Certainly, the Kempi deli is another fine joint but the feel is too rich, almost like a Gustav Klimt painting – a bit overdone in price and glitz. It's certainly swank and the service is actually quite nice inside the Kempi deli: the hard part is scampering through the lobby and feeling out of place if you aren't a self styled heiress or a diplomat trailed by a simpering entourage. For a member of the non-millionaire masses, to eat a napoleon and sip an Americano at the Kempi requires courage and confidence as well as a thick wallet.

At the other extreme, slaloming down the slippery mountain of sweet success, are a whole bagful of wanna be bread shops with European names like "Paris Patisserie" or silly names like "Honey Puff" and "Bread Talk". Even lower are a series of Chinese chains, some with Europeanized names such as Tous Les Jours or Chinese Names Duo Le Zhi Ri (多樂之日, Happy Every Day) or Wei Duo Mei (味多美, Much Taste and Beauty) or even Holiland (好利來(lái)).

Moving back upward a sizable notch above these pretenders is the Moscow Bakery. They offer bland but edible breads that aren't pumped up with sugar and oils like the Chinese versions. The Moscow Restaurant operates this shop and they offer discounts after 6:30 PM.

Several notches even higher rests the South German Bakery (really a family style restaurant) on aptly named Lucky Street. The dark rye breads are pricey but truly the staff of life and their white, lighter wheats are good too. Their cakes are rich, beautiful and reasonable. And hey, if you ever crave a nice sauerkraut meal with a good piece of bread to use as a way to mop up your plate, this is the place to go.

Traditionally Chinese have lived on rice and noodles; western people have lived on bread and chocolate. Everyone's talking about globalization: well, in Beijing, along any street or boulevard, residents and tourists may choose from a very wide variety of foodstuffs from both cultural categories. Bon appetit!