My morning started out with a progress meeting with Rich. It was a really great way to start the day. We talked about the projects that I have been working on, my expectations, and generally about how I was enjoying the internship. After we wrapped up our conversation he gave me notes from two interviews that he had conducted and asked me to write them up so he could put them on the website. They were both really interesting. One was with Dom, the founder of Plastered T-Shirts where Cat works, and the other was with a celebrity chef in Beijing who designed three summer salads for Gung Ho! Pizza. After my write-ups I had a meeting scheduled with Josh. Our meeting focused on putting together the details for the 4th of July party and discussing the various aspects that go into hosting a mixer at Pyro Pizza. After the meeting I spent what was left of my workday organizing my notes for the 4th of July party. That night our group had a dinner reservation with Jim James, the internship coordinator who had helped all of us find our internships in Beijing. I met Rui, Yuan, and John Tackaberry at the subway and we all went to meet everyone else at the restaurant. I went with them specifically because I did not know how to get there and I wanted Rui and Yuan to help me out. What ensued was a dramatic series of events that included getting off at the wrong subway stop, walking through the Russian district in Beijing, and aimlessly wandering for about forty-five minutes until we finally came across the restaurant. It is actually really funny to hear Rui and Yuan talk. Normally when they are around us they speak in English, but when we were lost they bickered in Chinese and tried to hide the fact that they had gotten us lost. Finally we arrived at Xiao Wang Fu, a well renowned restaurant in Ritan Park. Surprisingly, we were not the last group to arrive, we were the second to last and the other had to work late. The dinner made the entire trip worth the trouble. I finally got to eat Peking Duck, which is considered the specialty of Beijing, and it was amazing. Our meal also consisted of spicy chicken, ribs (yes actual ribs with rub like I have at home), a ton of other foods and this great dessert which was simply a piece of dough that was either fried or not and you dipped it into an amazing custard and vanilla sauce. Jim James was great company. He shared a number of interesting stories and ideas and the dinner conversation was really enjoyable. At dinner we also made plans to go bungee jumping this coming Sunday. Afterwards we took a stroll through Ritan Park and Jim James showed us a stone boat that had been turned into an upscale bar. We eventually took a taxi back home in order to prepare for that night. Our plan all along was to go out in Sanlitun that night. We had all been there to either work or shop but we had not enjoyed their nightlife (primarily because it is a forty-five minute taxi ride to get there). But once we arrived it was all worthwhile. Bars lined the streets on both sides. There were street vendors all around selling all kinds of weird food and there were people from all over the world everywhere. On top of that we checked out two of the largest clubs I have ever seen either on TV or in person. At one point the night did take a scary turn. I saw a drunk Chinese guy accidently knock over a trashcan and he just kept walking along. Three young Chinese guys who apparently owned the trashcan yelled at him and when he did not stop they attacked him. Literally, attacked, one guy smashed a bottle over his head and when he fell to the ground the three guys beat him for at least three minutes straight. Finally he was able to run away. After that we continued to check out all of the bars and eventually took a taxi home. It was a great, but long day.
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