Visit Home

My first trip home in 10 months. I left last July and chose to dart from one country to another instead of going home during my many vacations. Would I suffer the reverse culture shock everyone is predicting after being away for all this time?

My first stop was San Francisco. Time was of the essence – I only had two days here, so Maria picked me up and we went straight to Napa after eating a huge American breakfast of omelet and waffles. During breakfast, I slipped up a few time and reverted to Chinglish even though I was no longer in China and it became increasingly obvious that my English has deteriorated quite a bit. The prices were quite a shock compared to Beijing, but I took it all in stride.

Napa was beautiful – hill after hill covered with grape vineyards in neat rows complete with dark green trees dotting the landscape. The sky was a gorgeous shade of blue, a color that is highly coveted in Beijing, but rarely delivered due to the pollution. Fresh air was a real treat. We stopped by 3 wineries in all, starting with bubbly champagnes (including my first rose-colored one) at the Frank Family Vineyards. We moved on to magnificent views atop the Sterling Winery, a veritable grown-up playground complete with a tram to carry you to the top of the hill that offered stunning vistas of Napa, where we slowly sipped our whites and reds while soaking in the lovely weather.

That night, we had dinner at La Strada in Palo Alto. Julie met us there along with Maria’s boyfriend Cem. Brian and Jaime, both GSB students who I traveled with last summer, joined us for drinks at the end. Julie and I drove into San Francisco afterwards and I stayed with her in her adorable new apartment.

We spent the following day in San Francisco, sampling the gourmet goodies at the Ferry Building. We had a delicious lunch of oysters and a divine grilled cheese sandwich made with cheese from Cow Girl Creamery. We even bought some cheese to give to Lisa. We met up with Grace post lunch, ate gelato and took a walk around one of San Fran’s neighborhoods. Still stuffed, we went to Bar Tartine for dinner where I tried sweetbread for the first time. The beet salad, shrimp and sashimi dishes were all delicious but the cheese plate was the real winner. I really missed good cheese in China. Julie dropped me off at the airport and then I was off to New York City.

I arrived home home and it felt fabulous. I really missed my friends and family. I visited friends and ate – a ton. It’s hard not to go crazy over all the amazing foods that I can’t get back in Beijing in the culinary Mecca that is NYC. Mom cooked a couple of amazing home-cooked meals for me that day. The next day, I met Karen’s boyfriend who checked my eyes (they were fine despite the fact I cracked one of my contacts), met my mom for dim sum in Flushing, and then headed to midtown for drinks at the Monkey Bar with Hillary and dinner with friends at Fig & Olive. The small plates we shared – figs, olives, olive oil, more olive oil, jamon, cheese, bite-sized crostinis with salmon, sundried tomatoes and more – were all yummy.

I had lunch with Joan at a Japanese restaurant the following day where I chowed down sushi without worries. Drinks at Volstead later that evening was followed by an amazing meal at Adour Alain Ducasse with Lisa and Melissa. We sampled scallops, beef and lamb as well as a variety of interesting vegetables, and of course, cheese and dessert. The macaroons in particular were spectacular and they gave me some to take home. My last day in New York comprised lunch with Bob at a homey midtown Italian place, and dinner at home with Mom.

I left for Boston the next morning and arrived just in time for pad thai at 9 Tastes with Kelly and Huang Laoshi. It was as good as I remembered. I attended some HBS events before dinner with Kelly and Ming. Burgers was followed by divine dessert at Finale for the HBS healthcare club’s event. But my 3 days in Boston were specifically for visiting HBS, and thus, did not center around eating. It consisted of the expected awkward introductions and conversations with future classmates but the big surprise was the faculty. They were hysterical and I think classes will be entertaining come this Fall.
I rushed back to NYC afterwards to pack and eat one last meal with Mom, who made my favorite sticky rice dish for the occasion. The next morning, I was off to Japan. It was a whirlwind 9 days.