Beer is certainly different in China. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was drastically different, but it certainly is not the same. For instance, local beers such as Yan Jing or Tsing Tao come in gigantic bottles, and cost between 1.5 and 10 RMB, in USD that roughly works out to between .25 and 1.50. The beer is very light, very clear, and it packs a very mellow buzz. They say that a real American beer drinker could put away a bathtub full of Beijing beer without an issue. As for me, I’ve discovered that three big bottles is just right for putting me into a pleasant party mode, but 5 is sure to send be sputtering, stuttering, and generally making an ass of myself. So, three is my magic beer number. I’m pretty sure that Bobleo’s number is somewhere around 5, and his stupid number has reached 10 on occasion. Bottom line? Beijing beer is easy to drink, and usually cheaper than water, (which usually runs from 1 to 5 RMB for a bottle half the size of a big beer).

Imported beers are available at fancier stores and bars, but they’ll cost you. A regular sized Newcastle, Carlsberg, or the like will run you about 8 or 9 RMB in a shop and upwards of 30 or 40 RMB at a bar. Now, getting an imported beer for the equivalent of around 5 bucks is not really such a bad deal, but when you compare that to the price of local beer, it seems like an unnecessary indulgence. The same is true for Coffee. While you can feed people lunch at a Chinese restaurant for around 5 RMB each, a single cup of coffee can run anywhere from 15 (really cheap and rarely found) to 40 RMB! Imagine a world where your drinks cost more than your dinner. That’s Beijing for you. Somehow, coffee shops seem to flourish in every direction here in Beijing, and though they haven’t all got it quite right, there are a few diamonds in the rough.

Starbucks in Beijing is pretty much exactly the same as it in the U.S. Their drinks are expensive, but tasty and reliable. Their boxed food is overdressed and under flavored, but you know you can count on getting the same thing day in and day out, and that it will taste exactly like it does at home. With my recent bout of homesickness I can see how folks can develop serious Starbucks addictions while living in Beijing. There are very few American things here that are so precisely and accurately recreated as a Starbucks. Somehow, sipping a Grande Vanilla Latte can comfort me in a way that nothing else here seems to. Don’t get me wrong, the food here is great! But sometimes, you are just longing for a familiar flavor. The bucks hits the nail on the head.

Near our apartment, there is a small coffee shop called Bobby B.’s which is another favorite of mine. The prices are a little more forgiving, the venue is a little cozier, AND they give you huge portions along with complimentary cookies, water, and wifi if you choose to enjoy your coffee inside the cafe. My only gripe would be that they sometimes open before their machines are ready to go, a terrible tease when you are living in a city where coffee shops don’t start opening until around 10:00 AM! Bobleo and I have been on a mission to make coffee at home, and until recently have had to settle for dehydrated Nescafe packets in place of real, honest to goodness java. The powdered beverage is somewhere in between hot cocoa and coffee and is really not too bad, but, obviously, not the same as coffee. I am particularly suspicious of the caffeine content in Nescafe. Neither the powdered nor the canned version ever seems to add any bounce to your step. Luckily, our new friend, Matt, just bought a new coffee machine for his apartment and generously donated his old one to us, along with two packages of ground coffee. This may not seem like an earth shaking event to you stateside people, but after trying to locate ANYTHING in this city, nevermind real coffee, we were dancing on cloud 9 to get our hands on this bundle of joy. The brewing has begun, and we are hoping that soon we’ll get our grounds and water ratios perfected to create delicious coffee on a daily basis. By the way, boxed milk is another interesting phenomena we are getting used to. OK in coffee, but downright weird alongside a stack of Chips Ahoy.

Smokes are another el cheapo commodity here in Beijing. Bobleo and I don’t smoke (anymore) but being surrounded by smokers we can’t help but note the difference in culture when it comes to cigarettes. Basically, the motto is "smoke em if you got em". It seems that you can smoke freely in about 90% of public places. A few exceptions are most coffee shops, shopping centers, hospitals, and elevators. Ciggs are also notoriously cheap, but sometimes very suspicious here. From what I understand, cigarettes are a very popular target for counterfeiters and bootleggers, so though your smokes may cost you a fraction of what you pay in the U.S. you can’t always be sure they’ll include tobacco.

That’s it for now. Hope to drop a line again soon!

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