Hangzhou Chinese Banquet...

You know how grappa is the dregs of wine pretending to be brandy. Bai jiu is the dregs of grappa pretending not to be lighter fluid. Tonight after clinic our last patient asked if he could take the whole clinic crew out for a Chinese banquet. This is a highly ritualized affair that makes the royal wedding look like a picnic, and something I haven't had to do in a longtime... Where you sit, when, how and what you drink, even how you toast and tap your glass is all choreographed. Luckily formalities in China have loosened, and being a foreigner allows you some leeway. But how you handle yourself can literally determine your future amongst your peers. Don’t drink, lose face, drink too much, you’re an idiot. Luckily I’ve seen this movie, I’m Irish, and I’ve been dutifully trainer by a Scottish friend, so I escaped with only a few glasses of the devils liquor, and handled myself accordingly. 

Unfortunately you’re always wondering if you did everything correctly...

I should also mention we ate at a Chinese seafood restaurant. I’m pretty sure that this is where James Cameron and H.R. Giger got the idea for Alien. But I channeled my inner Anthony Bourdain and tried everything, even the underwater millipede they call mantis shrimp. The line from Apocalypse Now came to mind “if you eat this no one will ever question your bravery again.” But we did have some great food, including crawfish which are now in season here...