Alone in Beijing with a Peking Duck

After climbing The Great Wall, I had built up an appetite. When I asked the concierge where I should go for dinner, he suggested Peking Duck! Well, when in Rome..., so off I went to try one of many area restaurants that feature this most famous dish.

When I walked in, the lobby was crowded with Chinese people which I took to be good sign. I asked for a table for one and was given a number and, shown that it would be a 45 minute wait. People in the lobby were watching the Olympic Diving Competition, so I found a stool and sat down. I was afraid I wouldn't hear my number being called, but there was a scroll above the TV that had the numbers in both Chinese and English.

Clearly this is a popular place and many family groups were waiting to go in. When I was seated in the colorful dining room, the waitress brought me a menu. I told her I wanted the Peking Duck! She showed me the page in the menu.. and I ordered half a duck. (John, this was your kind of place, and I wish you had been here to eat the other half!). The waitress told me the duck would take 45 minutes to prepare. Well I had my Beijing Travel Book and figured I could do a little reading while I waited. I also ordered a Pindow (beer)!

As I waited for my meal, I noticed a number of waiters in tall white hats rolling carts laden with golden Peking Ducks to various tables throughout the dining room. The server would then carefully carve the duck tableside.




When a server arrived near my table, i figured it was my turn. The first thing he did was to remove some of the crispy brown skin, slice it thin, and place it on a plate. The waitress then presented this plate along with a tiny bowl of white sugar in front of me! Using chop sticks, you dip a piece of the skin into the sugar before putting it in your mouth! MMM delicious.

Then he proceeded to slice up one-half of the bird gently placing the slices on a plate. The waitress then demonstrated how to roll the meat into a very thin pancake along with slivered white onions and a deep Hoisin sauce.

After about 4 of these pancakes, I was quite satisfied! I really needed a friend to help me finish them off. Dining solo is not my first choice, especially when eating Peking Duck in Beijing!

On the way back to the Novotel, I stopped at Hagan and ordered a scoop of Dulce de Leche! It hit the spot.

Tomorrow, it's on to The Summer Palace and the Silk Market!
Zai Jian,
Joan

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Location:Downtown Shanghai August 11, 2011