Last Orders: Stuart James, Executive Director, WheelsPlusWings

“Last Orders” is a regular magazine column in which we ask noteworthy Beijingers to imagine their final meal before leaving the city for good. This month’s host: Stuart James, executive director of WheelsPlusWings.

After nine years in Beijing, Stuart James, executive director of WheelsPlusWings, which provides personal mobility solutions for young people with physical disabilities, is heading for Washington, DC. He paused from his packing to tell us about his Beijing favorites.

VENUE
I’d have to say Baguo Buyi. I just always loved being in and around Houhai. Aside from the food, which is my favorite in Beijing, I love the changing-faces guys as part of the entertainment. It’s uniquely Chinese and a feature of dining here.

STARTERS
Liang ban bocai (cold seasoned spinach). China isn’t a salad culture, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have great cold vegetables dishes. There’s just enough spice in this one that it works in both warm and cold weather.

MAIN COURSE
Beijing duck, of course. It might sound cliché, but quite frankly I love Beijing duck, and where am I going to get it better than in Beijing? It isn’t a Baguo Buyi specialty, so we might have to sneak some in from Da Dong or Private Kitchen.

I’m also a big fan of Shanghainese xiao long bao dumplings. It’s a bit of a contrast – Beijing’s big, formal dish, and Shanghai’s best street food. I’m not sure why, but there were days I just had to have them. Jingdian Shanghai Xiaolongbao, the place just across the street from Taikoo Li Sanlitun South, would be my purveyor of choice.

DESSERTS
China is not really a dessert culture, but it doesn’t need to be. I’ve had cold, sweet watermelon at the end of so many meals and I’ve always loved it. Now it’s just part of the experience.

ENTERTAINMENT
I’m a classic rock guy, though I guess as I get older that term tends to change meaning and it’s not very Chinese, but what the heck. I’d have to get Andy Bright’s playlist from Union Bar & Grille on the speakers during dinner. Along with Baguo Buyi’s changing-faces guys, I think we could warm up the crowd with some shadow puppetry, then for the main event some cricket fighting. As a possible side attraction, we can get those guys who play fetch with the birds.

I’d probably wrap up the evening just being entertained by Beijing itself, going around Houhai, looking at the lights and hearing the music blaring out of different places.

Learn more about WheelsPlusWings’ efforts to encourage disabled young people here.

Photo: Top China Travel