After our visit to Zhongshan Park, we caught a bus back to Downtown QingDao. The Missus's Fifth Aunt had recommended we check out Pi Chai Yuan, a revamped food street located in downtown.
Basically an alleyway that cuts across a block on Zhongshan Lu, with another perpendicular alleyway bisecting it. Pi Chai Yuan hosts a number of small eateries.
Here you can find shops selling QingDao specialties like QingDao Guotie(pot sitckers), Lu Bao, and stands like this one selling……
One of the Missus's (and Her Mom's) favorite things…… Haw (Chinese Hawthorne 山楂) Jelly….
A taste of the Missus's childhood…. we came back on later visits to buy the "homemade" and a good half-dozen of those in packages suitable for bringing back to the states. The funny thing was, there seemed to be a cut-off age-wise as to who enjoys this and who doesn't. The Missus's younger cousins really don't like the stuff…… but those around the Missus' age love it.
The Guotie shop was doing some major business…… we'd be hitting that place on a future visit for sure.
While the Missus was buying up all the Haw in sight, I wandered into one of the courtyards, and watched this show for a spell….
And while there were many temptations, we knew there was a banquet on the horizon (actually four banquets in three days!), and had already decided to return when we could, we were looking for something filling yet light. So this shop seemed to fill the bill.
This little shop specialized in Won Ton Soup, with prices ranging from 5RMB for Veggie, Pork, or Three Treasures Won Ton Soup (that's about 75 cents), 6 RMB for Shrimp Won Ton Soup, and a whopping 7 RMB (about a buck) for Squid Qon Ton Soup!
As with all of these places….. you pay first!
While waiting the Missus ran out and got some Yang Rou Chuan (2 RMB each), since She saw the look in my eye when I passed the stand…..
Sorry to say, that even though these were well spiced, they lacked salt, weren't very gamey, and were quite tough.
Our Won Ton Soup however, was pretty easy to take.
The broth is mild and light, but there were a dozen won tons in each of our bowls…..
More than enough to fill us up.
All told, our lunch came out to 14 RMB, about two bucks……
As we walked out back to the street…….
We made plans to return, which we managed to do twice more during our stay in QingDao.
Soon enough, it was back to the street, and on yet another bus…. this time to meet the Missus's youngest cousin in QingDao's "new city", full of wide streets, huge hotels and resorts, business buildings, and skyscrapers….
And of course…. constant construction.
The Missus and Her cousin were headed to… where else, the mall, of course! After a shopping excursion, the three of us headed back to our hotel room, and after a short break, walked the couple of kilometers to the Hotel where the Missus's Second Aunt, and two cousins were staying. After a brief reunion at the hotel, we headed off to the banquet location, across the street.
Just a brief word on crossing the street in China, 1) Pedestrian's do not have the right of way, 2) Vehicles do not yield when making a right turn, 3) Now I know why Chinese like poker so much….. crossing the street, or driving itself seems to be a battle…….. whomever has the most nerve will win. 4) In the US, we try to minimize risk…. in China they seem to play the odds! Like Fifth Uncle said, "you look six ways, and listen eight". Apparently, Second Aunt was a bit worried that I may have problems crossing the street….. so walking of the curb, she grabbed my arm to make sure I made it ok! You gotta love family……
I smiled as I walked to the banquet room in the rear of the restaurant. No matter which country you live in……. you'll know this was a Chinese Restaurant.
As folks poured in the atmosphere got quite festive….. photos, laughter, conversation. We were seated in the traditional manner….. the older generation on one table, the younger on the other. The Missus is the oldest of cousins, though the next is only a month younger. I liked cousin "LH" from the first time I met her…. she has a carefree spirit, a great sense of humor, with a touch of outrageousness that is contagious. LH told the Missus that she enjoyed taking photos with me since, I'm "very slimming"…. Whenever she saw me taking photos of her, she would wave me over, telling me, "yes or no, yes or no…." Meaning she had first right of refusal on any photo I took….. I'd let her look at the photo, and if she approved ("yes") I'd move on… if not ("no"), the photo was deleted.
Now on to the food. First off, I only got shots of fourteen courses…. later on, I'd have help, everyone would make sure that I got my photos of the food! LH, "I dare not touch the food until 柯克 (my name in Chinese according to youngest cousin) takes his photo!" he-he-he……
You have to understand that we had four banquets in three days! If I went over every dish…. well, if you thought my three part post on Urasawa was long! I'll just go over the dishes we found the most delicious and/or interesting. Other then that, it's mostly photos.
Check out the papaya stuffed with almond jelly in the background…..
The braised bean curd was quite flavorful.
Who doesn't love deep fried pork chops…..
Check out the minced meat to be folded into the pancakes……
It was a delicious combination of sweet soy flavored pork belly mixed with this……
In Chinese this is called "Hai Chang" (海肠), literally "sea intestine" according to this site, it's also called "sea earthworm". My friends in Hawaii used to call it a "living poop shoot", a pest who messed up crab nets, here it's what's for dinner. It did add a nice slightly crunchy counter-point to the tender braised pork. As to taste, I'm not sure I could make out anything beyond the sweet-salty-porky flavor.
These "lamb pockets" were also delicious…….
Youngest cousin clapped her hands in joy when the Durian Pastry arrived.
Everyone got an individual dish with a quail egg and sea cucumber. This was the only steamed rice I had in QingDao, Beijing, or Jinan.
Surprisingly, I didn't miss rice at all…..
Man, this was some meal! But beyond the food, I was so delighted in the smooth and effortless way in which I was invited into this family…… The Missus had always said that folks "up North" are "straight-forward, but also friendly, generous, and fun." And She couldn't have been more correct. We rolled on out, and even though folks wanted to us to catch a cab, we decided to bus it back to the hotel, and in what would become a tradition, take a after dinner stroll to help us digest, both the meal and the moments we shared during the day.