th
I popped in my Pimsleur Chinese lesson and biked over to 147 Jiu Gulou Dajie for tea at Zhengyun Chashe with local artist, Helen Couchman, and tour guide Jeffrey Schwab.  Jeffrey had been friends with the owners of the shop for some time, and although the boss was away on travel, his employee treated us to a traditional Chinese tea ceremony complete with Pu’er tea served from a 5,000RMB yixing clay pot!  He also explained that one of their tea table adornments was shaped like a bull to represent the hardworking and obedient nature of the employees at the tea shop.

Day 2 – Thurs, November 10th
My roommate helped me eat local by making an egg sandwich with bread from a local street vendor, and I managed to get a seat with fellow challenger Jessica Greene at the Noodle Bar in Sanlitun.  The place was packed and rightfully so, as the flavors of the noodle dishes were excellent.  As reflected in our experience at Noodle Bar, Jessica commented that even eating locally wasn’t necessarily a waste-free or inexpensive option; the concept of “local” culture is constantly changing and quite hard to authentically capture no matter where you are.

Day 3 – Fri, November 11th
I shopped at Jinkelong for lunch and received a traditional Chinese medicine treatment – this time I got huge needles stuck right in the middle of my stomach!  I then proceeded to eat a roast and cheese, and drink wine at a dinner party, but I figure it’s only half as bad if I’m not paying. I did meet the organizer for Monday Night Jiaozi nights, and plan to attend as part of my challenge!

Day 4 – Sat, November 12th
I hate to say it, but I was already getting sick of Chinese food.  I ate veggies (doused in oil) and one of my favorite dishes, tangcu liji, from the school cafeteria before purchasing some sunflower seeds and a red bean bun from Jinkelong.

I headed to a workout session that I won with fitness guru Tony Nicholson of 4 Point Fitness, who didn’t exactly support my attempts to eat more Chinese food from a health standpoint.

(Before I get attacked here, I realize that Tony is a foreigner and that personal trainers are a luxury, but he has lived here over ten years, speaks fluent Chinese and trains lots of locals … so we chatted a bit about the culture of exercise in China.  This brings us back to the issue of what is really considered “local”?)

Day 5 – Sun, November 13th
To make up for past transgressions, I really upped my local game today. I woke up early to meet back up with Jeffrey at The Hutong for his Prophets, Prostitutes and Spies tour, and spent most of the afternoon at the Xi Xian Zhai Teahouse in the hutongs behind the Lama Temple.  A group of us sipped Wu Yuan Mingmei Jiangxi Cha (婺源茗眉江西茶), nibbled on suan jiao (funny translation: “acid horn”) gummy candy and ate a traditional vegetarian teahouse meal. 

Next we headed north to Yuan Dynasty Dadu Park where Jeff amazed us with his skills as a diabolo master.

On a high from my “Local Sunday,” I headed out to an organic farm with my co-workers, only to have my wallet stolen on the subway.  Instead of basking in the glory of organic foods, I rushed home to cancel my credit cards.  On a positive note, China Citic froze my account when the thief entered the wrong pin three times, and my co-workers came home with a pumpkin half the size of my body!

Conclusion – Week 2
This week I branched out from simply eating locally to participate in quite a few more local activities.  I’m lucky to know people like Jeffrey, who are exceptional at integrating into Chinese culture, and are quite willing to share their interests with others. I think I did a better job of going local this week than last, but this was primarily due to a temporarily decreased workload.  I’m quite worried about next week, when things really pick up again.

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