You know me with alcohol.
Or maybe not. Maybe you don't.
OK. In case you don't - I don't really drink. Maybe once in a while, I'd be convinced to have half... of a full drink or something, but I really really don't drink.
I went to school in an environment where there really wasn't a lot of pressure to drink.
Where is this leading to? Let me start at the beginning:
The second or third day in Baoding, Hannah and I went to the Foreign Affairs Office to officially sign our contracts. We got certain rules explained to us, then we were invited to a dinner banquet.
Our "Welcome to China!" dinner was filled with fancy food, really good yams, and... other stuff that I can't quite remember. In front of each of us, though, was a nice little set. There was a plate, a bowl, chopsticks, a teacup, and - here's where I got confused - a little glass pitcher and a very very very small wine glass.
Very small. Miniature.
"What's this for?" I asked.
"Baijiu."
What?
Baijiu.
Urban dictionary calls it "Pure distilled evil in liquid form."
OK. I'll be open-minded. I'll try it.
Not that I had a choice. My boss, the director of the Foreign Affairs Office, looked around and explained the tradition.
"Everyone has the first three cups (aka shots) together. And then you are free to drink with anyone you want."
This stuff tastes like...
I can't really describe it.
Since this was my boss - and since this was a brand-newish.. culture for me - I did my best to keep up. Sometimes, I'd refill my little shot glass only halfway... only to be told off by one of my leaders, who graciously helped me out by filling it up to the rim.
Three shots is a lot.
But, as one of the two guests of honor, everyone else at the table also wanted to share a drink with me. One by one, they'd say- "Felice! Welcome to Baoding!"
And then "Gan bei!"
Gan bei. Empty your glass.
The head director. The deputy director. The Party representative. The other director. The guy who actually did the work.
Fortunately, the other foreign teachers were able to figure out that I probably couldn't drink anymore, so they didn't ask me for a toast.
Still- After all my leaders (aka bosses) toasted us, we still had the... "To all the ladies! To all the foreign teachers!" and on and on....
The good news?
I held it in.
I drank slowly - it was a long dinner - and ate as much as I could. Drank as much water as I could. Then went home that night to a good night's sleep, wondering about my first banquet experience in China.
--
This experience, by the way, brought back one memory from my childhood.
My family and I were at a banquet in China when I was younger. They served everyone baijiu. I took one sip and decided against drinking it.
My little sister wrinkled her face... then finished it all up in one big gulp. She must have been 8 or 9 at that time. When I asked her why she drank it, she said that she thought she had to. Our parents had always stressed the importance of finishing up everything that was on our plate and in our cups.
So she drank it all.
Then skipped dinner.
She curled over and slept the rest of that night.
--
And thus ends my first baijiu experience.
