Beijing: A Culinary Experience

In China, Labor Day falls on May 1st (a Wednesday this year) and so we were allotted a whopping three-day vacation which, due to my awesome schedule, became a four-and-a-half-day vacation instead. And, since this is my last semester here, I know I’ve got to take advantage of each vacation I get. So, on Saturday evening, I boarded the train for Beijing where I stayed with my good friend Dave (who now lives in Beijing) and had an unbelievable time.

I did a lot in Beijing, but I think what stood out the most was the crazy (and unexpected) variety of food I ate while I was there. Therefore, I’d like to dedicate this blog post to Dave’s and my culinary tour through Beijing, where we stumbled upon some bizarre, random, and, most importantly, delicious meals.

Read on to see what this is...

It all started on Sunday during lunch. Dave and I came across a little restaurant (called “David’s,” so obviously we had to go) where we dined on freshly prepared sandwiches, loaded with fresh vegetables, savory meat and melted cheese. And, let me tell you, cheese is a big deal in China. The best part of the sandwiches though had to be the bread – it was some sort of Ciabatta bread, with a tough crust but wonderfully soft center, and it complimented the sandwiches perfectly. Yum.

Dave's Sandwich

And my sandwich!

On Sunday night, we found ourselves in one of Beijing’s most legitimate African restaurants (I’m not even kidding). One of Dave’s Beijing friends suggested the restaurant, so the six of us (two married couples, Dave and I) ventured down an unknown alley towards Turay’s African Restaurant. Our waiter was a vivacious African man from Cameroon, and he had no problem pointing out the best/most African dishes available. Dave (the most adventurous one in the group) went full-on African, ordering a ball of “bread” with which to eat his beef and sauce mixture (which has a name, but I cannot remember it). The “bread” was really like a large lump of dough with very little flavor – its main purpose is to act as the utensil. You simply rip off a chunk of the bread with your fingers, use it to scoop up some of that sauce/meat and then shove it all in your mouth. I tried some of Dave’s dish, and while the beef and sauce was surprisingly good, the bread dough was really sticky and a little too messy for my taste.

"We are all Africa" - Shakira

My meal was essentially the same idea as Dave’s, except I got rice instead of bread and a different type of sauce with my beef. The waiter told me that the sauce I got is the most popular in Cameroon, and if I didn’t like the dish, then I should never visit his home country. The sauce, called Ndolé, was green and made up of bitter leaf greens, meat and peanut paste. It certainly had a distinct taste, but overall it wasn’t bad!

Our next culinary adventure took place the following afternoon in an Indian restaurant called Ganges. We started off with a round of samosas and some mango lassi to drink. Then came the naan (three different types: Butter, wheat and “flying”) and Indian curries (which, I have decided, I prefer to Thai curry). Both the chicken and the lamb curry tasted excellent (especially on top of the naan) and it was hard to stop ourselves from over-eating. Instead, we saved room for dessert in the form of mango Indian ice cream. Indian ice cream comes out in little frozen cubes, and while it is similar to normal ice cream, there was something unique about the texture – I could almost describe it as chewy. Nevertheless, it was a perfect cold treat on a surprisingly warm day.

On Monday night, we (finally) ate some Chinese food at a little place right across from where Dave lives/works. Wearing a plastic glove to keep sanitary, we tore into some basic ribs. On the side, we munched on some pork and shrimp dumplings, both of which were really well-made (also, I LOVE dumplings, so we really couldn’t go wrong). 

Tuesday’s lunch was probably my least favorite – I don’t even think I took a picture of it. Lunch was included as a part of the Great Wall tour I took, and it wasn’t anything special.

I did eat a Snickers on the Great Wall though...
Keepin' it American. 

Tuesday’s dinner however, took Dave and I down the road from his place to a fancy-schmancy Sichuan restaurant (aka: spicy food). Dave is a huge fan of spicy food, so when I told him that my spice tolerance has seriously increased, he took advantage of it immediately. It turns out the restaurant we went to is pretty well known – supposedly people like Hillary Clinton and Margaret Thatcher have dined there. Our Sichuan feast began with two giant prawns doused in a sweet and spicy sauce – they were amazing. The rest of our meal consisted of the classic KumgPao Chicken (complete with dozens of peppers and cashews), some very fresh sautéed greens (so fresh they tasted like the dirt they just came from – not so nice) and some Sichuan-style dumplings (again, it’s hard to go wrong with dumplings). This was probably the best Chinese meal I’ve had all semester.

My last major meal in Beijing was definitely the most exciting. Dave took me out to a restaurant specializing in Guizhou dishes (Guizhou is a rural province in the southwest of China – its also among the poorer of the provinces; it’s pronounced “Gway-Joe”). This meal was exciting for a few reasons. For one, the first place Dave ever lived in China was Guizhou (he was a Peace Corps volunteer out there), so it was really fun for him to share part of that experience with me. The other exciting part of this meal was the main dish: Dog. In case you don’t remember, eating dog is number ten on my list of new-year’s goals for 2013, so I was really pumped to finally check that one off the list.

Dave, doin' what he does best.

The first part of our Guizhou meal was a pot of steaming hot chrysanthemum tea. I’m not always a fan of flower teas, but I learned that in Guizhou, tea is often sweetened with large chunks of sugar (which is way more my style), so I actually enjoyed it. Then came out a large pot full of broth, herbs and some veggies, which they placed over a portable hot plate on our table. Then, slices of raw dog meat were added to the broth along with some fresh cabbage. While waiting for the meat to cook, we stirred up our dipping sauces made up of garlic, peanuts, peanut sauce, cilantro and possibly a few other ingredients. Once the stew reached a consistent boil, it was time to dig in! I grabbed myself a piece of dog, dunked it around in the sauce, and popped it in my mouth. And you won’t believe this – it wasn’t half bad. Really, it tasted like any other dark meat. I’d probably eat it again if I were given the chance (sorry dog-lovers).

Along with the dog hot-pot, we also ate a spicy pork and tofu dish – quite similar to Sichuan food. And, to round off the meal, Dave ordered a side of  zhe ergen - one of the most common foods in Guizhou, and rumored to be responsible for the lack of SARS among Guizhou residents ten years ago. Unfortunately, zhe ergen is probably the worst food I’ve eaten in China (sorry Dave). It’s some sort of root, and to say it tasted like dirt would be a compliment. I imagine that if you ate a small, bitter chunk of bark, it would taste a lot like this stuff. The only reason it was even tolerable was because of the layer of spice on it, which was able to slightly mask the displeasing flavor. I’m hoping it’s something I’ll never have to eat again (again, sorry Dave), but I am certainly glad I tried it… or am I?

Ya naaasty.

What did I learn from my culinary experience in Beijing? That Dave is the perfect host if you’re willing to try some different types of food (Thank you, Dave!! You will forever be my favorite dining partner). Also, I’ve realized just how much I’ve changed – from a picky girl who wouldn’t eat anything unfamiliar, to a woman seeking out the most bizarre cuisines available. And, hopefully, I’m makin’ my momma proud!

This guy knows how to eat right, y'all. 

Happy eating, everyone – may all your chi be hao chi.