Sunday, June 06, 2010

Things I learned in China #5

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When the Chinese offer white liquor as the alcohol to use for toasts during a social dinner, run the other way. The stuff is rocket fuel. They call it Baijiu. There are many different types. The one pictured above tastes like grain alcohol flavored with rotten rice. I will never drink it again.

I attended a dinner where the host knew I could out drink everyone in the room. He front loaded the first toast for me with 4 ounces of Baijju against a half ounce for everyone else. He offered a toast speaking “ganbei”, or bottoms up. I nearly passed out a few minutes later, but managed to work through four bottles of the stuff and still walk back to my hotel. I had my revenge a few days later, I chose Jameson Irish Whiskey. Many Chinese and one Frenchman paid a horrible price that night.

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