Inebriation is as much a
part of millennia-old Chinese culture and history as drinking tea. The Chinese share toasts for good health and
happiness; they get drunk to celebrate joyous occasions and to seal business
deals; they drink for ceremonial or night capping purposes. As a laowai looking for a Chinese wife, you
should expect to share more than a few drinks with your future wife’s father
and to join in “spirited” family celebrations.
Especially if you’re only an occasional drinker, you may want to
familiarize yourself – your taste buds and your bloodstream – with the
different types of Chinese alcohol.
There are two general types of Chinese spirits: white/clear
liquors (made from sorghum), or baiju, and yellow liquors (made from rice,
millet, or wheat), or huangjiu.
Baiju is also
known as fire water. Though the Chinese
regularly drink this distilled liquor during family dinners and celebrations,
at home or in restaurants, or with friends and colleagues (in much the same way
that westerners drink beer), most foreigners find its taste very unfavorable,
at best, or just downright painful, at worst.
In fact, author Tim Clissold said this of most foreigners’
experience drinking China’s most popular drink, “after drinking it, most people
screw up their faces in an involuntary expression of pain and some even yell
out.”
One of the most common jokes among foreigners is that if
they start enjoying a glass of baiju, then they’ve probably been in China too
long. At first sip, Baiju has a subtle
sweet flavor that will make you think “It’s not as bad as people say.” But the drink has not earned the nickname
“fire water” for nothing. The liquor
comes in 80% to 120% proof (40%-60% alcohol) and actually tastes more like
rubbing alcohol or diesel fuel, depending on the brand and proof. Popular varieties of Baiju include: Fen jiu,
Zhu Ye Qing jiu, Mao Tai jiu, Gao Liang jiu, Da Gujiu, and ErGuoTou.
Huangjiu is liquor
that is also widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. This “yellow wine/liquor” actually varies in
color, from clear to beige, to yellowish-brown, or reddish-brown; it has less
than 20% alcohol and, unlike Baiju, is not made through distillation.
This liquor is often served during ceremonies and special
occasions, such as during the birth of a child, engagements and weddings, and
funerals; it is also sometimes used in cooking.
The different varieties of Huangiu are classified according to their
levels of dryness and sweetness, and also based on the production method and
the started used.
Popular Huangjiu include Mijiu (which is similar to Japanese
sake), Fujian glutinous rice wine (which uses many expensive medicinal herbs),
Shaoxing wine (often used in cooking), and Liaojiu (which is another common
cooking wine).
Pijiu is Chinese
beer and, just like most other beers, was introduced by the Germans. Chinese beers have the same light taste as,
but come in bigger bottles than, their western counterparts. China’s number one ale is Tsingtao, which
originates from Qingdao, Shandong Province.
Local brands can also be found in most cities and provinces.
Chinese men are known to drink heavily at all times of the
day; drinking and driving are a common habit so always cross the streets extra-carefully. When you finally meet your future Chinese
wife’s family, it would be impolite to refuse a drink offered to you, as well
as the refills. So remember to pace
yourself, especially if you’re not a heavy drinker. And make sure you’ve had your fill during
dinner so as to slow down the effects of alcohol. You might as well learn one or two toasts in
Chinese, too!
Discover tons of great information about Chinese women and Chinese dating
on the blogs, magazine and forum of ChinaLoveMatch.net (the home of trusted Chinese dating),
where international men and Chinese women share their life experiences and bare
their souls to give you the real goods on love, cross-cultural relationships,
and all things Chinese.
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