I had never thought of making the classic French dish coq au vin until I moved to China. To me it sounded too intimidating to cook. But several weeks after moving to Beijing, the shellshock of living here hadn't faded and I needed to tuck into a home-cooked meal to last me several days.
'Jiangnan' small towns
At 29, Huang Liang, has been a Spanish translator in many trading companies for more than six years.
Liu Yinan is among the first batch of undergraduates with a bachelor degree in Swedish.
After a manic introduction, Liu Yuan said he would be happy to respond to questions about turning 50 and his leading role in the Beijing jazz scene. That is, once he finished praying.
As one of the most influential events among the ever-growing expat community in Beijing, this year's Expat Show has attracted over 150 exhibitors and associations to showcase their products and services designed to fulfill the needs of expatriates in the city.
With handheld video players, iPhones or a fistful of lamb skewers, hungry diners prepared for the long wait at Wushan Roast Fish on a recent Wednesday evening. Two shelves of comic books provided further welcome distraction, as did the walls of prickly Astroturf.
The best part of the Jingshen Seafood market - Beijing's biggest purveyor of fish - is not only the great value, but also getting your oceanic victuals cooked right in front of you. That's right, any way you like - steamed, fried, pan-fried, stewed, boiled, you name it.
Southeast Asia is theinspiration for the house of an IT couple
Song Jinzhi says her three-year-old son is outstanding.
"Judge thy neighbor," rather than "love thy neighbor," was the theme of a bilingual workshop on a recent Wednesday evening.
Bad omens rarely come during calls to book a restaurant table. Not so at The Middle 8th, tucked back in a Sanlitun alley.