An Appetite for Adventure

From [08.09.12] Peking Duck

There is nothing more amazingly delicious than a steaming hot fattened duck, broiled to a crisp, carved before your eyes, smeared with plum sauce and wrapped with cucumbers in rice paper. If the gods are Chinese, this is what they eat.

Now, if the devil is Chinese, he’d be too busy pounding erguotou to worry about the duck.

Erguotou and duck. The Yin and the Yang. Both of these made scheduled appearances at Sean’s birthday dinner at Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant. Lest you be confused by my previous post about Sean’s birthday dinner, let me explain. In my world — and that of many of my friends — a birthday is not a one night celebration. You get at least one week to whoop it up in honor of your grand entrance onto this planet. Even China can’t hold down this custom, and 5 of our friends, new and old, gathered for a feast of flavored fowl last Saturday.

I had seen the restaurant on Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” and was drawn to its humble presentation: deep in the hutongs south of Tian’amen and lacking any formal decor. People throng to this place for nothing but duck, and we gladly joined them.

We ordered two ducks and a variety of other dishes. The ducks themselves were divine. I marveled at the cooks’ ability to did into the duck with their bare hands, deftly sliding off the choicest slices of meat with the swift grace of a ninja (wow, that metaphor was comical). The juicy tender duck slices harmoniously blend with the salty-sweet tang of the plum sauce, and we easily polished off four plates of duck.

Video of our duck being carved up.

We went along with some of our friends from school — Dan, Jessie and Carl — and Elliott, our friend from NYC who has been living in China for a few years. At one point, Carl suggested the boys get Sean some erguotou. I didn’t go near the stuff, as Elliott informed us that the label read “140 proof.” I may be wild, but that’s all types of crazy I won’t touch with a 10-foot pole. Despite their better judgment — or lack of any judgment — the boys shot them back, wincing in boiling-belly pain post-shot. Luckily, no one went blind and they all lived to see another day.

Bottoms up!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8076144036914030210&hl=en

PICS!