Around The World In 72 Days - The Great China Gastronomy Post

There is a certain sub segment of my massive audience base that is really into food. As I am really into food, I try to highlight my gastronomic adventures during my travels. Being in China and being taken care of by my gastronomically conscious son-in-law 2B, is leading to an incredible eating experience. Of course, there will be consequences to this (as going on the Celery and Water Diet after I get done with this trip). But truly this is a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience, having a person who has spent years exploring and experimenting providing the advice and recommendations. 

 I'd like to make some general comments about our eating Chinese food here in China. There are certainly things that would be classified as 'weird' by those in the United States. But there is a ton of stuff that is very familiar to anyone who eats reasonably quality Chinese-American food. I think overall, from what I've had so far, the flavor profiles of Chinese cooking in the U.S. are not all that different from what we've experienced here. What IS DIFFERENT is the overall quality of ingredient, and (what I would call) the overall intensity/impact of the flavors. Things just taste like 'MORE' than the U.S. equivalent. This really shows up with anything involving vegetables.

So without further ado let's get into a sample of that we've been eating.

 Meal One - Hong Kong Style - This was one of the first meals we had after arriving at a restaurant close to where #2 and 2B work

Two types of Pot Sticker dumplings

 

 Rice Noodles with a Meat Sauce

 Sizzling Beef with (bizarrely with rotini) 

 Braised Pork with Glass Noodles

 Local Food on the Road to Longji Rice Paddies - This was the restaurant that used the local, cook in bamboo technique.

Stir-fried Vegetables featuring Young Bamboo Shoots

Stir-fried Greens (things like this have consistently been superior)

 The Sticky Rice cooked in Bamboo

 Pork Braised with Potatoes (we ate way more potatoes that I would have thought)

 Chicken Cooked in Bamboo & Chile Sauce

Beer Fish - A specialty of the Yangshuo/Guilin area. It is fish cooked in a sauce with beer in it. We originally hadn't planned to focus on this, but at our Guilin hotel they had it on the menu so we decided to try it. We loved it. We discovered dipping French Fries in the sauce was a total fusion treat.

Based upon this our guide told us of a restaurant in Yangshuo that specialized in Beer Fish.

This one was significantly better.

We've had this version of a cucumber salad numerous places.

Stir-fried Cabbage with some kind of Cured Meat

Stir-fried Potato Strings - This was a bit weird as the potatoes were still on the uncooked side.

 We also had this incredible Chicken cooked Rotisserie Style that was a phenomenal combination of juicy tender meat with crispy skin.

Dealing with Translations

I am not always sure that the English translations of items on the menu really capture what is in a dish or what a dish is. Here are some examples from a lunch 2B and I had.

I don't think my head can even begin to get around the concept of Gelling aftertaste of eel or Jelly Silver Snow Fish Head. 

Or Shrimp Sauce Jelly. However, I was going to try something and this was the one. 

It was really good. Big fan now of Pig Oil Residue (I am thinking it might be like bacon drippings)

We had this earlier, Crispy Fried Shrimp in a Steamed Rice Wrapper

This is Hong Kong style Lemon Tea...It's Hot!

Rice Noodles with Duck

For dessert, Pastry Buns with a Sweet, Meaty (yes meat) Filling. They actually grew on me as I ate them.

And when we were not going out, we were ordering in. With their very busy lifestyles, and the low cost of food and delivery, this is a preferred option. I would say a spread like this though would not be typical when they don't have guests.

#2 & 2B's Bosses insisted that they take us to this place for a lunch just today. It is known for high end Taiwanese food of all things. The Bosses picked out the entire menu.

Another version of the Cucumber Salad

A dish of Tofu and Mushrooms. The Tofu had a spongy texture unlike any I've had before (#2 said it is actually pretty common)

Ye Olde Soup Dumplings

An Eggplant Dish

 

A kind of Pork that was like Orange Chicken

 

 A type of Won Ton Dumpling in a Soy Hot Sauce

 Noodles with a Peanut Sauce

 Fried Rice

These were crazy. Siu Mai but with a Soup Dumpling juice on the bottom and a whole Small Shrimp on the top. One of my Favorites.

 Lastly a Steamed Bun with a Sweet Red Bean Paste that was like dates.

 BTW...We have another week to go!!!!

SIGNS OF THE WORLD

In a Mall, finally

 A Men's Room figure that matches MY body type!

Around The World In 72 Days - Return To Shanghai & Bund History Tour

We were back in Shanghai late evening on Sunday. But it was back in the touring saddle first thing Monday morning as Venerable Pooh had lined up a private tour discussing the historical nature of central Shanghai.

Shanghai, like Hong Kong, is heavily influenced by the  short period (relative to its long history) when China was dominated by powers from Western Europe and the United States. This roughly 100-year time window (the 1850's to the 1950's) led to portions of the city having heavy Western Europe/U.S. architecture, separate governing bodies dominated by expatriates, and a daily culture influenced by Western powers (for example, Shanghai has a strong coffee culture in contrast to the rest of China which is tea oriented...in fact Shanghai 'officially' has more coffee shops than any other city in the world!). 

During this tour we learned about all this history and looked at the many buildings that dated from that era. But what really fascinated Wife and I, was how regular Chinese life was woven into all these foreign influences.

 I don't want to say Wife and I think too highly of ourselves as far as air travel is concerned, but we do enjoy our privileges (Global Entry, TSA PRE, Star Alliance Gold for Life, Business Class treatment, etc.). However, the egalitarian, Great Proletarian ethos of Pooh Lee Shah Travel let's you know that is NOT what you will get on their tours.

How sad.

Central Historic Shanghai

 

But what was interesting to us was the development over this same time period of local housing just a block or two, and sometimes right adjacent to all these significant buildings. The backstory is many of the buildings were originally large homes for the well-to-do, or other types of commercial establishments. After WWII, the Japanese invasion, and the ending of the foreign concessions in Shanghai with beginning of the People's Republic of China, these buildings were subdivided into smaller and smaller spaces.

Entrance to these complexes is through gated doorways. These proved to be very useful for the residents during the Covid periods when these neighborhoods wanted to restrict access.

Once inside there were numerous narrow alleys

Because the buildings were subdivided into such small apartments, kitchens are found outside in the alleys, some nicer than others.

As we went through the compounds you could see features that showed these were once upper class buildings.

But now the government wants these buildings replaced by more modern structures fitting in better (in their vision) with the economic footprint of the area. So people are being bought out and sent to properties much further away.

This woman was complaining of this and saying she would sell her new place and find something closer in where all the people she knows are.

 

 The forced movement is creating a massive opportunity for the sale and purchase of antiques.

This is an old ink making well for doing Chinese calligraphy with brushes.

 

 Miscellaneous

The time of the Cultural Revolution in the 1960's is a period the current government has done its best to erase from history. Occasionally slogans from that period are uncovered as building renovation is done.

 

 Wiring reminding me of Havana

 And the first sunny day in many meant...

THE LAUNDRY SPECTACULAR!