What has Jim managed to pour into his cavernous gullet this week?

So, as you can probably guess from the title of this blag update, I'm going to be

talking about the myriad things that I've eaten while here in China.

Being a man of Heroic Proportions, and coming from a family with a long and happy

tradition of gustatory antics, I do enjoy my food - particularly cooking it, but I won't

complain if someone cooks for me, either!

That said, my own adventures in cookery have been sadly limited, due to the fact that I

have a single induction hotplate and a rice cooker with which to work any sort of

culinary magic.  I did manage to make some passable Klick (or Spam, if you're not

familiar with the Canadian version) stir-fry the other day.  Stir-fries and soups, by

the way, are the order of the day.  Occasionally steamed stuff.  I have yet to see an

oven in this country, which causes the baker in me no end of pain.  Alas!

I'll start with beverages in China, because I like to drink.

Wait, that sounded less than good.

I mean, it's not wrong, but still.

Anyway, drinks.

First and foremost, the water here.  People say to not drink it from the tap, and of

course I ignored them.  I've yet to experience any negative side effects, thankfully. 

They do have a wide variety of bottled waters, though.  The only difference I've been

able to notice, however, is between a brand called Bear and the rest.  What difference,

I hear you ask, is that?  Bear water is Mentholated.  Yes, like cigarettes. 

It's...interesting, I'll give it that.  Leaves your mouth cool and dry, which is odd.

Tea is, unsurprisingly, a big thing here.  I'm more of a fan of the "Toasted Bitter

Buckwheat Tea" than of the green teas they have here, truth told.  I'm also hankering

for a Picard Special something fierce, though my folks said that they'd ship me a tin of

Earl Grey in October, which will be nice.

Booze here comes in one of two formats, I've found: beer of the PBG/MGD/Molson Ice

varieties; and baijiu, the local engine degreaser, made from rice, sorghum, or other

grains.  Hoo boy, let me tell you, that stuff will do a number on you if you're not

ready.  Guizhou province is, apparently, famous for the baijiu they make here.  It's got

some kick to it, I'll give it that.

There's also all kinds of pop and yoghurt-drinks here, though I've had a devil of a time

finding unflavoured milk.  My goal is to get the stuff I need to make French Toast soon.

Speaking of food, that leads us to the next segment of the blag post!  You've already

heard about the Century Egg and the dog meat, but there are other things here!

Baozi, or steamed buns, are my favourite bit of Chinese cuisine ever, though my limited

skills at Chinese have prevented me from finding any yet.  Soon, though, I shall!  In

the mean time, I've contented myself with a myriad of delicious foods, including deep-

fried empenada-esque things; rice balls stuffed with mashed potatoes, pickled bamboo

shoots, fried ground nuts, and spiced spring onions; a local cured pork that tastes for

all the world like my Nonna's pancetta; tofu and fungus (separate from one another -

it's not mouldy!); bok choi; and loads of bean varietals.  It's all delicious, healthy

food.  When that's added to the 30ish klicks I'm hoofing per week to visit Jemma and

Darren, plus the strong sun toasting my pale skin a healthy brown, I might actually

appear something other than the sickly mass of pallid flesh I was in Iceland!

Meals are generally eaten at the canteen, as it's free, and I quite enjoy eating with

the staff and kids.  It's good to get used to the whole communal aspect of the school -

which is kind of like an army base, what with the wake-up calls, curfew calls, lights-

out calls, and the battallion of Infantry currently drilling on the athletics field (no

kidding!  I didn't take photos of that, though, because I don't want to push my luck

that far.

Speaking of photos, below the jump are photos of food and drink I've consumed thus far!

A bowl of stewed lamb's back - tail and all! - we had for supper during National Teacher's Day.  It was spicy, rich, and all kinds of delicious.

Peanuts, boiled cabbage, stewed chicken, peanut milk (on the left), and a great heaping mug of baijiu.  Also during NTD.

Clockwise, from top left: Some form of sweet, fibrous stewed root veggie; quasi-pancetta with beans and onions; the omnipresent steamed white rice; beef with beans.  There are chilis and garlic in everything.

Fried bitter greens, kind of like rapini; pancetta and tofu; rice; fibrous sweet root veggie and pumpkin.

Top: Tomato and egg soup.  Clockwise from left: Chicken and peppers; pancetta and peppers; rice; stewed cabbage.

Top: Tofu and cabbage soup.  Clockwise from left: what's left of the boiled pumpkin I had; chicken and peppers; tofu skins and beef; rice.

A bad photo of a rice ball that's stuffed with delicious things.  My FAO's daughter and a friend of hers bought me one on Friday.

Top: Tomato and egg soup.  From left: Beef and onions; Pancetta, beans, and cabbage; spicy marinated tofu; rice.

Deep-fried deliciousness, stuffed with tofu, greens, ground pork, and chilis.

My KLIK/Spam stirfry - onions, KLIK, bok choi, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, chilis, soy sauce, and rice.

A bad photo of the BEAR-brand Mentholated Drinking Water.  For one kùai (about $0.16 CAD), the price is right!