Mexican Food：Fogoncito en Beijing 福客多 (And Peking man)

Hey, again!

I have already received a pair of comments, I will try to follow them, please don't hesitate to write me directly or leave a comment here hehe.

I really appreciate it!

Well, I was in Beijing in my first whole weekend! I had many ideas... I had already been in the typical places so I tried to go to a new one hehe.

I decided to visit the Peking Man site (promulgated a protected spot not long ago for the UNESCO) very early in Saturday morning. For those interested in antropology or history this site was very important because found another of our ancestors and with this discovered another prehominid different to the Java Man or the Typical Homo erectus and Homo habilis found in other locations.

Bad news, most of the exhibition pieces were casts, because the original ones were sent to USA during the WWII and nobody knows their destination! Nevertheless, I was in the caves and I enjoyed the casts hehe.

After that, we (my two half Chinese/half Spanish classmates and neighbours and their Chinese friend) decided to look for something to eat. I had already searched for "El fogoncito".

I was a bit afraid to ask them to go, since just last Thursday some of my classmates and my Chinese teacher had gone to another supposedly Mexican food place and it was not anymore selling Mexican food (if you read my thursday blog you know this already hehe).

But... I really wanted to have some Mexican food, so I spoke up!

They agreed but we weren't finding the right bus and all, we ended up taking a cab, who fortunately wasn't so rude (maybe because the Chinese girl managed him well hehe). So we arrived to the place and after asking one more time, because it's not so visible: BINGO!!!

El Fogoncito at sight! We entered, not many people. A table with 4 guys, spanish/mexican looking (the mexicans these days are in many colours, but the ones who are coming from mostly spanish - or french, etc- blood they tend to be like me, white skin and the facial features are not so sharp I think). Another table with two chinese girls.

They gave us the menu and it was in English/ Chinese / Mexican (not only spanish but mexican because the names were of food and using typical names we give to the food hehe).

My friends were surprised for the variety of dishes, so they just trusted in me and I ordered:

For starters...

• 1 order of "Tacos al pastor" (BBQ Style sliced Pork meat in soft corn tortillas) 3pcs /15 Y
  
• 1 order of "Gringas" (The same pork meat with cheese, pineapple and in this time in a Soft wheat flour tortilla) 1 pc / 18 yuan.
• 1 order of "Chicharron de queso" (melted cheese until its almost burnt and it curls itself (see the picture for more reference hehe!) 28 yuan

Seeing that this was not enough and we were needing more food.... I continue ordering... And this time, the Chinese girl contributed asking me if I the fajitas were good.

• A Mexican (indeed more of a Texmex) Classic: Beef fajitas (a quite decent portion of sliced beef, green peppers and onions, all friend and served in an Iron Hot plate) with tortillas to make more tacos. 58 yuan.


• "Enfrijoladas", these were not like Mexican do. Were more like quesadillas with frijoles. Two soft wheat flour tortillas with cheese and refried beans inside. 18 yuan.
• Another order of "tacos al pastor".
• Another order of "gringa"
• One "Cazuelita de queso fundido" (melted cheese in a clay pot) with enough soft wheat flour Tortillas. The big winner of the afternoon . Everyone loved it!!! 25 yuan.
• And the last dish... One frijoles with totopos order (Refried beans plate with deep-fried triangles of corn tortillas).

Everything tasted like typically tastes in Mexico, besides the service was good, you can see the attached pictures with the chinese guys doing the pastor and waitressing hehe.

The dishes were accompanied for three different kinds of spicy sauces: red chilli, green chilli and Guacamole (made with avocado).

I recommend this place, the only bad thing they played Luis Miguel (who is not even mexican, even when he sings many "mariachi" songs for the entire time we were at the place. I complained a bit pulling the manager legs hehe, who turned out to be one of the guys in the next table hehe.

Let's see what new adventures come up with this new 2nd week as a student in Beijing hehe.

Now I have to go, around 150 chinese characters are waiting for me before going to bed hehe.

Tough luck!

Hey!

Today is July 12th. I will remember this day I think..
So many things went wrong today... sniff! sniff!

By starters, even before waking up, before opening my eyes, I was moving in the bed ( I use to move a lot and sometimes yes, you won't know but also talk asleep hehe, lately even in English oops! haha) and...
I felt a terrible pain in my right leg, to be more specific in my calf. It was really a serious one, very sharp... I woke up in the moment almost in tears...
I changed the position and started to fade and I felt asleep again, but not very deeply this time... so bad..
When I listened to my alarm clock, about 1 hour and a bit more later, I woke up and the pain was less but still there... =( So bad! I tried to go to the bathroom but I have to jump on one foot! No way to even stand with both feet on the ground. Unbelievable!

I started massaging and slowly felt a bit better, prepared for my lesson but of course, I arrived late, no way to hurry up hehe. Today we had dictation （听写）, almost every single morning we are checking the new words ! About 20-30 a day, but those are only the one who we check in the book, besides I have many more I don't know and the book supposes I do or either the teachers or my classmates comment hehe.

Learning Chinese could have some difficulties but I think also could be very good and it's a new mind set, which allows you to understand a new way of thinking, a new perspective or amples the existing one.

Well, after my 4 period class I was able to move a little bit better I went to eat with my new friend from Spain, Fangfang and her younger sister. They are Huaqiao ( 华侨),Overseas Chinese, Spanish-born and Spanish speakers and all, but both their parents are Chinese who emigrated long time ago before they even existed hehe.
The lunch was ok but the food in the canteen was not so good, sometimes I don't know but even when the ingredients are fresh and the food is nice, the people just make it look bad by the way they present it. Like if you were in prision or something...
Stainless iron trays and green colour (well this is a bit happy hehe) plastic chopsticks. Also the way they serve could be like throwing not very gently... Well, China needs to take care of such little details, besides that the flavor was ok. Decent. The price cheap as usual, 4 yuan for a tray with rice and veggies and all, around 0.50 USD.

I rested and today we were going to go for Mexican food hehe, I found the place in the web and was not so far from here, like 5 stops by bus. Paying with my wonderful transports card is only 40 ctvs of yuan, (si mao / si jiao) Wow!!!

But my friends and our teacher joined so we went by taxi..
God save us! The man looked at the address and shouted at us a clear "bu renshi" (不认识, I don't know = I'm not familiar) But we pushed him, gave him some hints about the places nearby and finally he agreed to take us but not very nicely and all the time talking to himself in a rude tone. Really I don't recommend you to take taxis in Beijing. I have never done it before, but I knew about their bad reputation and today was just a confirmation of this!

Finally he left us close by saying he didn't know more and we were crazy to be able to find such a number in the street, blah blah! And God's sake we are talking about a big street, not a tiny little one, but whatever! We walked and found the place..

The name was changed! Some of the old labels and decoration mostly were there! But... Not anymore a Mexican restaurant. Now is not "niña" but a Spicy Hot pot!!! (辣火锅= La Huoguo) That's not what we were looking for..... Sniff sniff!!!

The other 4 also had their own problems with the driver but arrived drenched in sweat!
We decided we will get another kind of food, we went next door and one table was broken, the AC too and the weather was not cool. Beijing is hot in the summer!!!

Finally we ended up eating pizza, at least that was good! hehe 98 kuai for three people package including:
+Any 12" pizza
+French fries
+Chicken wings
+Salad and
+3 bowls of corn cream soup

Yummy! hahaha... Well, happy ending hehe... Now time to go to bed hehe. Ciao!

See ya tom!