My birthday was spent walking around the Panjiayuan Antique Market, where there are 3,000 vendors selling everything possible. There are the established stores where some of the higher-end, quality stuff seemed to be and then there is massive open-aired or covered pavilion with booth after booth hocking jewelry, pottery, dominos, statues, shoes, clothing, opium pipes, old radios, taxidermy, books, and on and on. You name it, and you can haggle for it at the market.
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| stores in proper store fronts |
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| Will starting the process of haggling for an object |
We wandered up and down the aisle, along with 50,000 other people, searching for treasures. The market originated in the 1980s as an illegal way for the poor Beijingers to sell off their family heirlooms for much-needed money. One could find a priceless Ming Dynasty vase for sale back then. By the 1990s, it was so popular with everyone, locals and tourists, because of the amazing finds that it relocated to its current location.
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| Buddhas and Mau |
For the most part, you aren't going to find that rare treasure but if you want old military equipment (including an ooze) or a Buddha, you will find it here.
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| random stuff and abacuses for sale |
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| vases and tea pots |
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| dominos |
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| locals searching through a massive pile of stones and glass beads |
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| opium pipes |
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| ahhh, yes, that is a statute of Hitler next to a bust of Stalin for sale. |
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| the market's sign |
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| busts of Mao |
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| Mao's "Little Red Book" in various languages |
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| stone statues for your garden |
After several hours at the market, we moved on to other sights (fodder for another entry!), and we ended up at Beijing Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant for my birthday dinner of Peking Duck. This place was huge and both westerners and Beijingers were eating here-- and the majority of us ordering duck. We had had Peking duck once before where a half of duck was shared between 5 people, which was plenty when you added the various side dishes. Based on that experience, we ordered "enough for two" and then lots of side dishes.
We were brought out rose cakes as a gift from the chef. Shortbread cakes with a rose paste inside, I thought it was delicious, but Will didn't like the strong flavor of the rose.
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| rose cakes |
That was followed by an appetizer of scallops with orange slices and roe.
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| scallops |
Followed by the amazing delicious braised cabbage with chestnuts. Will and I both loved this dish, even though we aren't really a fan of chestnuts.
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| braised cabbage |
We also had an potato-leek noodle dish (no photo, whoops) and another side vegetable dish-- I think it was a spinach.
And then came the duck. Based on our previous Peking Duck dinner, we were expecting this:
What we got was this: a WHOLE duck. For two of us. At this point, we were already stuffed with the side dishes.
Will and I just looked at each other and undid a button on our pants. We were going to have to eat the whole thing and we did. We gorged on duck. We didn't finish the rest of the side dishes, though the servers kept refilling our bowls/plates with the sides. We focused on eating the duck: in the pancakes with the radishes and carrots, in the puff pastry with the duck sauce and onions, just the duck meat. By the end of it, we were ducked out, but we managed to consume the entire bird.
Then they brought the strawberries on a plate of dry ice. We about popped.
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| strawberries on dry ice, and some of the duck we didn't manage to eat |
We were thankful that we had a nice walk/metro commute back to the hotel since we had to work off some of the food. When we got back to the hotel, there was a birthday cake waiting for me! The hotel had gotten my birth date from my passport (creepy) and gave me a nice fruit/jelly/sponge cake. We were still too stuffed to eat it, though, I did have a bite or two. It was delicious. We wrapped it up again, and saved it for the next nights too.
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| birthday surprise at the hotel |
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| I *heart* cake. |
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| Happy Birthday to me! |
And in case you are wondering, we were still full when we woke up in the morning.... and we don't need to eat duck anytime soon.
