"I don't take my shoes off for anyone"

Our colleagues visited from Shanghai over the weekend, so we rode through the Hutongs (back allies) in a parade of rickshaws to show them old Beijing. Unlike the grubby operators on Toronto's Front Street, who pull rickshaws on foot, advertising hot oil massages, the Chinese have recognized the benefits to both operator and patron of using a bicycle. Starting at Hou Hai, our convoy whipped through the narrow roads, scattering wide-eyed tourists, before we were delivered to a Malaysian restaurant off the beaten path. The restaurateur deposited us in a quiet and dimly-lit lounge where we sat cross-legged on a bed of pillows (apparently we were supposed to be shoeless) and sipped iced mojitos while the staff wandered off into the Hutong maze to buy fresh ingredients for our meal. The dinner itself was one of the best we've had in Beijing. Served in an open courtyard, we ate curries, grilled fish, and tarot pudding, and actually needed propane heaters during a welcome reprieve from the withering summer heat.