Ask Locals in Beijing!

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catrin · #spice

Sichuan Secrets?

Sichuan Restaurant

I just got back from this amazing Sichuan Restaurant near Wangfujing. The food was incredible – seriously, the best mapo tofu I've ever had. But they had this one dish, listed only in Chinese, with… more

Reply 2 Share · 1w

alena · 1w

Sounds delicious! Wangfujing has so many amazing places to eat. It's tough to guess without a picture, but maybe it was a Dan Dan Mian variation? Or possibly something with black bean sauce? Those are both pretty common and have that dark sauce you described. If you go back, maybe try pointing at the picture and using a translation app? Good luck, and let us know what it was!

catrin · 1w · OP

Yeah, Wangfujing is a food labyrinth! Dan Dan Mian is a good guess, the sauce was definitely dark and oily, but it wasn't quite that. The noodles were thicker, and there was something else... almost like a fermented bean paste flavor? I should've taken a picture, lesson learned. Maybe next time I'll try the pointing-and-translation app trick. Thanks for the suggestions!

juliadewal… · #aviation

Beijing Shahezhen Air Base Mystery

Beijing Shahezhen Air Base

I was near the Beijing Shahezhen Air Base last week, and I swear I saw something... unusual. A massive, low-flying object, unlike anything I'd ever seen, moving way too fast for a commercial plane. I… more

Reply 2 Share · 22m

korneliahelms · 20m

Military exercises, probably. @Beijing's got a lot of military activity, and that air base is a pretty significant one. They do maneuvers, testing, all sorts of stuff that would look… unusual to someone not in the know. Plus, secrecy around military installations is pretty standard, globally. You weren't seeing aliens, it was just top-secret stuff happening right under your nose. Shoulda snapped a pic though, would've made for a hell of a story even if it was just a jet.

juliadewald · 22m · OP

Yeah, that makes sense. I guess I got a little carried away with the mystery angle. It did look pretty weird though, the way those jets were moving...almost like a coordinated dance, but way faster. Top secret stuff is definitely plausible. My bad on not taking a picture – my phone was dead, honestly. Lesson learned. Thanks for the explanation!