Qingdao Octoberfest
wei1xiao4
September 15, 2008, 12:17 PM posted in General DiscussionThis weekeend (September 19-21) is "Octoberfest" in Qingdao. I'm attending with some associates from my husband's company. Has anyone gone before? Will any other C-poddies be attending? Do you think my Chinese will improve after a few rounds of beer tasting?
wei1xiao4
September 23, 2008, 01:12 AMOK, I'm back from Qingdao's Octoberfest with a report. 66 tons of beer were drunk Saturday evening! There was a "beer city" where all the top German brands had "beer hall" exhibition areas. They all had entertainment with live singers, dancers, bands. People would buy pitchers of beer at the various venues and sit at long tables drinking beer, eating everything imaginable (and some not imaginable) that could be cooked on a skewer, enjoying the entertainment. Beer brands were competing with each other to attract people to their venue. It was loud. Food stall cooks would dress up in costumes and perform to attract customers to buy their grilled skewers of meat. Sadam Hussein was even spotted(back from the dead)! It was mayhem. In addition to the beer houses there were lots of amusement park rides, big video screens, and new car promotions. It was quite a scene, great for young people. The Qingdao Beer Festival goes on for 16 days (started on Sept. 19) One entrance fee for all 16 days, 24 hours of beer drinking and entertainment activities. Of course, Tsingtao Beer was also available among the German, Belgian, and Sweedish brands that I saw. I didn't see any American brands represented. It was like a huge beer carnival. If you can't get there this year, check it out next year as it is a yearly event.
bababardwan
September 23, 2008, 01:51 AMProbably a silly question,but just like here in Oz,why is Octoberfest being held in September? Is it starting to get too cold in Qingdao or something?
tvan
September 23, 2008, 04:00 AMwei1xiao1, that doesn't answer the original question of your post. Did your Mandarin improve?
sushan
September 23, 2008, 05:41 AMAnd how do you say 'Octoberfest' in Chinese?
barryb
September 23, 2008, 06:42 AMgallons of beer+amusement park rides+new cars = pleasure+sickness+death
(See 2nd comment, wei1xiao4's lively report.)
Say "NO!" to Health and Safety fascism!
Live life! huo2zhe5! 活着!
tvan
September 15, 2008, 12:38 PMwei1xiao4, I can't offer any feedback on the Qingdao Octoberfest nor, regretfully, will I be there; but, if my experience is any guide, I can guarantee that a moderate of alcohol improves your Chinese, while a large quantity improves your perception thereof.
The idea of a Qingdao Octoberfest (Lunar calendar Oktoberfest?) at first struck me as unusual. Then again, they have them all over the U.S. as well. I guess the excuse to drink beer is one of those universal values.