China. 1970s. China had opened to the West for some time.
China. 1970s. China had opened to the West for some time.
I was part of a tour group.
Our first appointment led us to an institute in Beijing for a business dinner. The time of the spittoon was not quite over, for us from the West this was an entirely new habit.
We had tasty food – among other things there was the famous Peking duck.
I was sitting next to the host so a special honor awaited me: eating the duck’s head. Everyone looked at me. In order to respect the host and culture I picked up my chopsticks and fulfilled my duty. Loud cheers from the rest of the table loosened up the unfamiliar feeling.
To this day, we still have a friendly relationship with our hosts.
