Before we set for China, our Singapore agent, B, bought two bottles of Martell and Choya each. The intention was for us to drink Choya and for the Chinese to drink Martell, and avoiding Chinese white wine in the process.
The first time we were entertained was during lunch, by Manager Yi （伊经理）of the Government Employment Agency (GEA). The dishes were nice, just that some were a tad salty due to their preference in Northern China, and plenty (6 dishes). That meal, we were able to beg off alcohol with work as an excuse. However, B still had to down a glass of beer with them.
The real party started that night. After wrapping up the day’s work, we were shuffled to a nearby restaurant for dinner, courtesy of Chief Wang （王局长）, the head honcho of GEA. This Chief Wang was already slightly tipsy from an earlier round of entertaining and he ordered like over ten dishes for us (7 pax in total).
The Martell bought was mainly for him to drink (because he couldn’t take it) so that we would not be entertained with Chinese wine (because we couldn’t take it). The tactic did not pay off. He insisted on having the Chinese wine and kept the Martell. Being a collateral damage, I got a small glass of Chinese wine as well.
Having stayed off alcohol for some years, I did not think that I was able to hold my drinks well. Hence, before they got me drunk, I was desperately shoving food down my stomach (I was really hungry from day’s work). The inevitable happened of course, and I was toast again and again. Luckily, B got most of the brute and I only had one glass of Chinese wine and two beers. Surprisingly, I was okay. Not even the red flush I usually get even after just a sip of beer (later I found out alcoholic content for Chinese wine is 58%). Then again, I believe this drinking session was a bit tame by their standards.
Chief Wang is a very interesting person. He would say that despite being Singaporeans, we have our roots from China, hence we are all Chinese (PRCs). And being PRCs, we must help each other. Then he would go on to give doses of history lessons. Not knowing English as well, he asked what is the meaning of ‘oh yeah!’ and when it is used. Jokingly, Mr Yu told him when playing mahjong and he got the winning tiles, that’s when he can say ‘oh yeah!’
He also wanted to be taught some English words like beer (必尔), thank you (坦科又) and cheers (切尔西). The way he pronounced it (in brackets) had us laughing in fits. Notice how all words are associated with drinking. Interestingly, even though he was speaking in Chinese, he kept asking Xiao Cui to translate it in Chinese back to us. Basically, he thought certain words and lingo used mostly by Northern Chinese we wouldn’t understand. At some point, he asked Xiao Cui how to translate a certain sentence, Xiao Cui told him it was exactly what he said, he then realized there was no need for translation.
At that dinner, Chief Wang told us four no-no rules with officials (a joke of course):
1. Leader getting food, I turn the table （领导夹菜我转桌）
2. Leader waiting to win mahjong, I win instead （领导等胡我自摸）
3. Leader speaking, I interrupt （领导说话我打岔）
4. Leader open door, I enter （领导开门我上车）
Lucky, being tipsy as he was already, we got off lightly that night and tumbled into bed by midnight.
The next day we were planning to travel back to Shen Yang. By invitation of Chief Wang the night before, we were invited to try the 开江鱼, directly translated as Thawed River Fish. Apparently, there is this Song Hua Lake nearby and during winter, this lake above the Feng Man Dam froze. Few days before we were there, the frozen surface thawed and sank. Hence, the fishes caught from the lake during this period are called Thawed River Fish. Supposedly, they are very fresh and healthy as they had not eaten much during winter.
We first drove up to the dam but did not stay long there as it was drizzling and the temperature was bone chilling. Thereafter, we drove to this restaurant where we had lunch.
Song Hua Lake
During the car ride to the restaurant, Mr Yu told me that some Chinese officials work is like Chief Wang’s where most of the time they won’t be in their offices. Morning till noon will be entertaining people with meals. Afternoon will be playing mahjong with others followed by night entertaining again. Sounds to me more like a PR job than anything.
That lunch meal we managed to beg off drinking, reasoning that we had a long ride bad and it won’t be good if anyone was drunk. Mr Yu jokingly told Chief Wang not to drink too much as well, otherwise it will impede his afternoon work because his kakis cannot play mahjong with him drunk.
Gaudy looking restaurant
The owner of the restaurant was a lady called Ms Li. She was sick but still had to come along to entertain and play the role of a good host, apparently to give face to Chief Wang. Looks to me like guan xi at work.
It was again yet another feast with so many dishes I lost count (probably around 12 to 15). To top it off, when Chief Wang said for us to try the thawed river fish, I thought it was going to be only 1 to 2 of such dishes. Wrong! There were like seven to eight dishes of fishes (hey it rhymes!). There were all sorts of fried fish, steamed fish, curry fish, fish broth etc. You name it, it probably was on the table. I had my year’s worth of omega 3 in a single meal.
Right after the lunch, we took another five hours car ride to Shen Yang. Checking into Traders Hotel (definitely way way better than the Empire Garden Hotel in Jilin), we had a couple hours of shopping around.
Room at Traders
Later in the night, we were shuffled along to a restaurant nearby for dinner. Waiting for us were not a feast but somewhat normal meal, which was a relief for my stomach. However, aside from the meal, there were also five other staff from Mr Yu’s office, and that was not counting Mr Yu and Xiao Cui.
With this ‘reinforcement’, I was looking at the round robin of drinking session. There was a bottle of Martell, a bottle of Choya and several bottles of beer. I was in the deep end of the shit pool. Trying to stay invisible by concentrating on eating was not a good strategy. With so many pairs of eyes from the company, inevitably, at least one pair would lock on me and had me distracted from my food.
The problem with toasting in China is they do not toast everyone at one go. They will find all sorts of reasons to toast individually with you. There were reasons for toasting like first time to China, first time to Shen Yang, first time meeting , being of same generation and whatever else they could think of. There was a lady who looked like a staff in my department. One moment I was asking her if they are related across the table, the next moment she was standing beside me and toasting for taking good care of her sister. I guess all this is called teamwork (in getting us drunk).
The lucky thing was there was only a bottle of Martell shared among all of us. The unlucky part was the beer were practically free flow since it was ordered from the restaurant. Thankfully, it was quite late by that time and the restaurant was closing. At the end of it, I came out feeling a bit lightheaded but otherwise able to walk in a straight line. However, the alcohol kept me awake until 3am before I felt tired enough to sleep. Guess alcohol works for me what coffee does not.
(Through My Eyes updated)