Frog Legs and an Awesome MJ Tribute

Last night was the first time we actually ventured out and did something social -- partly because we finally are getting over the jet lag and aren't sleeping from 8 pm to midnight!

We started the night out at a great Sichuan restaurant near our place, where we got mapo tofu (I'm determined to learn how to make this amazing dish), duck legs and frog legs. I didn't even know Scott ordered the frogs until they showed up and, well, literally looked like frogs. I tried them -- I've told myself I'll be as adventurous as I can be with food -- but they were slimy and gooey. Scott, on the other hand, loved them.

Frog, anyone?

As we're eating the frog legs and duck legs with our hands the waiter brings us these huge plastic gloves. We immediately Googled to see if we were being offensive; I've learned, for example, that pointing chopsticks at someone is a faux pas and I wondered if eating duck legs with fingers was the same way (but, really, they're like chicken wings -- how else are you supposed to eat them?). Anyway, we couldn't find anything on it, so we thought it was okay and continue munching on the legs.

On the other hand, I need to work on my chopstick skills. After seeing me poke at the mapo tofu, a waitress rushed over with a fork and knife. Epic failure on my part. The problem is, the chopsticks here aren't wooden like I'm used to -- they're plastic or even worse, metal, which makes picking up slippery food like tofu quite hard!

After dinner, we met up with some folks, thanks to a lovely invite from Laurie, a new friend who works at the WSJ in the Beijing bureau. (Hat tip to Eric, for introducing us.) She's already helped us a lot, so when we got her invitation for a Michael Jackson tribute at a place called Chill Bar (which is owned by a Belgian who has an affinity for Korean spirits), we thought, why not?

Laurie was so welcoming and her friends were, too. Many of them have been in Beijing for seven years or longer and I was overwhelmed by their excellent Mandarin and knowledge of the city. Scott reminded me that we are this way about NYC and how getting out of your comfort zone really revives a thirst for exploration. Many of the expats we spoke to seemed ready for a change, to feel that freshness of a new city again. It made me feel grateful that we have this experience, however hard it is and will be, right now.

Anyway, on to the fun part: Laurie apparently was walking by a subway stop recently and saw this great dancer. She asked him to come perform at her party and with a suitcase full of legit MJ outfits -- from jackets to blinged-out loafers with the signature white socks -- he totally rocked it. It was such a fun night for us. Here's a picture of me with him.

Laurie's awesome subway find: A kick-ass MJ impersonator.

To top off a great night, when we got home around 12:30 a.m., Scott was able to get a live feed of the Michigan State game. Spartan pride in Beijing!

Go green, go white!