Jo Fish and Gay Bar
Went to 1,001 Nights last night with a bunch of friends. Food was good as usual and FINALLY I managed to take pictures of the legendary Jo Fish. The first time we came across this lovely orange smiley fish was back in 2002 in the now chai'ed Durty Nellies in South Sanlitun. I guess I was somewhat more rotund back in the day and bore an uncanny resemblance to the fish which my friends named after me. Judge for yourself:
After dinner we were deciding where to go. Two among our group of friends were a gay couple and they request to go to a gay bar. I was all up for it! Gay bars are the stuff of legend: beautiful, unattainable, impossibly well-groomed, impeccably dressed men who knew how to dance and have a good time. From San Francisco to Miami, East Coast to West Coast (note to self: have been spending too much time with Americans of late. Must undergo rehabilitation in the company of more like-minded Brits), the gay scene IS the ultimate party scene. I was sooo ready for it.
But I forgot one crucial detail - Beijing isn't quite Berlin. We got to Destination, joined the back of what looked like a queue only to be brushed aside by a crowd of burly, tight vest wearing, fugly Chinese gay men. Look on the bright side though - I've found a new subgroup to abuse. Control freak corporate women were soooo last Monday.
Got into the club and observed the mostly Chinese crowd while we were waiting for our drinks. I was terribly, terribly crushed. I thought gay bars are full of eye candy. As Max pointed out, they just look like Chinese men anywhere else. In other words, unattractive, badly dressed and all with that awful flat top haircut. They were as tactile as any other straight, homophobic Chinese man who may or may not be slightly in denial. I like Ross' statement about a guy he met that he was so far back in the closet he's the Mayor of Narnia.
But I digress. To be fair, they did dance a lot better than straight Chinese men, but I don't see them auditioning as back-up dancers for Kylie or Madonna anytime soon. Maybe it was a slow night but Destination really did not do any justice to the legend of outrageously flamboyant gay bars.
After dinner we were deciding where to go. Two among our group of friends were a gay couple and they request to go to a gay bar. I was all up for it! Gay bars are the stuff of legend: beautiful, unattainable, impossibly well-groomed, impeccably dressed men who knew how to dance and have a good time. From San Francisco to Miami, East Coast to West Coast (note to self: have been spending too much time with Americans of late. Must undergo rehabilitation in the company of more like-minded Brits), the gay scene IS the ultimate party scene. I was sooo ready for it.
But I forgot one crucial detail - Beijing isn't quite Berlin. We got to Destination, joined the back of what looked like a queue only to be brushed aside by a crowd of burly, tight vest wearing, fugly Chinese gay men. Look on the bright side though - I've found a new subgroup to abuse. Control freak corporate women were soooo last Monday.
Got into the club and observed the mostly Chinese crowd while we were waiting for our drinks. I was terribly, terribly crushed. I thought gay bars are full of eye candy. As Max pointed out, they just look like Chinese men anywhere else. In other words, unattractive, badly dressed and all with that awful flat top haircut. They were as tactile as any other straight, homophobic Chinese man who may or may not be slightly in denial. I like Ross' statement about a guy he met that he was so far back in the closet he's the Mayor of Narnia.
But I digress. To be fair, they did dance a lot better than straight Chinese men, but I don't see them auditioning as back-up dancers for Kylie or Madonna anytime soon. Maybe it was a slow night but Destination really did not do any justice to the legend of outrageously flamboyant gay bars.
posted by Jo at 10:39 AM
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