Bird's Nest

Every day on my way to the office, I drive past the National Olympic Stadium (still under construction). The stadium will host the athletics (track and field), soccer games, opening and closing ceremonies and can seat 91000 spectators. It is a jewel of architecture, really amazing and resembles a bird nest (see picture taken from my taxi). Here is a description taken from the internet: “The main body of the stadium is composed of 24 columns of trusses, which surround the bowl-shaped stands in the stadium. The structural elements support each other and converge into a grid formation, just like a bird's nest with interlocking branches and twigs.” As an ex-birdwatcher, I have a soft spot for the stadium although birds are few and rare in Beijing. The best places to see birds would be in cages in the pet markets. From my 18th floor window, I sometimes see a lost pigeon or a sparrow. Even in the parks, despite the available habitat, there is little wildlife to observe. This brings me to Beijing’s famous dish: Peking duck. During my first week in Beijing, we had a company dinner where Peking duck was. Tradition demands that the whole duck must be sliced into 120 pieces and the best part is the thin, crispy skin. There is actually very little meat and mostly skin, not my favorite dish but still a great experience. The Quanjude restaurant also keeps count of the numbers of ducks served since the restaurant opened in 1864. So at the end of the dinner I got a commemoration card for my roasted duck with the number 36665. It seems that they almost served a roasted duck each day since the opening of the restaurant some 140 plus years ago.