Your Say – Graceful Lady Beate

中文版

Annie@SHVC: Hi Beate, tell us a bit about yourself and your stay in Shanghai,please.
Beate: well, I arrived mid-February 2005 and left end of December 2011 because my husband’s company called him back. I used my time to completely re-invent myself and to follow my passion and true calling by working as a coach. I studied long distance for my coach certification and learned as many healing modalities as possible. That was easy as so many wonderful practitioners came to Shanghai to teach. As I have lived a LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) for the past 30 years Shanghai was very challenging at the beginning. In 2005 organic food was more challenging to get then it is now, so it took me a while to figure it out, and soon I was known as the expert on organic shopping in my circle of friends. Eating vegetarian was also a bit more challenging then, but Jen Dow and Zao Zi Shu were already around then ;-)

Beate enjoying picking up her veggie at Bio Farm

Annie@SHVC: Are you a vegetarian or vegan? How long have you been?
Beate: I am ovo-lacto vegetarian, but I only eat organic free range eggs and limit my intake of dairy as I cannot digest it very well. I started limiting my meat consumption about 30 years ago, since November 1985 I have not eaten any meat or fish.

Annie@SHVC: What is the biggest challenge so far that you met being a vegetarian in China?
Beate: Ignorant waiters who refuse to follow my request of changing a dish a bit because leaving out the meat is “bu hao chi”, ignorant chefs who just “sprinkle a little bit of meat” over a dish, Chinese friends who order some “vegetables” for me and then they eat my veggies instead of the meat and fish that they ordered….I once took a plate of veggies and told them: “this is mine, if you want to eat veggies, order some more”. I know that was rude, but I was hungry and fed up with fighting for my food. Not being able to read labels in order to check if food is suitable for me….I could go on ;-)

Annie@SHVC: So besides eating healthily, I know you’re also into Pilates, which is not very common in China yet, when did you start it? Have you also tried yoga? How do you like both?
Beate: I stopped Yoga about 30 years ago, after about 1 year of practicing or so. Tried it in Shanghai again when I met a very nice Yoga teacher, but found that it is not the right thing for me. I started Pilates only in 2011 after I stumbled over an article about Synapse Pilates Studio in Pudong and had private sessions working on the Reformer with Derrick. I became more flexible and also noticed that certain movements helped me unblock both physically and emotionally. Pilates was the right way of exercising for me and I can highly recommend Derrick as a personal trainer.

Annie@SHVC: As a graceful and successful lady,with a lot of accomplishment in your life, how did you deal with the age issues? I think a lot of ladies here are really worried about getting old… me included. @_@
Beate: Hehe, thank you for calling me graceful and lady ;-) What is an age issue? The beauty about being older is that it is very liberating. I am not getting old, I am getting more mature, like a good red wine or aged cheese – I love it. At a certain age there are certain things that I do not have to do any more. I feel comfortable to tell people if I disagree. I do not have to suck my belly in any more when wearing a bathing suit ;-) I know that this is my belly of wisdom. In the Metro I do tell young people to give up their seats for elderly people, when I was younger I gave up my seat instead. When you look into my face you can see that I have lived, there a lines that tell a story. Every age has its beauty, once we understand that what we see in the media is not real (what we see there is a lot of make up and photoshop) life gets easier. In ancient societies people turned to the respected Elders when they needed some sound advice, and movies like “Harold and Maude” can help you get a new perspective on aging. Believe me: your best years are yet to come, just make sure to eat healthily, get enough sleep and exercise your brain as well as your body, surround yourself with young people to stay young at heart and up-to-date with the world’s development. Remember that you are the master of your fate.

Annie@SHVC: That’s definitely very sound advice! Ok,last but not least, what is your fav dish or restaurant in Shanghai?
Beate: It used to be Jen Dow for special occasions and Zao Zi Shu for every day. But then opened KUSH, and that is my favorite, favorite, favorite eatery now, I still miss it and am looking for something similar here in Hamburg. Their Raw Power Salad is just awesome. A perfect meal for me is half a salad and half a Roasted Veggie Red Pepper Hummus wrap. Among the non-veg restaurants Yuxin Sichuan Dish at 3/F Plaza 96 in Pudong is my favorite one. Great food, waitresses even check with the kitchen if a dish is really suitable for vegetarians, nice outdoor area.

 
优雅的Beate女士

译者：Song
校对：Dreamer

Annie@SHVC: 你好Beate，请给我们讲一下你自己及你在上海的这段日子。
Beate: 嗯，我是2005年2月中旬到的上海，2011年12月离开的，因为我丈夫的公司让他回去。在那段期间，我对我自己进行彻底的挖掘，听从自己的热情和天职成为一个教练。我为了得到资格认证花了很长的时间去学习，并且尽可能地多去学习康复理疗。这很容易，很多优秀的从业人员也来上海授课。过去的30年我都过着乐活的生活方式（健康和可持续性的生活方式），刚来上海的时候上海，这非常具有挑战性。2005年，那个时期有机食品的发展比现在更困难，所以我用了一些时间去弄明白，很快，在我的朋友圈子里面我几乎成为了有机食品的专家。在当时，吃素还是有那么一点挑战性，但人道素菜欢喜斋和枣子树已经开始了一段时间。

Annie@SHVC:你是素食主义者还是纯素者？有多长时间了？
Beate:我是蛋奶素，但是我只吃放养的有机鸡蛋，而且由于我对乳制品的消化不太好，所以我控制我对牛奶的摄入。大约在30年前我开始节制对肉类的食用，从1985年11月开始，我就再也没有吃过任何肉类和鱼类。

Annie@SHVC:迄今为止，作为一个在中国的素食主义者，你遇到最大的挑战是什么？
Beate: 一些无知的服务员会拒绝我更改菜式的要求，因为他们觉得没有肉“不好吃”，一些无知的厨师也会在菜上面“撒上一些肉”，我的一些中国朋友给我点的“素菜”，然后他们都吃点的素菜，而不吃他们点的肉和鱼。有一次，我点了一盘素菜，我告诉他们：“这是我点的，如果你们要吃，另外再点。”我知道那样不太礼貌，但是那时候我太饿了，实在不想去争抢一盘菜。还有看不懂中文食品标签来了解食物是否适合我等等这些，我可以一直说下去;-)

Annie@SHVC: 那么除了健康饮食，我也知道你常常练习普拉提，但是在中国还不是特别流行，你什么时候开始的呢？你试过练习瑜伽吗？都喜欢吗？
Beate: 我30年前就没有练习瑜伽了，大概只练习了一年就停下了。我之前在上海认识了个非常好的瑜伽老师，所以我又开始了，但是我发现瑜伽对我来说并不是那么适合，我开始练普拉提是在2011年，当时我无意中看到一篇关于浦东的瑞怡菩拉提工作室的文章，有Derrick 经过改良的私人课程。我开始变得更灵活，并发现某些动作帮我打开了身心。普拉提对我来说是非常好的运动方式，我也强烈推荐普拉提私人教练Derrick 。

Annie@SHVC: 作为一位优雅、成功的女性，在你的生活当中有很多的成就，那么你是怎么样看待年龄的问题呢？我觉得有很多女性朋友都很在意担心自己变老，包括我。
Beate:呵呵，谢谢你的称赞！年龄问题是指哪方面？容貌变老是一种释放，而我不是慢慢在变老，而是更加成熟，像一瓶极好的红酒或者陈年奶酪—我喜欢这样。在一定的年龄有那个年龄该做的事，我没有去做更多别的事。如果我不同意，我会非常乐意告诉别人。而且当我穿着浴衣的时候我也不用收腹了。我知道，这是一种智慧。在地铁里，我会告诉年轻人让座给老人，但在我年轻的时候，我反而没有这样做过。当你凝视着我的脸的时候，你会看见我过去走过的路，它也会讲述我的故事。每个年龄层次都有它不同的美，一旦我们知道了在电视上看见的都是假象（化妆技术及电脑修图技术），生活就会变得很容易。在古代社会，当人们需要一些中肯的建议的时候会去找受尊敬的长者，在电影《哈洛与慕德》中，可以帮助你在关于年龄的问题上了解更多。相信我：你最好的年华还没有到来，保持健康的饮食，充足的睡眠，锻炼身体，丰富自己的思想，围绕在年轻人周围，保持年轻的心态，时刻跟随世界发展的步伐。记住，命运是由你自己主宰。

Annie@SHVC: 非常中肯的建议！好了，最后一个问题，在上海你最喜欢的菜是什么或者哪家餐馆你最喜欢？
Beate: 在以前，特别的聚会我去人道素菜欢喜斋，每天都去枣子树。后来开了一家KUSH,那是我最喜欢的餐厅，到现在我依然很怀念那家餐厅，我也在汉堡寻找类似的餐厅。他们的力量生色拉非常棒。对我而言，完美的一顿饭是一半沙拉，一半是烤红辣椒鹰嘴豆泥包。在非素食餐厅中，浦东96广场三楼的渝信川菜是我最喜欢的一家。非常棒的食物，服务员甚至会去厨房看看是否菜真的适合素食者，户外的环境也是非常好的。