So after we went to the Forbidden City we had worked up quite an appetite. Heidi said she knew the perfect place for some "authentic Chinese food". She took us to a street lined with vendors. They set up their booths everyday at about 4 pm and are open until late into the night. It is very popular with the locals. We got there right after they had begun selling their goods so there was LOTS to choose from. Unfortunately we didn't recognize most of what they were offering. But it was super entertaining to walk along and take photos and be shocked and somewhat disturbed as I moved from stall to stall. As you can see from my photos, they do a beautiful job of presenting the food... it looks very aesthetically appealing. Since I have been home I have had some of the items identified and I am glad I didn't know what they were when I was there! Here are some of the tasty treats for sale: star fish fried in shark oil, squid, octapus, baby sharks, sea urchins, silk worms, dog livers served with veggies, testicles (excuse me!), goat lungs... how are you doing so far?!
There were some delicious normal foods there too! Grilled corn on the cob, yummy pineapple, watermelon, strawberries, bananas on a stick covered in some kind of Karo syrup that is glazed over the fruit. I chose an over-sized pot-sticker-like dumpling that was honestly the BEST I have ever eaten!!! Heidi got a picture of it for me but I haven't gotten her pictures yet so I can't post it here for you to enjoy -- trust me it was great! We were there on day 4 of our trip and I was hoping to get back there another time before we left but we never came close again. I was really glad we got to have this delightful authentic experience at least once!
1 comment:
Yuck! Sorry, but I think I'd go hungry before eating any of those Chinese delicacies. Maybe I'd try the fruit, but I think I'll become a vegetarian just from looking at the photos.
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