(That's Beijing)
Updated: 2007-10-23 11:23

 

When you first meet a Mongolian, he will tell you about Genghis Khan. He may continue telling you about Genghis Khan until you go home or pass out. If your ancestors came from anywhere in Eurasia, he may even insist that you are Mongolian. If you meet him at a bar, beware.

Aldartow Hyad, my guide to Mongolian bars in Beijing, grew up on the grasslands in Inner Mongolia. He works to promote nomadic culture, bringing steppe wrestlers to Beijing and producing documentaries about the herder’s lifestyle. “It’s easy to make friends with a Mongolian,” he said. “Say hello – ‘Sainuu’ – and that’s it. When you are living in the grasslands, our tradition is to treat all strangers with hospitality. But don’t sit at your friend’s table for too long,” he warned me as we pre-gamed at a Mongolian restaurant. “You will drink yourself to death.”

He wasn’t kidding. My notes from the night were compiled from crumpled napkins and illegible scribbles in my notebook. We started at a restaurant, chowing on lamb sausage and yoghurt. The traditional grasslands drink is ayrag, fermented mare’s milk. You can’t find it in the city or anywhere outside the steppe. “Ayrag is so delicious that no one wants to transport it. We drink it as soon as we’ve got it in our hands.” Ayrag isn’t a strong drink, so nomads chug it by the soup-bowl. According to Hyad, that’s why Mongolians are famous for their tolerance. “Historically, we never had strong spirits. So long ago when we found baijiu, we drank it just like we drink ayrag.”

Hyad was planning on making a baby that night, so he didn’t want to drink too much. We started with some beer and a bottle of baijiu over dinner, then hit the bars for screwdrivers and beer and vodka on the rocks, staying out until I couldn’t stand up. I basked in the mesmerizing fiddles and throat-singing while Hyad and the rest of the crowd bawled out the lyrics to the singalongs. Matt P. Jager

Where to Go

Dinner starts at Mandehai for meat and throat-scorching liquor to start off the night. 10 Minyuan Beilu, Weigongcun, Haidian District (8842 0854)

Sulede (see Bars & Clubs Directory), near the west gate of the Minorities University, is the best unknown bar in town. An in-house folk group performs daily on a tiny stage. This is a friendly place where patrons are regularly invited to sing or play with the band (Mongolians, all). The patrons are almost exclusively Mongolian too, with Mandarin names that stretch on for four or five characters. The singing and most of the conversation is conducted in their mother tongue.

Those with refined sensibilities in search of sofas and wineglasses should try Warm Mountain (2/F, Haojing Bldg, 108 Zhichun Lu, Haidian District, 6210 5119)