Cook sweets and hook up with a sweetie at The Hutong
It’s Friday night at The Hutong, and steam fogs the kitchen windows, sealing off the view of the courtyard. 14 men and women, coupled at random, lean against a long, wooden island, wearing Mao-blue aprons and the paper hats of short order cooks, which double as nametags. Each pair of potential life mates (or at least Facebook friends) has been given a recipe, a complimentary glass of wine and forty minutes to whip up a spicy Thai curry, classic Sichuan dish, or even a banana custard with chocolate sauce.

The final result might be a disaster, but that’s hardly the point at “Hook N’ Cook,” the latest singles scheme brewed up by Stacey Shine and Mark Thirwoll, the Aussie co-owners of The Hutong. This recently opened ‘cultural exchange center,’ located in a remodeled siheyuan just south of Guijie, offers weekly workshops on everything from tea appreciation to dream interpretation. But the courtyard really heats up on Friday nights when Beijing’s most eligible bachelors/ettes come in search of love—or a few cooking tips—at Hook N’ Cook, a DIY dinner party cum singles night.

“The whole cooking class set-up helps take the edge off meeting new people,” says Jane Pierini, a veteran Beijing ex-pat who’s looking to spice up her love life. “Asking the cute guy across the table to pass the peeler,” she admits, “beats the awkwardness of bad pickup lines and small talk.”

What she doesn’t mention is the uneven ratio of men to women at the table. “Of course there aren’t many boys,” says one Hutong regular, a Dutch girl named Monica who comes every Thursday for tango night. “This is a cooking class. Only girls are interested in cooking.”

The handful of guys at the table eat up the attention. “It’s better than chatting up gold diggers at Suzie Wong’s,” jokes Luke Mines, who came to pick up some cooking tips and scope out the scene as a potential subject for his hit web-TV series ‘Sexy Beijing.’ “There’s a nice warm feeling in here, and I’ve learned some good pointers about making pumpkin soup and steamed fish.”

Later, as dessert plates are cleared and wine glasses topped off, someone suggests moving the party to Alfa, where, if it hasn’t already, the recipe for romance might just pan out.

–Katharine Mitchell