It's been a quiet-ish week in eating: a lot of really great holiday events and dishes are just on the horizon. Still, "quiet" doesn't mean "silent." Beijing is blessed with an excellent food scene that still manages to be interesting in the most lackluster weeks (see: precipitation). It rained last night, but the pollution doesn't seem to have budged an iota. What can you do? Not much. What might perk you up? Delicious foods! How can you get a totally boss Thanksgiving dinner (yes, another one of these competitions) at the Renaissance Cafe for zero RMB? Read on, read on.

Back in kindergarten, my pudgy 4-year-old hands fashioned some pretty kickass Play-Doh dinosaurs, way before those other guys put them in 798. I thought myself ready for some proper training and so, with an air of juvenile confidence, I waltz right into Le Taotao Pottery Studio.