Author Archives: Andy Deemer

Lost in Translation

The 100th Post? Miss Puke Massage, of course.

Could we resist? Central Bangkok.

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Strange Medicine

Why Chinese People Eat Fried Worms

Every time I pass by one of those classic Chinese pharmacies, I can't help but stop and wonder... And a few months ago, I decided to find out. This is part four in the "Strange TCM" series, following "eating snake for healthier skin," "eating ants to keep that lustrous hair" and "deer penis will keep ...

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Extraordinary Eats

Kiev: The Weirdest Ukranian Opera Restaurant in Beijing

Missing those classic Yevhen Hrebinka hits? Desperate for a Chicken Kiev and a bottle of Stoli? But sick of those stern Soviet babushkas slapping down watery bowls of borscht? I hear you, brother. The closest I'd gotten to good Ukranian in Asia was in a subterranean Beijing nightclub. The bouncer outside was a scowling mohawked dwarf in ...

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 3 Comments

Sweet Movies and Wild Books

China’s first sci-fi movie: Death Ray on Coral Island (1980)

Sci-fi books? China's got tons of those. But when it comes to sci-fi movies, China's really falling behind. One that really did impress me, though, was the very first to be produced in China: 1980's gorgeous, fun, and campy "Death Ray on Coral Island" (珊瑚岛上的死光). In "Death Ray," a good-hearted team of Chinese scientists, based in what ...

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 7 Comments

Uncategorized

The Illegal Mae Sot-Burma Border Crossing

I put this up on YouTube a little while back, but it's definitely worth putting up here: the illegal border crossing at Mae Sot.I shot this from the Thai side of the Thai-Burmese border. To get from Mae Sot to Myawaddy, you cross a bridge, pay a toll, and have your passport confiscated for ...

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Historical Wonders, Holy Curiosities

The Mystery of Shuanglin’s Scooped-Eye Statues

A $2 tuktuk ride from the ancient city of Pingyao 平遥, in the deserts of Shanxi Province, there's a wonderful little temple called Shuanglin Temple (双林寺). The name translates to something like A Pair of Forests Temple. Cute. Inside, though, you'll find a strange sight. Walk to the back, and you'll come across the Goddess Temple, ...

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 2 Comments

Extraordinary Eats

Blood Hair Strength Stew

When they heard I'd never tried 毛血旺 (maoxuewang) Stew, my coworkers were horrified. Absolutely aghast. "What, you have to try it! You'd love it! It's my favorite dish," said Ginger. "In English, it means 'Blood Hair Strength.'" Oh, I knew I'd like this. And it was pretty damn good. Fat solid ...

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Beijing’s incredible (and completely fake) Disneyland

I was always sad Beijing didn't have a Disneyland for weekend fun, but it turns out we do. Well, a fake one. Not far from the center of town, at the Bajiao stop on subway Line 1, is the incredible Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park (北京石景山游乐园). Admission was about US$1.50, and what a ...

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 3 Comments

Uncategorized

If Amy Chua was mother to us all, maybe we could do this too…

The young kids in this video practiced for the entire year, or longer, to get the show right... and it's just remarkable. They're just six or seven years old, if I understood correctly. The whole effort, the Mass Games, is devoted to the Dear Leader (who turned 69 this week) and the Great Leader ...

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Historical Wonders

Kim Jong Il’s childhood thoughts of America

To celebrate the 69th birthday of Kim Jong Il, this entire week is jam packed with DPRKoolness. Today, we explore Kim Jong Il's feelings about America. Where do they come from? How did he feel as a kid? Find out, below... (At the age of six) Kim Jong Il harboured a bitter hatred for the class ...

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Historical Wonders

Kim Jong Il learns to ride horses and shoot guns!

In celebration of Kim Jong Il's 69th birthday, this week is flooded with DPRKoolness. Today, we learn that Kim Jong Il by the age of five is a master equestrian. But what about his marksmanship? Can he handle a gun? Find out, in these excerpts from his official biography, below! Young Kim, shortly before he became ...

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 2 Comments

Lost in Translation

Learn How to Speak North Korean

On our recent trip to Pyongyang, we picked up this incredible guide to speaking Korean -- clearly with a northern bent. While the first half is filled with standard small-talk favorites ("How do you do!", "I'm awfully sorry," "It really is heroic," and "It is Juche-oriented"), about halfway through, it gives up any sense of ...

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 4 Comments

Historical Wonders

The official story of Kim Jong Il’s birth…

Happy 69th birthday, Kim Jong Il! To celebrate this holy day, this entire week will be jam packed with DPRKoolness. First, the true story of the birth of the Dear Leader, Kim Jong Il. These wonderful snippets -- many of them truly endearing, some just funny -- are from volume one of Kim Jong Il's ...

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 4 Comments

Somewhat Perverted, Strange Medicine

Why Chinese People Eat Deer Penis

Every time I pass by one of those classic Chinese pharmacies, I can't help but stop and wonder... why on earth would someone eat this madness? A few months ago, I decided to find out. This is part three in the "Strange TCM" series, which I started with "eating snake for healthier skin" and "eating ...

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Historical Wonders, Holy Curiosities, The Occult

Keep the Evil Away For Chinese New Year

In Zhangbi, an ancient Shanxi village surrounded by sprawling factories, we just discovered the perfect antidote for bad ghosts... and it's.... Apparently, cypress! I'm not sure how prevalent this is across China, but every old Zhangbi door had a sprig of cypress shoved into it. "避邪," explained the guide Lucy, who had no idea how to explain ...

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Historical Wonders, Offbeat Museums

Gorgeous Old Chinese Studio Photos

One of my favorite things about old Chinese studio photos is the props and backgrounds -- they're positively delicious! I found these three hanging in a rundown Pingyao museum (although M has an incredible collection -- which she refuses to let me post here. For the time being!) The drape backgrounds are about my favorite thing... ...

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 1 Comment

Lost in Translation

Hungry for a Kaka Burger

I'm so sad this Taiyuan fast food joint was closed for Chinese New Year... I really, honestly craved a burger. And a Kaka Burger? Oh that would have hit the spot!

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Other Obscura, Uncategorized

Little Thai MonkeyRatPig Thing

Does anyone have any idea what this is? It was sitting in a cage outside some Bangkok restaurant (to be eaten? or just as an oddity?) It's not a gerbil, not a guinea pig... So what is it? Kinda cute, in an ugly way....

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 2 Comments

Uncategorized

North Korean traffic lights… um… robot ladies.

North Korea The DPRK doesn't have much money. Or electricity. In our hotel, the Yanggakdo, the upper floors had no electricity (save for the one with a handful of Americans/Europeans staying on it). The Koreans would get on and off the elevator, into a floor of darkness. Shops with customers were pitch dark. The ...

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 6 Comments

Other Obscura, Strange Medicine

My doctor’s incredible office design…

I'm not sure what's more disturbing: this doctor's office interior decor sensibility, or the fact that I still let her dig around in my ear canal. (The camera is pretty exactly vertical.)

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Lost in Translation

North Korea frightening customs declarations form

I still can't get over this incredible customs document we had to fill out to enter North Korea the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Already, our nerves were on edge... the ancient plane was filled with smoke, we'd heard references to "American imperialist bastards," and we were about to land in North Korea. But... no ...

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Uncategorized

My Sleeping Co-workers

I hadn't heard of www.sleepingchinese.com before The WooLand Hotel mentioned it the other day, but it reminded me of a small collection of photos I took over the span of just a week or two. This wasn't a particularly rough week -- no late nights or anything -- and yet... LJ.Echo.Ginger.I worked beside this girl ...

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Our Weird Projects

Eko Nugroho, We Love You. So we made a costume to prove it.

A little while back, Michelle, Sunny and I were wandering around the Caochangdi gallery district (one of the old "new 798"s), and feeling extremely underwhelmed. There was nothing worth looking it. Until we wandered into Pekin Fine Arts. It was there that we discovered our new favorite Indonesian artist, Eko Nugroho. Most of his work was ...

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 3 Comments

Lost in Translation

Hope you get buckets of mruk this year!

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Uncategorized

Happy Year of the Rabbit! 新年快乐！

(Optimistically cute sign spotted at the Tiger Balm Gardens, a few months ago... the kids loved it!)Updates will be light this week, as Michelle and I are out on the road, exploring more wild China...

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Strange Medicine

Why Chinese People Eat Ants

Every time I pass by one of those classic Chinese pharmacies, I can't help but stop and wonder... why on earth would someone eat these crazy things? A few months ago, I decided to find out. This is part two in the "Strange TCM" series, which I started last week with "why people eat snake ...

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Lost in Translation

Where the Real Work Gets Done

From our publishers' expert rumpus room offices in southern Beijing.

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Uncategorized

Remarkable Pet Carrying Device

I'd just climbed off a Guangdong bus, and was waiting for Michelle at the bus station, when this little fellow popped his head -- quite unexpectedly -- out of his box. When I started taking pictures, of course his mom had to come and have a look... make sure everything was okay, and all...

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Extraordinary Eats, Strange Medicine

Why Chinese People Eat Snake as Medicine

Every time I pass by one of those classic Chinese pharmacies, I can't help but stop. You've seen them -- the deer antlers and sea cucumbers sold in gift boxes; the dusty owls perched above the counter; the ants, sea horses, and snakes in cabinets. You can't help but wonder... at least, I can't... why ...

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Historical Wonders, Holy Curiosities

The Story of (These Creepily Awesome) Big Head Buddhas, with video

Michelle's spent a slew of Chinese New Years here in Beijing, but she's never seen these before -- 大头娃娃 (Dàtóu wáwá or Dai Tao Fut) -- incredible paper mache masks that we found in the back of a junk store, in Bangkok's Chinatown. In English, they're called Big Headed Buddhas, and for just a few ...

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Andy Deemer / 2 Comments

Extraordinary Eats, Strange Medicine

Medicinal Sea Horse Soup

I adore TCM. But I don't know what to say about this bowl of "Pigeon Soup with Chinese Medicine" we ordered last night at Gongti's Xuxian Lou (许仙楼的《川弓海马乳鸽汤》). Yep, that's a sea horse floating on top. I found myself eating around it, taking bites of dark red meats, chewing down foul beans, and sipping up the ...

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Other Obscura

Tianjin’s Amazing Road Signs

Driving in China is pure madness, so good street signs are really important. Tianjin clearly has that problem solved. Sof shot these awesome puppies when we were down there last weekend. (Translations unnecessary for most of them.) 系安全带保平安行 Fasten seat belt Preserve safe travel 醉在酒中毁在杯中 Drunk on wine Destroyed in the cup (???) 疲劳驾驶危及生命 Weary driving ...

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Extraordinary Eats

Alien Vegetables

We happened on these strange little monsters in the local grocery store the other night, and couldn't resist picking them up. The first one, I still have no idea what it is. We haven't broken it open yet... we're perhaps just waiting for it to hatch. (Honestly, we could have saved... oh, tens of dollars... ...

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

AO Events

The World of Chinese Movie Night: Scenes of City Life

In the last few weeks, we've brought you 1950s girl basketball melodramas, 1940s street urchin black comedies, and saucy 1920s road worker flicks. This week, though, we've got something entirely different: a fantastic pre-liberation pre-code comedy!"SCENES OF CITY LIFE" (都市风光)FREE! This Tuesday, Jan 25th at 7pm7 Dongmianhua Hutong, Beijing江湖酒吧, 北京交道口南大街东棉花胡同7号6401-4611 / ...

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Andy Deemer / Leave a comment

Lost in Translation