Around the office, we have all kinds of restaurants。  I regularly get delivery from a 越南河粉 (Pho) place near the office, but on occasion I’ve sampled cuisine from a place selling 墨西哥菜 (Mexican food) which isn’t half-bad.  Yesterday, I tried some noodles at a place which sold 陕西菜 (Shaanxi food)- it was said to be spicy and hot, but I found it wasn’t nearly as hot as advertised.  Another favorite is this place nearby which sells 水饺 (dumplings) – I particularly enjoy the duck blood soup (more about this in the future).  川菜 (Sichuan food) includes a lot of my favorite dishes, while 寿司 (sushi) is enjoyable if the fish is fresh.  I know of one place which flies its fish in daily from the Tsukiji market in Tokyo- our world is flat indeed!  Nearby you can get pretty stunning 印度菜 (Indian food) with all the right spices- makes me think of home, oddly enough.  For those looking to try something new, you can always grab some 驴肉 (donkey meat) with noodles.  A Japanese 拉面 (ramen noodle) place was where I saw one of the biggest opportunities for service improvement.  The service chain was not consistent, to put it one way (this is for a coming entry).  Lastly, a place where I enjoyed one of my first meals at this job was at a 韩国拌饭 (Korean restaurant.  Cheap, quick, and nearly authentic.  Stay tuned, readers!  What are your favorite kinds of restaurants?  I’ll see if I can find one in Beijing and post up the translations of their food!

越南河粉  yue4nan2he2fen3 – Vietnamese noodles, Pho
墨西哥菜 mo4xi1ge1cai4 – Mexican food
陕西菜 shan3xi1cai4 – Shaanxi food (from Xi’an area)
水饺 shui3(2)jiao3 – dumplings
川菜 chuan1cai4 – Sichuanese food
寿司 shou4si1 – sushi
印度菜 yin4du4cai4 – Indian food
驴肉 lv2rou4 – donkey meat
拉面 la1mian4 – ramen noodles
韩国拌饭 han2guo2ban4fan4 – bibimbap, different types of meat and vegetables all mixed together in a pot with rice and an egg on top to be mixed by the person eating it