Beijing: A Day and a Half.
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True, the service isn't great. When I went to buy Daoxiangcun pastries and asked the staff for recommendations, they were really impatient and just said, 'There's so much here, just pick something yourself.' It made me feel really awkward.
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Exactly. But if you say that, some tourists who've been there, or even some Beijingers, will counter with, 'Real Beijingers don't even go to places like that.'
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The instant-boiled mutton (Shuanrou) was so delicious! We had it three times in three days.
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A friend living in Beijing also treated us to Yangfang Shuanrou, which a local recommended. I couldn't really tell a huge difference from other hot pots, though. If you ate it for three days, it must have really suited your taste!
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I think the Lüdagun (glutinous rice rolls) from the old Hui Muslim shops in Beijing are incredibly delicious, much better than Baiji's. Next time I go to Beijing, I definitely need to buy some to bring back.
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I saw those and wanted to buy some, but I felt like one portion would be too much to finish, so I didn't.
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The fried cakes (Zhagao) from Ziguangyuan are delicious! Their Tanghuoshao (sweet baked buns) are pretty good too. Actually, I find most of the snacks sold at their outdoor stalls quite tasty.
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I didn't buy that. I had Zenggao (steamed glutinous rice cake with dates). It was okay, I guess, just not as amazing as some say.
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It's true that the service in Beijing can be poor, but it's definitely not a culinary wasteland.
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I actually think the service in Guangdong is pretty bad. I haven't felt much of a difference in service quality in other cities.
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The Beijingers I've encountered have actually been quite nice. I even played Jianzi (Chinese shuttlecock) with some people in the Temple of Heaven park. They're also very respectful to the elderly, often saying things like, 'You first, sir.' My only question is, why do all the non-motorized vehicles run red lights? We rented bikes, and seeing everyone else ignore the red lights made us question whether we should even wait.
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I have a strong feeling it's mostly certain working-class Beijing locals with strong accents who are like that. Just now, at the National Museum, I couldn't stop myself from telling a bathroom cleaning lady to her face that her attitude was terrible. I suspect that since most visitors to the museum are non-locals, her 'local pride' was on full display, ha!
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I don't find the food bad at all. The Jiangxi cuisine I had yesterday was delicious, and the instant-boiled mutton (Shuanrou) was great too.
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I absolutely love the food in Picture 1!