Missing that old neighborhood delicatessen with its dried meats, cheese and wines? Well don’t fret for too long, Beijing has more than enough to suit your needs. Here are our recommendations for some of the best; if you’re lucky, the deli closest to you might also double as a bakery.

When you think of “North American” food, burgers, salads, steaks and breakfast food usually come to mind – and Beijing certainly isn’t lacking in these regards.

You don’t have to be in China for long to notice that you’re surrounded by a mass of seemingly indecipherable pictographic symbols. “What a crazy, irrational linguistic system!” you may think. You’re free to think that, but remember that each of these characters is a piece of art in itself, and representative of thousands of years of Chinese history and culture.

Paul Wang, a calligraphy teacher at the China Culture Center, teaches students not only the correct way to write characters, but also the significance and history behind them. Stone Yu spoke to Wang Laoshi about hanzi and the stories behind a few of Wang’s favorite characters.

It’s a fact of life that Chinese people love eating meat. Being a vegetarian here isn’t considered cool, as it might be in other places. Rather, the veggie lifestyle is more commonly regarded as silly or inconvenient if you’re not a monk. But there are ways of avoiding those moments when you discover tiny shreds of pork in that dish the waitress had confirmed was “su.” Rather than change your ways, seek out the fine vegetarian options on offer at these local restaurants.