Kimchi platter
Living in a country that is an ally to North Korea means that we should not pass up the chance to at least visit a North Korean-owned establishment at least once. Visiting their pavilion at the World Expo was a bizarre enough experience. And well, frankly, there aren't that many North Korean establishments around town and I really wasn't ready to ask the guards if they'd let me take a peek inside the embassy.
Anyway, the easiest option was naturally, a restaurant. So last night, Adam, Cynthia, Evan and I went to a North Korean restaurant on Chaoyangmenwai Avenue. The three of them have had at least one experience like this so I was the newbie. Cynthia said that we'll have to try and watch the 7pm performance but when I called to make reservations, they said that a minimum spending for a table to watch said performance was RMB2800 = US$419. I wasn't even going to attempt to do the math so I just vetoed the idea and politely thanked the reception, "we'll just have a regular table for four then."
Unlike other regular Korean restaurants in Beijing that hire locals, this place was manned by North Korean staff. The girls were tall, slim, fair and pretty with sing-song voices and accented Mandarin. Adam and I were there first so we were ushered into a private room -- "no minimum spending for this room, right?", I double checked. Similar to most other Chinese restaurants, our private room came along with our own hostess -- a concept that is quite foreign to both Malaysians and Americans. The only thing missing was our own private bathroom, which our other friends had discussed and concluded that it was essential especially for baijiu (chinese rice wine) banquets by Chinese hosts (which most of us avoid like the plague anyway) to ensure you always... ahh.. how shall I put this... "make it" in time. Our private room in this North Korean restaurant, however, came with a flat-screen TV and a karaoke machine.
In restaurants and bars, I'm used to having the TV tuned in to CNN or ESPN or Star World. However, I was very aware, that we were in a very different world, as the TV showed performances of choirs, dance troupes and the orchestra with an occasional guest appearance by Kim Jung-il waving to an applauding crowd. At several moments, I caught myself bobbing my head and tapping my foot to the patriotic tunes.
Adam, who couldn't resist himself, flipped through the karaoke music selection and asked the hostess:
A: So, are there American songs?
H: *eyes opened wide* ermm.. ermm.. no, sir.
A: Oh, ok.
H: *turns her head and focuses on me instead with an embarrassed smile* we are not allowed to sing American songs. Where is your friend from?
GP: *Very quickly* Canadian! He is Canadian!
H: Ok.
It's not like there was going to be any hostilities if Adam was American. In fact, many of our American friends have been to this restaurant and they've never been refused service or encountered any issues. Our friend, an American who wrote this article Cold War Cuisine's Incongruous Outpost, ended the story with a little anecdote of him and his friend buying bottles of soju for North Korean businessmen eating next door to them, and eventually belting our "My Heart Will Go On" and "My Way" on the ktv machine.
Service at the restaurant was excellent (except for the part where our hostess demanded very gently with a smile that I was not allowed to take any photos, even of food), the food was delicious and delicately presented, though overpriced and our evening concluded in a rather serene manner. It was Monday after all.
p.s. Adam did find songs by Madonna and Britney Spears in the song book.
Anyway, the easiest option was naturally, a restaurant. So last night, Adam, Cynthia, Evan and I went to a North Korean restaurant on Chaoyangmenwai Avenue. The three of them have had at least one experience like this so I was the newbie. Cynthia said that we'll have to try and watch the 7pm performance but when I called to make reservations, they said that a minimum spending for a table to watch said performance was RMB2800 = US$419. I wasn't even going to attempt to do the math so I just vetoed the idea and politely thanked the reception, "we'll just have a regular table for four then."
Unlike other regular Korean restaurants in Beijing that hire locals, this place was manned by North Korean staff. The girls were tall, slim, fair and pretty with sing-song voices and accented Mandarin. Adam and I were there first so we were ushered into a private room -- "no minimum spending for this room, right?", I double checked. Similar to most other Chinese restaurants, our private room came along with our own hostess -- a concept that is quite foreign to both Malaysians and Americans. The only thing missing was our own private bathroom, which our other friends had discussed and concluded that it was essential especially for baijiu (chinese rice wine) banquets by Chinese hosts (which most of us avoid like the plague anyway) to ensure you always... ahh.. how shall I put this... "make it" in time. Our private room in this North Korean restaurant, however, came with a flat-screen TV and a karaoke machine.
In restaurants and bars, I'm used to having the TV tuned in to CNN or ESPN or Star World. However, I was very aware, that we were in a very different world, as the TV showed performances of choirs, dance troupes and the orchestra with an occasional guest appearance by Kim Jung-il waving to an applauding crowd. At several moments, I caught myself bobbing my head and tapping my foot to the patriotic tunes.
Adam, who couldn't resist himself, flipped through the karaoke music selection and asked the hostess:
A: So, are there American songs?
H: *eyes opened wide* ermm.. ermm.. no, sir.
A: Oh, ok.
H: *turns her head and focuses on me instead with an embarrassed smile* we are not allowed to sing American songs. Where is your friend from?
GP: *Very quickly* Canadian! He is Canadian!
H: Ok.
It's not like there was going to be any hostilities if Adam was American. In fact, many of our American friends have been to this restaurant and they've never been refused service or encountered any issues. Our friend, an American who wrote this article Cold War Cuisine's Incongruous Outpost, ended the story with a little anecdote of him and his friend buying bottles of soju for North Korean businessmen eating next door to them, and eventually belting our "My Heart Will Go On" and "My Way" on the ktv machine.
Service at the restaurant was excellent (except for the part where our hostess demanded very gently with a smile that I was not allowed to take any photos, even of food), the food was delicious and delicately presented, though overpriced and our evening concluded in a rather serene manner. It was Monday after all.
p.s. Adam did find songs by Madonna and Britney Spears in the song book.