On Saturday, the family that took me to the Duck Restaurant last week took me and Ann out for lunch and dinner. The day was a little drizzly, so it was a great day to eat A LOT. And boy, did we :)
First, we had lunch at a very nice Korean BBQ restaurant. We ordered a plate of raw beef, and then we cooked it at the little stove in the middle of our table. It was so delicious and we were stuffed. Although, I could've done without the cow tongue :)
Talking to the family really reminded me that there are so many things people have in common all over the world. We may come from different cultures, but everyone loves a good meal. Mothers can embarrass their teenage sons, and sons can annoy their mothers :). Laughter is truly contagious, and if we embrace new friends and experiences, we will learn more about the commonality between people and the differences will fade away.
After lunch, the mom took us to an "artsy fartsy" district called 798. The neighborhood mostly consists of old warehouses that have been converted to museums and galleries.
We went into a contemporary art museum owned by a Western couple. All of the proceeds go to charity. They had some interesting displays, including an exhibit on India.
By this time it had really started to rain outside, so we headed back to the car and went to a restaurant near her office building for some spicy food. And when I say spicy, I mean really, really spicy! Thankfully we had a green bean smoothie drink with the food, which cooled off our tongues a bit :)
During dinner we got to talk to her about her values and career goals. She has a very balanced life between work and family, and it really struck me how women everywhere share the same basic dreams and struggles. I really hope I get to see her and her family again someday. They showed us an authentic side of China that I wouldn't have experienced left to my own devices or in a classroom and they were amazing hosts.
