Kind of made me think of my first (and only, non-layover) visit to Beijing. Also ate food in the alleyways. This was only 8 years ago. It's sad that this experience is lost to time.

I did go to China again last year. Even in remote non-Beijing towns there's a Starbucks or two now.

What can we do against this globalized sameness? How can we uphold traditions in our own countries, to not let them succumb to these trite business models?