Feed Me

Food is very important to Chinese culture. The colloquial term for hello actually translates to 'have you eaten today'. Every time I speak at length with someone they invariably ask, 'Do you like Chinese food?' I do, and they love that. Tonight I had traditional Mongolian Hotpot. I had this upon my arrival to Beijing but this was the best I've had so far. Hotpot is quite the spectacle. It is a pot filled with broth and set over a gas stove in the table. The broth has hot peppers and is accompanied by a sesame dipping sauce. When you order hotpot you get various meats and veggies to put it in the broth. It is kind of like fondue but much more flavorful and with chopsticks. The meats and veggies and not really what you think. I had cow esophagus, cow stomach, greens and veggies of various unidentifiable sorts. All sound strange but are actually not unlike anything you've ever had.

The best food can be found in the street. There are many different kinds of buns, dumplings, noodles, and rice available where ever you go. They say the street food is somewhat unclean and I can't argue. The conditions in the 3 walled restraints where I eat are less than clean. But the food is so good and hot that I don't think twice about it. Sometimes when I am eating in such a place I imagine my mother being horrified. When there are so many people doing the same thing, and I've done it so many times, I know its ok. Here are some pictures of Kevin, Cindy, Vivian, and I at our Hotpot dinner. Hope all is well.