According to The New York Times, some Chinese officials are now requiring party cadres to submit to sobriety tests in the afternoons in an effort to curtail baijiu-soaked “liquid lunches”. The reasoning behind the measure is sound- these lunches are paid for by the public purse, and having a large amount of government officials spending the afternoons drunk doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence in Communist Party competence.
I doubt very many foreigners will shed a tear if baijiu becomes less prevalent in formal Chinese settings. All of us have a story of being invited to such a lunch, forced to eat an assortment of bizarre and unappetizing food, and subjected to round after round of baijiu toasts. I learned to cope by thinking of baijiu as a rite of passage of sorts, akin to walking across hot coals. No one would actually drink it for, you know, the taste.
The article remains somewhat vague about the scope of this measure, and I can’t imagine “liquid lunches” will be eradicated in full anytime soon. Drinking remains an integral part of Chinese (and East Asian) business culture, and I doubt the Western model of imbibing frappucinos with prospective clients will be adopted anytime soon. What do you think?
One of the things that took me a long time to get in the habit of doing was being on guard for drunk driving in the middle of the day.
I mean, at night (particularly weekends), it’s just ingrained in me to consider it when I’m crossing roads and judging traffic – but day-time DUIs is just something you only get on Springer back West…
Sobering up the officials is a damn smart move, and who knows, shit might actually get done.
Yeah I certainly won’t miss Baijiu lunches. The way I get around it is by saying that my stomach isn’t strong enough for more than one or two shots, but I’m quite willing to drink red wine. Then the Chinese party usually orders an expensive bottle of red wine — letting them keep face and letting me avoid a nasty hangover.
J.
Tell you this much, I found out of another Chinese hard liquor that I hated even worse than baijiu… I got to try another hard alcohol called ‘huangjiu’ that tasted helluva lot worse. Could’ve been a poor version, but nonetheless, I was able to stomach the worst of baijiu… couldn’t do it for huangjiu.
I really like when the boss comes back to work after one of these… “Oh yes, our logistical problem is now no problem”
I suppose it’s better for health and safety (and for the number of times people have asked me if I like white wine and then told me baijiu is “chinese white wine”) but I kind of like the magic baijiu way of getting things done in China.
Huang Jiu can actually be quite good (try aged Shaoxing warmed up) and is not as strong as Bai Jiu. Must have been the poor version.
I can definitely see the facility of using baijiu (or alcohol in general) in business settings. Being willing to have a drink (or few) with someone indicates a willingness to engage them in something more than the most perfunctory conversation. Think of our personal relationships, too. I find that friendships are most commonly cemented over a drinking session, even one that doesn’t involve getting absolutely trashed. Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone and I’ve made many a fine friend in other ways, but as someone who likes a drink now and then I can see the utility of using alcohol as a trust/bonding tool.
That being said, substituting beer or red wine sounds much better- will have to try that John!
One for globalization, zero for Baijiu
@John: Fantastic suggestion re: red wine substitute. My fear of these lunches just dropped.
@Demerzel: I have to agree with Laisee, I find huangjiu MUCH more palatable than baijiu (not tried it slightly warmed). Huangjiu actually reminded me of a slightly headier version of Soju (sp?)
@Matt: I agree – the (stark red) line would be between having a pint to seal the deal and having enough baijiu so you don’t even remember the deal.
@Ben: Baijiu has no place in the NWO! 😉
Wooohoo! More baijiu for the rest of us… wait, that’s not a good thing. So, what effect will this have on bureaucracy? Will more government work get accomplished? Try not to laugh too much at those questions.
Must just be a taste thing then–guess I don’t mind the vinegar, I mean baijiu, taste.
It’s the taxi drivers who take liquid lunches that frighten me to death. Here in the south there is a delightful seasonal variation of Baijiu called Yangmei Jiu. It tastes exactly the same as Baijiu, except they drop a load of Yangmei berries (don’t know the English name) in it and it turns red.
If you think Beijing gov’t officials will seriously do something about drinking baijiu, you certainly do not know the Beijing people.
If you don’t like drinking baijiu perhaps another “overseas” post with your company would have been more suitable 😉
@ Ryan: red wine in china? What next, Americans giving up their cars for urban living :/
Hmmmm. I actually like the taste of baijiu. It’s definitely got something on tequila in the flavour department. Does this mean I have to surrender my laowai card?