like a hollander in europe, a shanghainese in beijing must be prepared for the fame of being "stingy". i heard numous beijing cab drivers telling me how stingy shanghainese are, and many of them imitated how shanghainese ask them to "teke the shortcut, the shortest one, and don't treat me like a fool because i know the shortcut". everytime i was amused by such stories and made a lot of jokes with the driver for fun.
here is an old story about beijing cab driver. a few years ago i took a cab to the beijing airport and the driver greeted me, "you look pretty young", i was really tired and didn't say anythng, then the driver asked me, "first time to beijing?", i said, "yeahhhhh ...", the driver shut up and kept silence for a few minutes, then suddenly he shouted to me, "hell, what a jam, let's take San-Huan, it's quick!!!"
anyway, i love beijing very much, i spent a few years here as a kid and came back frequently for business or for fun. the city is an antidote for my life in shanghai, and i have many good friends here.
beijing is a bit rough compared to shanghai, but see what kind of people i meet in shanghai: a dealer, an adv guru, a MNC manager, a media sales person, a GM of a real estate firm, a financial consultant, ... and here in beijing, i am preparing for two guests tonight, one poet, another one a professinoal traveller, who just came back from afhganistan, and before them i have met a magazine editor, a college teacher, a housewife/entrepreneur, a rep office manager, a restaurant owner, a researcher for china's Shenzhou airship ... see the difference?
北京的胖酸奶，beijing "fat boy" yogurt
羊蝎子，lamb hot pot, very beijing