Beijing Boyce

Interesting times for those who get their nightlife news from free English-language lifestyle magazines such as that’s Beijing, Time Out, and City Weekend.

For the second time this year, Time Out is notably late, with the June 2008 edition held up due to licensing issues. This is no shocker if you consider that the magazine only recently started to include a masthead - the section that lists the editors, writers, and so on. Well, if you consider that and the general uneasiness of many people ahead of the Olympics.

Meanwhile, True Run Media, which has produced that’s Beijing since 2001, will move on. The magazine’s publisher, China Intercontinental Press, owns the “that’s” trademark and will take over the entire gig as of next issue. If you are in the publishing industry, you might guess the magazine’s biggest problem: it made money. That was, is, and will always be its problem.

If what happens to that’s Beijing is anything like the that’s China saga of a few years ago, we can expect an immediate nosedive in quality and a whole feedlot of stories about pork biotechnology (hmm, I wonder if that had anything to do with those science park ads?).

In any case, True Run Media will not remain idle. Expect a new magazine next month that is similar in layout and content to that’s Beijing. The name: The Beijinger.

Finally, rumors abound that the events staff at City Weekend face deportation after their recent Dining and Nightlife awards party featured frozen pizzas cooked in two small ovens. Just kidding - I’ll have more on the City Weekend awards shortly.

For each of the 88 days until the 2008 Olympics, I will strip-mine my brain to unearth a thought related to Beijing and The Games. That’s one thought per brain cell. It’s called teamwork, people!

A few good men

One joy of living in Beijing is listening to foreign women spend hour after hour talking about the always cheery topic: “There are no good men in this city.” This topic is especially delightful when you, as a man, are out with one of them, a woman, on a date. And when during that date, you must avoid direct eye contact with any local woman, including members of the wait staff, to prevent your dining companion from accusing you of having a “fever” for the lasses of China. Really, it’s more fun than it sounds, almost as enjoyable as eyeball acupuncture or reading a year’s worth of “Hard Candy” columns in that’s Beijing.

Frankly, I have heard rumors that there are many good men in this city, but that they have special radar that allows them to avoid women who constantly generalize about an entire gender.

However, ladies, good news is just two months around the corner. With the Olympics, thousands of males will flow into the city, the vast majority of them completely radar-less. It’ll kind of be like that “raining men” song. And that’s good. Well, Unless these guys are too short or too fat or too old or too lazy or whatever…

Previously
Thought 1: If they build it, we may come
Thought 2: “Whether or not” in Sanlitun
Thought 3: Living the lowlife on Lotus Lane
Thought 4: The F&B scene takes a pre-Olympics breather?
Thought 5: Flaming Fuwa
Thought 6: Continental drink
Thought 7: The Parallel Bars?
Thought 8: No kangaroos, and other guidelines

Due to the Friday night wine tastings organized by Frank Siegel in the Sanliltun outlet of Sequoia Cafe, I’ve tried wines from North America (Canada, US), South American (Chile, Argentina), Asia (China, Japan), Africa (Morocco, South Africa), Europe (plenty of countries, including Slovenia - twice!), and Australia and New Zealand. I’ve tried white, red, rose, sparkling and sweet wines, dozens of varietals and blends, and participated in blind tastings of everything from Chinese wines to Argentinian Malbec. Most of all, I’ve come to know many Friday night “regulars“, whether they are wine professionals or simply fans of the grape.

So, it is unhappy news the Sanlitun Sequoia closed last weekend.

On the other hand, it is happy news the tastings will continue at Sequoia’s Guanghua Lu outlet (near Ritan Park). In fact, it might draw more people, given the 6:30 PM start and the proximity of many embassies, media outlets, and businesses. In any case, a raised glass to Sanlitun Sequoia, which has served the wine community well for the past 18 months.

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