Eating and Drinking, Beijing

The Y files, where Y stands for "yummy!".

Dumplings, another thing I simply had to eat while in China. Now, these dumplings were different than the ones I'm used to.

The ones I had in China are called jiaozi and are a thin piece of dough filled with pork, vegetables, fish, you name it - and then boiled, steamed or fried. They were so delicious that I had them 3 times =)

While waiting for our train to Badaling, we were walking around and found this KFC. We stopped by and had something to eat when one of us (VT globe_trekker) ordered hot orange juice. I tried it and it tasted like watered down orange soda.

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The Wangfujing Night Market has a selection of exotic Street food on the Snack Street. Deep fried insects, scorpions, and sea creatures can be found, along with other animals and animal parts not ordinarily consumed as food in the west. Because of this, the stalls are a bit of a novelty for both us westerners and, also, for Chinese. You'll find a great number of people pulling horrible faces at what’s on offer plus those daring to try one of the sticks that contains an insect (which can be still moving!). All of this means that it's also a big draw for having your photo taken with people handing insect sticks near their mouths!

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It is thought that Beijing roast duck, like the tradition of roast turkey in America and the UK, owes its origin to the roast goose that is still popular in Europe on festive occasions. Westerners like Marco Polo brought certain European customs to China and may have introduced the concept of roasting poultry to their Chinese hosts during the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368). Ducks had long been domesticated in China and the plump ducks proved to be an excellent substitute for goose. However, there is another school of thought based upon certain records that show roast duck has a much longer history dating back as far as the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420 - 589). Up until the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 - 1279), ducks were roasted in the area around Jinling, today's Nanjing. However, the later Yuan Dynasty rulers moved their capital city to Beijing from Jinling and took with them their cuisine thus making roast duck popular in the city that was eventually to make it its very own specialty.

Preparation:
Firstly, a suitable White Beijing Duck will be chosen for preparation. After the bird has been plucked, air is pumped between its skin and flesh. A small incision is made for the removal of the entrails.

Secondly, and once the bird has been thoroughly cleaned, a wooden skewer is inserted through it to facilitate its hanging and ultimate heating; the body cavity is filled with water and the incision that had been made is closed.

Thirdly, the skin of the duck is air dried and brushed with a layer of sugar.

Fourthly, the duck is then put into a large oven, using a smokeless hardwood fuel and heating to about 270 degrees Centigrade for 30 to 40 minutes. The duck is turned frequently during the roasting process to ensure even cooking.

Then the delicious roast duck is ready! It will be a shining date-red in colour and unique in flavour. Your chef will then carve it in front of you and place the meat on your table.
The way to really enjoy the succulent meat is as follows: first take one of the small, thin pancakes provided and spread it with plum sauce, small slices of spring onions and then add some pieces of duck. Finally roll up the pancake, take a bite and enjoy!

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well I love street foods and since were near Wang Fu Jing then one must taste the various Beijing Street foods and here is a number of them (sorry I dont eat scorpions or the centipedes or the silk worms so no pictures of them here hehehehe.

As I found out at my walking to the Donghuamen Night Food Street , Most Beijingers frequently grab something from a street stall, whether it be the ubiquitous breakfasts youtiao (a deep-fried stick of dough) and zhou (rice congee or porridge) washed down with a cup of douzhi (bean curd milk) or another type of snack such as kao yang rou chuan (a roasted lamb kebab).Other common foods found on street stalls include mala tang (spicy noodle soups), hongshu (baked sweet potatoes) and rou jiamo (braised pork in a baked bun)

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well I love street foods and since were near Wang Fu Jing then one must taste the various Beijing Street foods and here is a number of them (sorry I dont eat scorpions or the centipedes or the silk worms so no pictures of them here hehehehe.

As I found out at my walking to the Donghuamen Night Food Street , Most Beijingers frequently grab something from a street stall, whether it be the ubiquitous breakfasts youtiao (a deep-fried stick of dough) and zhou (rice congee or porridge) washed down with a cup of douzhi (bean curd milk) or another type of snack such as kao yang rou chuan (a roasted lamb kebab).Other common foods found on street stalls include mala tang (spicy noodle soups), hongshu (baked sweet potatoes) and rou jiamo (braised pork in a baked bun)

Well what can I say, I love juices and peach juice is one of them. My all time fave is lemon juice but peach is in the top 5 and it was a delight that Peach Drinks are available here in Beijing and are in Tetra Pak Cartons. Again like other drinks, it has different prices depending on where you bought them and since this is a restaurant, it is much expensive at 10 RMB at 500 ml pack. (in supermarkets, it's just 5 rmb a 500 ml pack ok) and still it is dellicious! don''t forget to buy it since it is very good!

I am fond of bottled lemon drinks and I buy it if avaiable and I must say that the best Lemon drink that I've tasted ever is here in china at this brand! it's called C 100 and is deelicious! again the price ranges vary on the place you buy it, in supermarkets, it's available in 500 ml and 1 liter bottles at 3 RMB and 6 RMB while in tourist areas it's 8 RMB a 500 ml bottle and in convenience stores, it's 6 RMB a bottle! try to taste it, it's simply the best lemon drink!!!!