Peking Opera vs. Monty Python

So our intrepid group of four had been warned that the art form known as the Peking* Opera might involve an acquired taste. We expected screechy sounds and general cacophony. But what we got was something close to wonderful. The costumes were elaborate and colorful, the stories relatively easy to follow, and the singing, well, it was different. I'm not sure I could have handled a full three hours, but I can honestly say our ninety minute exposure was enjoyable. I would go again if given the chance.

An added bonus is that I finally understand where the "Knights Who Say Ni" skit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail comes from. I don't know if that movie still influences the youth of today as much as it did my formative years (I was not alone in my ability to recite the entire movie in junior high school), but I did used to ponder where in the hell they came up with some of the skit ideas. After our night at the opera, there can be no more doubt. Now excuse me while I go cut down the mightiest tree in the forest with a herring.


*Pedantic Information Section
Although most anglophone people refer to the Chinese capital as Beijing, some institutions retain the name "Peking." The difference is one of dialect. Beijing is the name of the city in Mandarin, and Peking is the same name in Cantonese. Most foreigners were exposed to the Cantonese-speaking south originally (think Hong Kong or Macão), and when the foreigners asked "where is your capital" the locals replied in their dialect: "Peking." Now you know the rest of the story...

Would you like scorpion with that?

Some of the food people eat in China is weird. A walk through the grocery section of the Beijing SuperWalMart proves this, although to be honest it's not that much different from other developing country grocery stores I've been to. What WAS different was the live turtle tank accompanied by the live turtle slaughter station, where the cute lil' guys get their insides turned upside down and wrapped in plastic before the bar code gets unceremoniously slapped on.

But I'm not here to talk about that. The video on this entry was taken at a restaurant in Beijing that served scorpions (apparently boiled) along with a duck entree. There really wasn't much flavor except for a pasty feeling towards the end. All night long I kept thinking about the recently downed arachnid coming back to life and crawling around my stomach, which was a mildly upsetting thought. Anyway, I'm posting this video as proof that I actually did eat one of these lil' guys. Appropriate crowd reaction ensues...

Completing the Brenda Dickson Trifecta

"Aunt Barbara" jumps into the Brenda Dickson fray in this inspiring piece. It doesn't quite reach levels of hilarity (a word?) as the previous parody, but it definitely deserves some kind of honorable mention. Besides, no thorough coverage of the Brenda Dickson phenomenon would be complete without it. Enjoy...

Strike that...

If you watched the regular Brenda Dickson video and can make it through the first 30 seconds of this response without laughing uncontrollably, you are likely just not human. I was catching up on my YouTube fix during a 10-hour layover at Washington Dulles and laughing disgracefully in the red carpet lounge as business people making presumably important calls around me turned to offer concerned looks. I had to stop and wait until I got home to fully appreciate the magic of this clip...

The most important video ever made

Well, hello! Style is as important in your life as your look. Profound words indeed, but there's so much more...

Feliz Ano Novo do Rio

Not much time to write from Rio...in between beach duties and playing tourist, there's hardly any time to sleep. I'm at Washington Dulles trying to catch up with my life while in transit between Rio and Beijing though, and wanted to remember the enthusiastic applause that accompanies sunsets in Rio. It's a nice tradition, really. Yay for our spinning planet.