The Middle Kingdom

Coffee Shop Update

Matt — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:41:58 +0000

I feel pretty bad about how little I’ve posted over the last couple months. I would say I’ve been really busy, but I think I’ve always been busy. Anyway, I’m going to try to get back into more regular blogging.

First up is an update about the Aizai Cafe. You can go back and check out some of my earlier posts (1) (2) (3) (4) chronicling my adventure in helping to start up a coffee shop in Beijing. It’s been a great experience that I’m very grateful for, but as of January I’ve ended my involvement with Aizai.

I wish my Chinese partner the best in her endeavors, but it became clear that our priorities and ideas about business were not in full alignment, and since the shop was taking a lot of my time and not making much money we decided it was best to part ways. I did not have any financial investment in the shop so it was pretty simple to walk away. Aizai Cafe is still serving some good Rickshaw Roasters coffee, but beyond that the shop owner is probably going to make some changes in terms of menu and food offerings.

I’ve learned a lot from the whole experience. It’s been a real challenge, but I’m fine with how things have worked out. I’m grateful for the opportunity to go through the process of setting up a coffee shop, because I’m pretty sure that someday I’d like to own my own shop. I’ve also learned a lot about the difficulties of partnerships, especially in a cross cultural situation, and I have a much better idea about what is important to me when it comes to running a business. It may seem really selfish, but one thing that is really important to me is that I’m the ultimate decision maker.

I also have a lot of advice to give if there are others looking to start coffee shops or small restaurants in China, and I’m still planning on doing some coffee consulting as well as continue with the Coffee Club.

So that’s the big update. I’m currently working on some projects at BICF that will last through June, then we’re heading back to the States for the summer. I’m starting to try to figure out what I’ll be doing next fall, so stay tuned.

The Smell of One Loaf Baking

Kara — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:04:03 +0000

A friend recently inspired me to rediscover the joys of homemade bread, and what a joy it is. I made a lovely rosemary bread then tried my hand at an artisan bread recipe which claimed to be the easiest bread ever. I’d have to say that both recipes were delicious and the latter was quite easy indeed. My friend has been reading The Fresh Loaf, but I’ll admit that the recipes and discussion are a bit technical for my taste. Highly technical stuff doesn’t jive with the number one thing I’ve learned about baking in China: be really flexible about your final product because it will most likely not turn out just as you’d like.

Baking is tricky here because the ingredients and available baking equipment is limited or hard to find. When my friend asked, I wasn’t sure where to find a basting brush or a bread stone for the oven. Beijing newbies, you will likely have to look a bit before even finding an oven that suits your needs. Here is my general strategy for baking breads in China:

I use Chinese white (dumpling) flour. I’ve read things that suggest cutting back on liquid ingredients when you’re using Chinese flour, but I honestly haven’t noticed a big difference when I ignore this. That may have to do with my end-product flexibility, though.
I buy US brand whole wheat flour when it’s available. This is one of those products which is around for a while then suddenly disappears for a long period of time. As far as I can see, we are in one of these periods during which the more affordable stuff from the import stores is absent. If you’ve seen Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour recently, let me know where. There are Chinese wheat flours available, but they tend not to be whole wheat, though I just found a new resource that will hopefully offer an alternative (more on that at the end of the post).
I choose recipes that are simple and doable. As much as I’d love to make French baguettes, my little toaster oven just won’t get hot enough. In general, bread ingredients tend to be simple and straight forward, but some breads and especially fancier baked goods call for cheeses, chocolates, and other things which are difficult to find and way out of my budget. Fancy breads may make you look really talented, but in a place where bread is generally rare or not very substantial, any homemade loaf is going to be a special treat.
I try to make slow-cooker or really simple meals when I decide to bake. Because even the simplest bread recipe can take a lot of time, I try to take care of the rest of the food before I even start the bread. My new favorite is a slow-cooker recipe I found on the box for a Lipton herb seasoning. The chicken was beautifully tender and delicious, and the bread went well with the whole meal. Plus, I didn’t spend the whole entire day in the kitchen.
I am learning from Haw Berries & Kumquats. Another friend told me about this site when I mentioned the quest for a baking stone. This blog is a fantastic source for anyone who wants to get serious about their bread making, taking it way beyond simply using dumpling flour and seeing what happens. This site has a whole baking guide which tells you where in Beijing to buy all kinds of great, hard-to-find flours and other ingredients for great, hearty bread and also gives the Chinese characters and pinyin for each type of flour. I might just print this whole thing and bring it along when I inevitably go searching for a place to buy rye flour.

Do you bake bread in China? If so, what are your favorite kinds to make? Do you have any special tips for the rest of us?

Superbowl Party!

Matt — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:46:20 +0000

I know that many of our readers are not Americans and/or do not follow sport, but since I am and do we decided to have an unofficial Superbowl Party this Monday. The reason I say “unofficial” is that it’s not really a “Middle Kingdom” party, I just helped encourage Lily (the manager at Pete’s) that they should advertise that they would be showing the game. So we’re inviting any/all of our football loving/liking/tolerating readers to join us at Peter’s Tex-Mex on Monday evening. They will be showing the game live in the morning, and showing the replay in the evening. Since Kara has to work on Monday we’re both going to avoid the internet all day and arrive at Pete’s with no knowledge of the outcome. They will have two large screen TV’s upstairs and another one downstairs at the restaurant and there will be some food and drink specials. Anyway I hope to see you there. If you decide to come and we’ve never met, please introduce yourself to us. I’ve got a beard and since I’m not particularly fond of either the New York Giants or New England Patriots I’ll probably be wearing my Minnesota Vikings jersey.

What are You Running From?

Kara — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:12:17 +0000

Exercise is good for you, but in a place like Beijing, it can feel like breathing deeply is the last thing you want to do. The rule I tend to go by is, “If you can see the air, try not to breathe it deeply.” I was excited to be able to see into the distance this morning because it meant I could finally start my Couch-to-5K program.

I’ve never been a runner. I have looked at running as something other people do and that I absolutely hated in gym class at school, but a friend of mine told me how great it felt the first time she actually accomplished a run, and it stuck in my head. I’ve been doing a lot of Jillian Michaels workouts lately (and I love them), but I wanted something to get me outside, at least on the days when it isn’t gross. So today, I went out for a run.

There are a couple things that you have to deal with when running in Beijing. The one I was most worried about was looking like a stupid foreigner (which you’d think I’d be used to by now). The holiday means that there are fewer people to stare, but it is true that joggers are pretty rare in China, especially in the city. I was pleasantly surprised at how little I felt like fool, though. Sometimes, you just have to get out there. Besides, the people I passed where also doing odd exercises or singing patriotic songs in a small choir in the park, so looking a bit odd is highly relative anyway, right?

The other thing that’s going against me right now is the weather. Even when it’s sunny, it’s quite cold. The wind can be especially bitter, and running in the cold can lead to injuries if you aren’t careful. Before I set out, I made sure to check out some winter running tips, and as a result, I donned many layers and warmed up an extra ten minutes bfeore starting the program’s five-minute warm up. I might need a warmer hat, but overall, fleece and sweatshirt laying worked just fine. If you want some fancier running clothes, though, head to your local Decathlon.

I’m just starting to run in Beijing, so I’m probably missing some big things that make it great (and not so great) to run here. If you have experience in this area, please share in the comments. And if you’d like to join in on training for a 5K (not that I’m going to do an actual 5K in conjunction with anything, at least not yet), check out the C25K app for iPhones and Android phones.

What are the hardest and best things for you when you run in Beijing? If you don’t run, what do you do to stay in shape here?

No related posts.

Beijing Neighborhood Tshirts

Matt — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:20:13 +0000

In November we had some Middle Kingdom t-shirts made to be sold at The Gift Christmas bazaar. We made a smoggy “I (heart) Beijing” shirt and a WangJing neighborhood shirt (both pictured below). If you’re interested in getting a hold of either of these send me an email. The shirts are ¥60 a piece.

I’d like to make some more neighborhood tshirts. The idea will be to have an image of something from that part of the city (but not the typical touristy places/things), the neighborhood name and some pithy statement about that area. The WangJing shirt has the natural gas tanks that are next to WangJingXi subway station and says “The Seoul of Beijing” because it’s known as the Korea-town of Beijing.

So I need your help, which neighborhoods should we do and what should be on the shirts? My first thoughts are to do a Shunyi shirt, a ChaoYang shirt and a HaiDian shirt. What are your ideas?