A Perspective on the Golden Arches

A friend of mine, Michelle, is in China on business now. Before she left, she was a little worried about what she could eat over there. So I told her about a funny experience I had in Beijing almost 20 years ago. I was there with a few wheelchair athletes to attend the Beijing Marathon. Unlike the first time when our hotel was near the Tiananmen Square where plenty of eateries catering to the Westerners were available, this time we were placed in a hotel where not many Westerners were around, and many restaurants didn’t provide English on their menu. Since I can read Chinese characters, I thought it wouldn’t be a problem to find the dishes I want. I was wrong! Probably because I was also fighting an oncoming flu of sort, I just couldn’t manage to find anything I could eat, which was surprising as I’m not a fussy eater.

By the 5th day in Beijing, I wasn’t feeling well at all and hungry. And I, along with my buddies, were all dying to find — — hamburgers!!! 😳 So we wandered around the streets of Beijing — it seemed like miles and miles — looking for the “golden arches.” When we spotted a glowing arches in the far far distance like a mirage, we were so grateful and gathered the depleting energy and marched on towards them.

I hardly ever to go McDonald’s, but this memory has become a great story I tell at different occasions. (Mind you, I omitted a funny vignette of this story here… You just have to ask me if you want to know!) It is just a reminder that I am so blessed living in Los Angeles to have plethora of foods for every dietary need. It also reminds me to be mindful of how much I eat just because it’s there because, as some of my close friends know, I can eat a lot!

It’s good to have a little perspective, and I hope Michelle is finding the food she can eat!