This past week in Beijing, I’ve been trying an experiment. I’ve been saying no to no. Every time I am invited somewhere or asked to do something, I’ve only allowed myself to say yes. I decided to do this so that I can fully immerse myself in Beijing life and culture. I signed up for squash lessons even though I know next to nothing about the game. I went clubbing on a Tuesday night, despite the fact that I was already in bed when I received an invite from a friend at 11:00 pm. Contrary to my vegetarian tendencies, I ate lamb. This wasn’t the typical skewered lamb like you’ll find being sold on the street. This was a feast. A third of the lamb is placed over a spit; then you cook and carve the meat off its body. Go big or go home, right? It was an extremely primitive and carnal experience, but actually really delicious. I also participated in a three-hour psychology experiment, where researchers attached electrodes to my head and studied my brain activity. Only saying “yes” took me on adventures that I normally would have cut myself off from. It even changed my perception of some aspects of China that I’m less keen about. Take for example, baijiu.
Baijiu, is a white liquor that the Chinese love to drink. With an alcohol proof of 92, it’s a drink that few mortals can imbibe. It’s so strong that it would probably be a great remedy for killing any parasites or bacteria in your body. I consider myself to have some pretty decent drinking abilities; however, I draw the line at baijiu. I just can’t stand the burning sensation it leaves my throat with or the uncomfortable churning feeling that stays in my intestines for the next 24 hours. I’m a girl that usually sticks with the bar classics – a vodka martini, whisky on the rocks, or a glass of Cabernet. But when my friend bought a bottle of Er Guo Tou baijiu for us to share, I couldn’t say no due to the rules of my experiment. So, I drank it, and it was actually quite amazing. Amazing is a word that I never thought I’d associate with a bottle of baijiu, but it’s by far the best I’ve had in China. It was so smooth that I could drink it straight – no chaser needed. I’ve had bottles of baijiu that cost upwards to $100 and let me tell you, it doesn’t get better with price. In fact, it just seems to get worse. Baijiu seems to be the one anomaly in which the best is actually the cheapest. With my student budget, I’m not complaining. If you do purchase this party starter, make sure you get the one with alcohol content of 46%, not 56% (you’ll be sorely disappointed). This 4 yuan (.65 USD) spirit, which comes in a flask sized bottle, is the perfect purse accessory. So next time you see me out at the club and don’t feel like paying outrageous prices for a watered down G&T, just ask me for some Er Guo Tou, and I’ll gladly share this incredible gem with you.
在北京的过去的这一周，我一直在做一个试验，我也一直在说不。以前我每次被别人邀请的时候，我总是会答应的。我这样做的原因是因为我想让自己能够沉浸在北京的生活和文化里，我报名了壁球训练班，即使我知道我对这项运动几乎一窍不通。周二的晚上十一点时我接到了朋友的邀请，尽管那时我已经躺在床上准备睡了，但我还是爬起来跟朋友们去了夜店。和我的素食主义相悖的，我吃了羊肉。这种羊肉并不是你在街上随处可见的羊肉串，这是一场盛宴。有三分之一的羊是被架起来的，在这之上再去烹饪和把肉切下来。
去玩点儿大的还是回家，你说呢？这是一个非常原始的欲望体验，但实际上却是真正的美味。我也参加了个三小时的心理学实验，研究员把电极放在我的头上，对我的大脑活动进行记录和研究。只有说“是”他们才会带我去尝试一些往往以前我不会做的事情和冒险，它甚至改变了我对中国某些我不太热衷的方面的看法。举个例子，就是白酒。
白酒，是一种中国人特别喜欢喝的无色液体。随着92度酒精的证明，它是一种饮料，没有几个普通人能喝得了白酒的。它的味道很重，而且烈到可以杀死在你的身体里的任何寄生虫和细菌，是一个非常有效的治愈。我认为自己在喝酒方面的能力是相当不错的，但是，在白酒方面，我的量是有限的。我特别受不了那种灼热感，它使我的喉咙很不舒服的感觉，在接下来的24小时内，我的肠子都是热辣的。我是一个一般在酒吧都只和经典饮品的女孩， -像伏特加，马提尼，威士忌加冰，或一杯红葡萄酒。
但是，当我的朋友买了一瓶二锅头白酒与我们分享的时候，由于我的实验的规定，我不能说“不”。所以，我喝了下去，那种感觉实际上是非常美妙的。美妙这个词儿要是放在以前我是从来不会用在白酒上的，但它是迄今为止我在中国喝过的最好喝的白酒。它是如此的顺滑，我一气儿就喝光了，都不用别人劝我。我喝过100块钱以上的酒，但我跟你说，酒好不好喝和价格没什么关系。事实上，白酒似乎是一个异常现象，因为往往最好的都是最便宜的，反而越贵的越难喝。我的学生做过预算，我不是在抱怨什么。如果你购买这种酒来给派对助兴的话，确保你拿一个酒精含量为46％，而不是56％（否则你会非常失望的）。这种人民地四块钱（折合成0.65美元）的好酒，它在一个烧瓶大小的瓶子，放在包里非常的合适。因此，下一次你看到我从夜店里出来，感觉不想为兑水的G＆T支付离谱的价格，那你就问我要一些二锅头，我会很乐意与你分享这个令人难以置信的宝贝的。