beth555, you're not in much danger of mistakenly ordering a plate of fried scorpion in a Beijing restaurant. Don't forget to go to a Beijing Duck restaurant - the popular ones attract plenty of tourists and expats and you'll have no problem. We went to the Li Qun (pronounced something like "lee choon"), SW of Tian'an Men Square. I hope it hasn't been demolished in the Great Hutong Purge.

At the Forbidden City you can hire an audio guide at one end and return it at the other, and buy a guidebook too. They might well be more reliable than a personal guide.

No personal guide is necessary. It might make it a bit easier to have a translator, but unnecessary. If you do hire a guide, you must be vigilant for any reference to tourist traps/scams such as jade factories, silk factories, art galleries, and tea ceremonies. At the Forbidden City, be aware that the audio tour does not allow you to repeat, and starts automatically, sometimes before you are at the site being mentioned. I found this difficult and did not get much out of it, preferring my written tour book.

Did anyone catch the name of the restaurant that Anthony Bourdain went to in Beijing for the 22 meter long Noodles?

Noodle Loft.

Noodle Loft: I definitely want to go there!

Monica ((F))