Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Real or Real Fake: Booze in Beijing


The first time someone in Beijing warned me about fake alcohol, I thought they were kidding.

You really mean that bars willing knowingly serve their patrons “fake” alcohol to save money?

You bet. One of my friends explained me the difference between the normal alcohol you drink

and the “fake” stuff shady bars occasionally serve. Both will get you drunk, but the fake stuff

we leave you with the worst hangover of your life. Out with friends, I once only consumed

three beers only to awaken the next day with a hangover so terrible it made the room spin.

The “fake” phenomenon quickly explained the Chinese preference for bottled over draft beer.

Also it reinforces the west’s caricature of China as the world’s provider of counterfeit goods.

Sometimes in China, even the beer is fake. But trust me the hangover is all too real.

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