V.I.P.

Taiyuan, China

As a foreigner in China you'll always a) attract attention and b) draw a certain special treatment, especially if you deviate from the typical tourist destinations. In Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi Province, this has reached a new peak.
Returning to Beijing from Pingyao I had to change trains here and had about two hours to spare. So I decided to have dinner. I had been told about several local dishes I wanted to try. The problem was that in my limited time I could only see some foreign and Chinese fast food chains around the station. I ventured further, still without success until I was attracted by a pleasant looking place. "巴西" it said above the entrance. This looked familiar but I could place it immediately. I went in. A very pretty, elegantly dressed waitress was immediately at my side. What did I want to eat? She showed me a buffet (that didn't look Chinese at all). I asked her for Shanxi dishes. She apologised. They didn't have any. I inquired where I might eat Shanxi food. She called the manager. I was now the centre of attention. The manager came and I repeated my question. She said they only served "ba xi" dishes. Then it finally clicked. I had walked into a Brazilian restaurant. The manager explained that they had no Shanxi dishes but there was a restaurant around the corner that did. She even sent the cute waitress that had greeted me to show me the way.
The restaurant in question only had a single table occupied with a group of men eating and boozing. The girl explained the situation and I immediately became the V.I.P. The boss himself came up to greet me, sat me at a table, brought the menu, advised me which dishes were typical of the part of the province. Then he sent his staff to get me a bowl, chopsticks, tea. Of course, he didn't fail to ask me where I was from. I mentioned I needed to catch a train in less than an hour. I was really beginning to worry. No problem, he assured me. When I had made my choice (soup with knife-cut noodles and meat plus a bowl of deep-fried, shredded potatoes with vinegar) he went to the kitchen and shouted: "Hey, here's a German friend who wants to try Shanxi dishes. Make him some ..." At this the chefs also curiously stuck out their heads. Food was ready in record time, the boss proudly served it himself. Then he hovered next to me watching my reaction. I assured him it was very tasty (and it was). Then I tried to look like I was fully absorbed with the task of eating. I had run out of casual conversation topics that my language skills could handle. Fortunately, he knew that I needed to rush, so he left me to my food. Otherwise, this might have been a really awkward situation. In the meantime he tended to the other table answering questions about me and fulfilling the demand for more high percentage alcohol.
When I finally left and rushed back to the train station I was full and happy and had paid an impressively low price. Another one for the category Only In China.