The best search engine for finding random bars is Where the Fuck Should I Go for Drinks, which China watcher and delightful alcoholic Ray Kwong helpfully notes "even works in China." But how well does it work? We gave it a try, and results included:
On April 16, Alec Ash of the Anthill gathered eight writers (technically nine) to read stories at Cu Ju, a rum bar in the hutongs owned by the somewhat legendary Badr Benjelloun, who paired each writer with a rum. The result was glorious. Alec graciously allowed us to record the entirety of that event, which we now present to you as an episode of The Creamcast.
There's the only picture evidence you need that Badr Benjelloun's tipple of choice is rum -- pure rum, navy rum, sweet rum, fragrant Yunnan rum, Cuban rum ("love, passion")... Captain Morgan's... it doesn't matter. The man will take your rum and sell it back, likely with a historical anecdote on the side.
The new deputy chief of Qianjiang township in Laibin, Guangxi is dead. Zhong Xiefei, on the night of April 9, died while solemnly performing his duty as loyal servant of the people. Let this be a warning for all those in China who aspire for public office...
Editor’s note: Yesterday, the UK brewery BrewDog issued an open letter on its website to call out a “fake” BrewDog pub in Changzhou, Jiangsu province. “I’ll be along to visit soon – I’m looking forward to trying the 6AM Saint and the Funk IPA,” wrote James, one of the owners. “I do still nurture a small hope, though, that imitation is the starting point for imagination for you. If next time, rather than knocking up a do-it-yourself BrewDog bar with an odd red logo, you go one step further and have a stab at your own craft beer, then you will really be onto something.” What follows is the China Craft Beer Association’s reply, written by Great Leap Brewing owner Carl Setzer.
Our writer thought he had a simple part-time teaching gig at a Chinese army hospital. Little did he know, he'd find himself in a life-and-death battle for honor and glory -- and "America."
Ah, baijiu. Dust of the attic, wine of the gutter. Here are two stories that remind me exactly why I stopped casually drinking it. Subtitle: DEATH AND PAIN.
Jiang Wu had quite the night of drinking in Qingdao, Shandong province. He doesn't remember much of it, but it was weird, see, because he woke up in a completely dark container, and couldn't get out.
A shipping container. Bound for Los Angeles.
Look at the above and see how many incongruences you notice.
1. "Yes we can" -- wasn't that Obama's thing?
2. Chinese?
3. Why yes, that does say "in memory of US Army."
Chengdu recently hosted the 88th National Food and Beverage Fair (糖酒会), the seen-and-be-seen pimp show for anybody who’s anybody in China’s F&B industry. My own Belgian beer company basically ruled the catwalk with our four phallises of draft beer, freely pumping to more than 50,000 attendants who will now go about thinking that Belgian beer... Read more »
