China – Page 3 – mmm-yoso

Nanjing: Zhonghua Gate, Snacks, and brush with Healthcare in China

April 10, 2011 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, Nanjing, Travel

After the snack banquet, we walked (well, I limped) around the Fuzi Miao (Confucian Temple), a major shopping area in Nanjing.

That's when the Missus saw the Tanghulu (冰糖葫芦), candied Haw. This was a childhood favorite of the Missus, so She just had to get it; even though it wasn't the right season for this (it's a winter snack). Unfortunately, this didn't live up to Her memories.

From this stand.

The Missus got this:

Looked delicious, but the Missus said it was terrible.

We slowly walked back to the hotel. My foot looked terrible when I removed my shoe. The Missus and I knew what it was. The joint before my big toe was three times it's normal size, an angry red and purple and hot to the touch. I felt a stabbing pain with every step. Gout runs in my family, and though I've never had an attack, I'd seen it before. The Missus also knew exactly what it was, and knew exactly what would resolve this; the drug Colchicine. I'm thinking all that seafood and meat I ate in QingDao and Jinan pretty much put me on the gout fast track. I did later learn that diet is only the cause of about 10% of gout cases, with genetics causing about 65%…. of course statistics, diagnosis, etc, really don't matter when you're in pain. You just want to get past it…. We did find out that there was a community hospital two blocks over with a small ER/Urgent Care. So headed off…..

So here's my experience with Chinese Healthcare in a nutshell. It's pay as you go. I was registered, I paid, then saw a physician. I paid, then got labs drawn. I paid then saw another physician. I paid, then got my meds. "In Mao we trust, all others pay cash……." Next, you're given your medical record. You are responsible for keeping track of your healthcare.

So after the blood tests, we saw a "foot specialist". He took a look at the foot, and told the Missus that it is possibly gout. The Missus asked for Cochicine, but the physician said that it's very "toxic" and he wouldn't prescribe it without a uric acid test. Now I had just had blood drawn, so the Missus asked why they didn't do a uric acid, we were told that "the technician who does the test is off on weekends." Okay, how about an NSAID like Indomethacin? The answer? "No, no it's very toxic to the liver, we can't do that unless we do a complete liver panel." And guess what, "the tech who does those tests is not working today. Look like I picked the wrong day to have a gout attack! Among the nuggets of wisdom imparted to the patient was, "stay away from bean curd" (yeah, right….. I'm in China), "don't eat spicy food" (we'd be in Chengdu in a couple of days, so mark that one as a no-go"), and "don't walk too much" (the Missus would sooner cut my leg off and replace it with a broomstick than cut down on our activities). As a consolation prize, I was prescribed three meds, a circulatory drug (??), Cefaclor, an antibiotic, I guess there was still a small chance this was cellulitis, and a mild NSAID, which, combined with my ibuprofen helped me to survive the trip. It was pretty painful going at times, but I survived. We walked back to the room, I took my meds, elevated my foot, got a couple of hours of rest and felt better.

Later on that afternoon I felt a bit better, and the swelling had descreased, so we headed off (on foot of course) down Zhonghua Road…..

During the Ming Dynasty, Nanjing was the capital of China. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang had the Ming City Walls built. The grandest gate is the South Gate, the Zhonghua Gate, which was formerly known as the Jùbăomén – "Gathering Treasure Gate".

It really didn't look all that impressive at first. But then I noticed that there wasn't just a single gate, but a total of four arched entrances…. making it quite formidable.

Between each gate is an open courtyard that the enemies would have to pass through.

When looking up at the arch in the gateway, you'll notice slots cut into the arch.

Apparently, these slots were used to lower and raise a "thousand kilogram" gate up and down.

From the top of the walls you see the other side of the slots, now covered with glass.

There are also 27 tunnels built into the walls of the gates. These tunnels were used to store supplies and shelter troops.

While walking up the stairs to the upper levels of the wall……..

I noticed that there were inscriptions on many of the bricks.

I mentioned this to the Missus, and wondered what it was. The Missus said it looked like some names and locations. A few minutes later we had our answer. In one of the tunnels was a display of the various bricks and inscriptions.

We learned that the Emperor had the names of the builders and brick makers inscribed on the bricks as a way of ensuring quality and responsibility. I'm guessing that this system worked rather well since the wall is still standing, and you can still read the inscriptions on many of the bricks.

Along with the stairs, large ramps line each end of the gates. I'm guessing so that soldiers on horse back could make their way up the gate quickly.

Making your way to the top you get a better idea of how imposing this wall was.

Taking a look from the top of the wall you see that the river flowing in front of the gate acts like a natural moat, making it even more formidable.

I'm guessing because it was later in the day, all the tour groups were gone and there was hardly any one around. You could really let your imagination go to work. I was really enjoying our time here, but it was starting to get a bit late in the day. It was time to leave.

Walking back toward Fuzi Temple was passed by one of those "food streets". On the taxi ride from the bus station the driver told the Missus that this was pretty much a tourist trap, and the food didn't reflect Nanjing food. Still, it was fun walking around and checking things out.

The Qinhua River looks quite nice during dusk…….

We decided to head back to our hotel and find something to eat near by……..

Stay tuned!

Postscript:

The day after returning home I went to see my physician. Of course he took one look at my foot and prescribed Colchicine and Indomethacin without waiting for my lab results. Two doses of colchicine and I was good as new. Well, almost. Unfortunately, the Xrays revealed some permanent damage to my foot, probably due all the pounding it took. My PCP, who has a dry sense of humor told me, "well, look at it this way, there aren't any triathlons in your future. And you don't plan on climbing Mount Kilimanjaro." (Of course I didn't tell him that Kilimanjaro was on the Missus's "bucket list") As a parting shot, he chuckled when I displayed the boxes for the meds I was prescribed in Nanjing. Especially this one:

He told me, "you know we prescribe this for hemorrhoids". I wonder where they thought I'd stuck my foot?

Nanjing: The Snack Banquet

March 23, 2011 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, Nanjing, Travel

We arrived in Nanjing after a relatively short two hour bus ride from Suzhou. I'd been told that "100 kilometers or two hours away from anywhere in China, in any province, the food will be different." It had been a two hour bus ride from Hangzhou to Suzhou, and the cuisine was quite different. Now, in Nanjing the capital of China during six dynasties, and along with Beijing, Xi'an (our next destination), and Luoyang, one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, I was curious to see if the cuisine would differ so much. It would be interesting to see since we were still within Jiangsu Province. We caught a cab from the bus station to our hotel, during which time the Missus struck up a conversation with the cab driver. Finding out he was born and raised in Nanjing, the first business at hand would be questions about what to eat. I had a couple things in mind, but still really didn't know too much about Nanjing style food. The cab driver went through a couple of things, made a recommendation of a place to eat, and more importantly, where not to eat and why.

We arrived at the hotel, settled in, rested my foot which was starting to look pretty bad for about a half hour, then set out on foot to the major shopping area around the Confucian Temple and Qinhuai river….. bustling and busy…..

The Missus hit the brakes right alongside one of the snack stands……

Pointed at one of the mounds…….

And told me, "we gotta get this!"

It was my first experience with Gua Wei Can Dou (Strange Flavor Broad Beans – 怪味蚕豆).

One bite, and I was hooked! We stopped by here two more times during the trip. This version was the best I had.

Near the Qinhua River, we found the place the cab driver had recommended.

Walked through the doors and entered the restaurant upstairs…..

And was seated at one of the long tables in the dining area….

So what was this place?

Well, I heard that Nanjing was famous for its snacks; and this was a restaurant specializing in "Snack Banquets". There were several multi-course banquets available ranging in price from relatively inexpensive (by US standards) to very expensive (also by US standards). We just went with the most simple banquet.

And then it started……. plates started arriving at a pretty incredible speed.

And they just kept coming…..

And coming…..

Much of it was rather unremarkable……

For instance, on this plate, the only item I enjoyed was the Nanjing Salted Duck, one of a handful of Nanjing specialities I knew of.

On the other hand, I found that I didn't care for another Nanjing specialty, Duck Blood soup.

Man, this was pretty hardcore; next to the "Everything Soup" from Huguosi Snack Bar in Beijing, this was probably the most difficult item I'd had to date. Strong offal flavor; very metallic, not my cup of tea.

Most of the other soups were pretty routine in flavor.

More dishes…..

It was fairly apparent that everything has to be prepared ahead of time…….

And some of it rather haphazardly, check out the stray rice on the wrapper of the zongzi…..

All the dumplings, bao, and like were served cold……

My favorite item, was this…….

Though I'm not a big fan of pork sung, I loved the texture of this….. that's when the Missus told me, "oh, it says they make this with duck lard"…. duh…..

The rest of the meal.

In the end, this was more about the experience then the food. We'd find the same thing again a bit later on during or trip.

We left the restaurant, with almost a half day ahead of us. But by that time; my foot was really killing, and as I hobbled back to the hotel, I knew it had to be addressed……

Stay tuned!

Suzhou: Hot Pot

March 14, 2011 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, Suzhou, Travel

After a filling lunch De Yue Lou we slowly headed back back to our room for our regularly scheduled afternoon nap. That's a photo of the North Temple (Beisi 北寺塔) Pagoda, reputed to be the oldest pagoda South of the Yangtze river.

Exhausted I immediately fell into a deep sleep back at the hotel. When I awoke it was already dusk, and the Missus was ready……. for some shopping! We walked along and browsed the various silk shops. While the Missus was looking at some silk, I noticed this in one of the glass cabinets…….

I thought "what a neat stuffed animal"! Until it moved!!!! And holy smoke it was a live cat just chillin' lying inside the glass case…..

Purchases in hand, it was time for dinner…… it had gotten a bit cooler over the last few hours, and a slow drizzle had started. We wanted something nice and warm in our bellies, so passing this hot pot shop made our dinner decision easy.

The place seemed to be doing some pretty good business…….

The Missus ticked off what She wanted…. we were in the mood for more vegetables, so that's the way we went.

We went with the "lamb bone soup"…….

There actually was a pretty good sized leg bone, with a decent amount of meat attached to it in the broth, along with cucumber, carrots, napa cabbage, and bean curd strips. The hot pot had a nice lamb flavor, making frozen bean curd a perfect ingredient. The only meat we had was fatty sliced lamb.

This shop also had a sauce bar, with all the usual suspects; fermented bean curd, etc….. and a couple of spicy options. I believe the sign says that you can have two choices, but we noticed folks just going ahead and helping themselves….. "so when in Rome" and all that.

I loved the mixed wild mushrooms…….

I did a good job of gnawing all that meat off the bone, and we finished two refills of the bone soup….

It was just the right thing for the moment. We left with warm full bellies, the rain had passed, and we took the long way back to the room.

We were up early the next morning, and caught a 5am cab to the bus station…. the very green bus station…..

Suzhou's bus station wasn't quite as nice and clean as Hangzhou's, and the restroom were pretty horrific, even by China standards. You could smell the latrine from the other side of the bus station. I don't know how the toilet paper vendor (yes, you either brought your own, bought some, or…. well, let's not go there) could stand it.

Soon enough, we were on the bus headed for our next stop…. Nanjing.

Suzhou: The Lingering Garden and a fairly familiar stop……

February 26, 2011 mmm-yoso Bakery, China, Markets & Grocers, Suzhou, Travel

Our first day in Suzhou was a busy one, and after walking back to our hotel room after dinner….. I was totally spent and crashed pretty quickly. I also knew that if the Missus had Her way, we'd have another full day coming up. And I was right, The Missus decided that we should walk from our hotel to the Lingering Garden (留園).

It ended up being a pretty long walk, but also gave us a pretty good look at some of the neighborhoods along the way.

In one of the shops along the way, we noticed that these "candidates" for dinner had made it out of the tanks, and were trying to avoid becoming the main course…..

We also came across a large "market area", and decided to take a detour….. I love these places…..

Scenes we've seen played out on a daily basis all over the world….

Meandering through the narrow alleyways…….

And over the canals….the ancient highway system for Suzhou.

Ending back up on the main street……

Out past the Changmen Gate….

You'll come across a simple long wall and gate……. the simple entrance belies the beauty of the Lingering Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and along with The Humble Administrators Garden, The Summer Palace in Beijing, and the Imperial Mountain Summer Resort in Chengde, is considered one of the Four Famous Garden of China.

We'd arrived right at opening, but there were already a couple of tour groups in line. While waiting, a young lady walked up, and started chatting with the Missus. Apparently, University Students majoring in History and Tourism give free guided tours. We ended up having a free private tour, albeit in Mandarin (with the Missus translating). The young woman was very knowledgeable and pleasant, and we really enjoyed the experience.

The Lingering Garden was built in 1593, and had gone through several owners, each of whom added his own touch to the garden but still keeping within its grand design. The garden covers about two hectares and is divided into four parts, the central, North, East, and West. Which are connected by a corridor.

There's so much to write….and even more I forgot as the young woman was full of immense detail and stories of the garden. I'll stick to those that have really stayed with me. The first thing that I think of when it comes to the Lingering Garden was the wonderfully angelic song coming from this boat in the middle of the pond.

I've never been a big fan of this type of Chinese music, but here, in this environment, it was beautiful……. just plain beautiful.

The young woman told us we were lucky that it wasn't very crowded. When the garden is too busy, and the chattering gets too loud, the woman stops singing, since no one can really hear her.

The natural stones also grabbed my attention. Many of the large stones replicate mountains, landscapes, and in this case a scene. This one is called Eagle Fighting Wolf…. and looking closer it did indeed look like a eagle swooping down on a wolf.

This stone is probably the most well known…. we were told that it was headed to the Forbidden City… but the transfer was halted when the Communist regime took over.

For me, the most imp[ressive hall in the Lingering Garden is the "Yuan Yang Ting", the Mandarin Duck Hall.

The hall is divided into two saloons which are decorated differently. Even the beams and the roofs are different on each side of the hall.

There's so much more….but so little time. Here are a few other photos.

This is one place I'd like to return to.

There's a saying I heard several times while in China – "Shang you tian tang, xia you su hang" (上有天堂下有苏杭), "In Heaven There is Paradise, On Earth, Suzhou and Hangzhou".

My foot had started bothering me a little, so we decided to catch the bus back. Unfortunately, traffic was so bad we decided to get off the bus after a couple of stops and walk back to our hotel. Along the way, I noticed this shop…..

Look Familiar?

I'd been trying to get the Missus to 85C Bakery in Irvine, but She just didn't seem interested. But it was getting kind of hot, and we decided to take a short break….. and it ended up being just the perfect stop for us.

It turned out to be the perfect thing.

After this, every time the Missus was tired and needed a little pick-up, we'd look for a 85C Cafe…..

We were really enjoying Suzhou!

Suzhou: Dinner at “Taste Life” Restaurant (Pǐnwèi Rénshēng – 品味人生)

February 17, 2011 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, Suzhou, Travel

Suzhou, like many other cities we've been to in Asia, has certain types of businesses located on specific "named" streets. For instance, our hotel was located on restaurant supply street. Even though we'd already had a pretty full day, a nice short nap recharged our batteries, and we were off looking for some dinner. After walking up one of the side streets, the Missus was getting pretty hungry. She stopped at one intersection, a restaurant on each corner, and said, "let's eat at one of these places." I looked around and told the Missus, "I don't think you'd want to eat on this street……" You see, we were on "pet shop" street! The Missus, taking a glance at the shops around the restaurants agreed that we'd both feel more comfortable eating on another street….. just so long as it wasn't tombstone street….. or "hair extensions" street for that matter.

We finally came across this little restaurant on one of the side streets.

Named Pǐnwèi Rénshēng, this place was packed, with a pretty raucous crowd.

Mainly due to stuff similar to what's pictured on the right. The guys at the table in the photo was having a very loud time getting ripped. They started placing empty beer bottles on the empty chairs. After the chairs were full, they started placing bottles on the floor, which was a bad move. One false move, and bottles would go rolling all over the floor……

As for the food……

Finally having a seat, I realized how hungry I was…… as was the Missus. The first dish up, Wined Fried Fish:

Wine marinated fish were deep fried to crisp perfection. I practically ate all of this myself, bones and all. The Missus found the strong wine flavor too strong, while I loved the saltiness and wine flavor.

We both loved the fresh sauteed bamboo shoots.

Though the bamboo shoots were starting to just get past the tender stage, I enjoyed the salty, but not too sweet flavor. Combined with the earthiness of the bamboo shoots, these were good.

The Missus wanted something comforting, and chose the Wintermelon Soup with Ham.

A nice classic dish. Actually, the Missus hated wintermelon growing up, but loves the soup, which brings Her comfort. Simple flavors, savory flavor from the ham and salt. The Missus still didn't care for the pieces of wintermelon; I ate those, but loved the broth….and ham (of course).

The final dish was steamed eggplant with garlic. I had expected something closer to this(without the chilies of course). But the sauce was pretty bland, and the eggplant wasn't completely steamed, and in fact had a raw texture and taste.

Overall, this was a satisfying meal, and we left the restaurant…gingerly stepping over empty beer bottles, feeling relaxed.

As we walked along Guan Qian Jie…… I noticed something…….

The Missus, usually always headed off seemingly on a "mission", was just strolling along!

I'm not sure if it was that wonderful tea we had earlier in the day, or perhaps the atmosphere…… Suzhou seemed much more laid back than Hangzhou…. or maybe a combination of both (and more!), but we felt so relaxed.

Which was nice…. since we had another full day in front of us!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more!

Suzhou: The Humble Administrator’s Garden and the best pot of tea I’ve ever had.

February 1, 2011 mmm-yoso China, Suzhou, Travel

*** My apologies, this is one of those really long posts, and there's not much food in this one. You may want to return tomorrow for more food!

After our we started walking to our first "destination". Suzhou is well known for their wonderful gardens, most were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties by retired scholar and business men. The largest garden in Suzhou is called the Humble Administrator's Garden, spanning thirteen acres it is anything but humble. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Sight, meandering on zig zag bridges and trails over and around water. I'm going to stop now, and just do pictures…… I could never do this place justice in one short post…….

Taking a close look, you soon realize that every space within the garden was carefully designed. I find the idea of creating a calculated aesthetic to match the randomness of nature somewhat fascinating.

I loved all the windows……

And for some reason, I could just sit and look out the moon gates…….

All of which seem to frame it's very own living portrait………

There are many pavilions along the way…..where you can soak in the garden view….or check your map to figure out where you were.

There are many buildings along the way, such as the "Hall of Distant Fragrance":

And the "Hall of Elegance":

But we found the tiny nooks and crannies like this quaint "couples retreat" most charming……

Another feature of the gardens are the large natural stones that represent different scenes.

It can be a bit overwhelming at times, and don't let the seemingly tranquil photos fool you. There are some pretty large crowds in the garden.

Yet, there are always those moments….. like this one, where I looked up at the ceiling of the "Listening to the Sound of Rain Pavilion".

I could almost hear the "sighing of the autumn rain" giving "great pleasure to all those who have noble sentiments".

Connected to the garden is the Suzhou Museum, designed by I.M. Pei, who drew much of his architectural inspiration from the gardens of Suzhou. For us, it was way too sleek and modern, but it also housed what was probably the cleanest public bathrooms we came across in China!

Also attached to the garden and museum is Prince Zhong House – Zhong Wang Fu. This was the orginal location of the Suzhou Museum.

Within the complex is a restored classic Chinese Opera stage.

Exiting the garden and museum, the Missus decided that "garden fatigue" hadn't set in, so why not try for another one. We headed off on foot, looking for the Couple's Garden….which took some looking for. We wandered past tiny streets that reminded us of the "hutongs" in Beijing, which turned into vast lots where the ever present modernization of China was taking place. We worked hard to find the garden……

We did find this well, though……

Which apparently is of some significance.

After going around in circles, the Missus asked for directions and we found the Couple's Garden. It was down a small side street.

This garden was built in 1874, and is located at the intersection of canals and surrounded on three sides by them.

This garden was tiny, quiet, and serene.

After about twenty minutes or so, we hit the wall. It was time for a break, and we headed out on foot, back to Guan Qian Jie.

We enjoyed walking down the residential back streets of Suzhou…….

Walking down one of the streets, we passed this building which really stood out.

It turned out to be a museum of Kunqu Opera, a form of Chinese Opera dating back to the 16th century. Having traveled quite a bit, even though we were tempted, we knew when to say when, and decided to take a pass on this one.

After a short while, we finally made it to the street that paralleled a canal on the other side of Renmin Lu.

Crossing the canal and Renmin Lu…. we were back within the hustle and bustle of Guan Qian Jie. The Missus decided to pick up some snacks….. and in spite of the heat and humidity, determined that we needed some tea, and found a tea house on the second floor of a tea shop right across the Xuanmiao Temple.

The Missus went over the list of teas, and decided we should have the Ti Kuan Yin. When I saw the price…. 70 Yuan, over ten bucks for tea! I refused….. but the Missus insisted, and eventually I gave in. And I gotta say; this was the most fragrant, wonderfully flavored tea I've ever had. Nothing before, nor since (I've had tons of tea from China) has even come close.

While the Missus had Her snacks……

I just kept pouring myself cup after cup of tea….which lasted a good long time, we went through a whole large thermos of hot water, and watched the crowds below.

This was just one of those perfect moments…….

And where I started learning the wonders of having tea…. something that I've kept up since returning home.

In our travels, there always seems to be that perfect moment, whether it's having dinner on the shores of the Mekong, drinking Chicha de Jora in a tiny dirt floored shack in Calca, or having a meal and drinks at Can Cau Market…. it's those moments that stay with us.

Thanks so much for hanging in there and reading!

Suzhou: Noodles and Sheng Jian Bao

January 17, 2011 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, Suzhou, Travel

I realize that I really need to finish all my posts on China before we head off to our next vacation, so I'll try to catch up in the next few weeks.

We left Hangzhou on bus, the distance being about 100 miles and took about 2 hours. We arrived at the bus station in Suzhou, just South of downtown and made it to our hotel. This location of Green Tree Inn had seen better days. The carpets were scuffed and torn, much of the place smelled of cigarette smoke, the rooms were on the beat side. Still, you really couldn't beat the location just two blocks from Guan Qian Jie, the main downtown pedestrian street. Plus, the staff here was very nice, especially the housekeeping gals. One was so nice we actually tried to tip her…….which seemed to shock and offend her. I guess she didn't want to be mistaken for being a capitalist??? We were a bit hungry so after settling in we decided to grab something to eat. The young lady at the front desk suggested a noodle shop just a few yards away from the hotel.

The Missus said this seemed to be a chain of some kind. And as with many of these types of shops the drill is as follows….. you order and pay at the front desk.

Take your ticket to the back window were they'll prepare your order and you pick it up and eat at your table. As you can see, most of the dishes here are below 10 Yuan ($1.50 US).

The Missus went with an Eel Noodle Soup:

She told me the Eel was not very good.

I had the same type of noodle soup, but with a pork chop and preserved vegetable.

I felt about the same way regarding my pork…. it was tough and dry.

In spite of looks the broth was very mild in flavor, though the noodles, which were very loooong weren't bad.

We hedged our bets with some Chao Nian Gao (stir fried rice cakes), which was much better, if a bit more filling than the noodle soup.

After getting some food in our bellies we walked up the two blocks or so to the heart of downtown Suzhou, Guan Qian Jie. The first thing I realized is that although Suzhou seemed much more crowded than Hangzhou; things seemed to move at a slower pace. Unlike Hangzhou, which seemed to be much more "edgier" folks here seemed to enjoy relaxing, people smiled, laughed, and things seemed much less harried.

Almost directly from the hotel, our street took us up right behind the well known Xuanmiao Taoist Temple, also known as the "Temple of Mystery". I never found out what the "mystery" was, but maybe someone out there can fill me in.

With all the hawkers and vendors, this place sung out "tourist trap" to us….. so we decided to just enjoy the view. But we did find out that the first temple was built in 276 A.D. destroyed a couple of times. The current main hall was rebuilt during the Song Dynasty and the only remaining structure of that style in Suzhou.

Guan Qian Jie has all the trappings of the "new" China; a KFC and a TGIFridays is close by…..

But turn the corner and you'll see something like this…….

Looking at the line, I thought it was for a movie or something. But the Missus told me that this place made stewed meats….. and apparently was very popular.

Peering through the window, I was tempted, but the line went all the way down the street.

Renmin Lu is one of the main streets in Suzhou. One one side of the street is one of the many canals which why Europeans gave Suzhou the nickname of "Venice of the East".

The water was a bright green. But strangely, there was no smell…..

Folks lived above many of the businesses lining the street….. I love the shoes drying in this photo.

Actually this bridge is a landmark for us. Right to the North of it was this shop, which was doing some major bang-up business.

As you can tell by the line……..

So what were most of the people waiting in line for?

Why Sheng Jian Bao of course!

While I found us a spot outside the restaurant, the Missus paid at the front counter and stood in line. While waiting, She brought out Her camera and took almost thirty photos! Here are a couple:

There was an army of workers making Sheng Jian Bao! I found us two seat at one of the tables outside the restaurant. When I first looked at the SJB I was unimpressed…..

But it only took one bite…… the tops were surprisingly fluffy, the bottoms looked burnt but were just nice and crisp…. I'm guessing that those pans have been heavily seasoned over the years. The interior was full of lip melting soup…… slightly sweet, and very savory. The meat(quite a bit actually) was tender and full of pork flavor…. on the sweet side for the Missus; I loved it.

I saw a middle aged woman looking for a seat, so I gave her mine, and grabbed one of the plastic kiddie stools. She smiled and thanked us, and told the Missus "you're not from here, are you?" When the Missus said no, she decided to become our SJB "tutor". Using her chopsticks to grab an invisible SJB (strangely, she was the only person I saw who wasn't having SJB… she was having noodle soup). She instructed the Missus to turn the SJB on its side. Then "you bit a tiny hole in the side to let the steam out, and suck…Suck….SUCK all the good juice out first! Careful not to burn your tongue." It right then that I knew…… I was really going to enjoy this city.

As we finished our meal and walking up Renmin Lu, a little army of women, each carrying a stool and packages walked passed up ahead, and disappeared into an alleyway. Curious, I made sure to peer down the alley when I passed it…… it was women workers going on their lunch break.

Hangzhou: Dinner

November 21, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, Hangzhou, Travel

Waking refreshed after a short nap, the Missus decided that we should head out, and walk around a bit and perhaps grab some dinner. Traffic was pretty heavy, and the air quality started to reflect the congestion.

Along the way, the Missus found a fruit stand selling fresh Mangosteen…….. which instantly became an obsession.

This stuff wasn't cheap by Chinese standards, in this case 20 Yuan per 500 grams…. close to $3 a pound. We ended up buying Mangosteen whenever we could find fresh, good quality fruits, in spite of the price.

In Hangzhou, history is everywhere…. you could be walking on a side street and find a monument…. we found this one near Xihu (Westlake).

This were the remanents of the original Hangzhou City Wall.

Fairly soon the question of dinner came up……… we wanted to try a few more Hangzhou dishes, but really didn't want to head back to Zhiweiguan again. While walking, the Missus noticed this restaurant…..

This little restaurant was doing some pretty good business with several large parties……

The young lady who waited on us was very nice and efficient……. the best service we encountered in Hangzhou. We ended up ordering quite a bit of food; I guess we didn't know how hungry we were as we finished just about everything.

I recall "Sandy" inquiring about West Lake Duck in an earlier post; I'm pretty sure she was referring to Hangzhou Jiang Ya – Hangzhou Duck. This restaurant's version looked like this:

I understand that there are several versions of this dish. This duck had a cured texture to it, there wasn't much meat, but the flavor was nice, mildly gamey, with a mild "red-cooked" flavor to it.

I really didn't enjoy the Dongpo Rou at Zhiweiguan, and really wanted to try it again.

I really enjoyed this, the fat was silken, and the juicy meat very tender without being mushy. Though the Missus thought this was still too sweet, I enjoyed the sweetness and the rendered fat…. which tasted great over rice…. lots of rice.

I'm sure the photo speaks for itself.

Another dish we hadn't tried was the famous Xihu Cu Yu – Westlake Sour Fish. And since we were leaving the next morning, we had to order it.

Whoa…… the first thing that hit me was how sour this was. It was like someone placing a guillotine chokehold on me. A second later, the intense teeth wracking sweetness came through. It was a bit too much for us. The fish itself was excellent, moist and tender, cooked to perfection……. but man that sauce was like drinking vinegar laced with sweet syrup. We ended up removing the fish to a separate plate away from the sauce.

Arriving in Hangzhou just at the end of Bamboo Shoot season, we decided to see if they were available. The young lady told the Missus that they did have fresh bamboo shoots, but it wouldn't be as good as it was a few weeks earlier. Still we wanted to check it out.

When the dish arrived, I noticed the glaze looked much like the sauce used for the fish; but thankfully, it wasn't as sweet, nor as sour, and the earthy flavor of the shoots came through, as did the mild natural(thank goodness) sweetness of the shoots. This was delicious.

After dinner, the Missus needed something "sweet", I told Her She should've just had another order of that fish……. We ended up at, guess where? Yep, back at the multi-level monstrous Zhiweiguan. This time at one of the take-out windows at street level.

The Missus bought a couple of snacks…….

She really enjoyed this one……

The next morning we woke ready for our next city and caught a cab down to the bus station. Man, this place was busy. The ticket windows were somethings else…… doesn't it look like the betting window at the racetrack?

Hangzhou's bus station looked fairly new, and was relatively clean.

While sitting it struck me how difficult it would be to travel via bus if you didn't read Chinese, as there were no signs in any other language.

Suzhou was just two hours away…….

Hangzhou: Lingyin Temple and noodles at Kui Yuan Guan

November 18, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, Hangzhou, Travel

Right across from Fei Lai Feng, is the Lingyin Buddhist Temple. The temple was originally built in the early fourth century, and has been rebuilt at least 16 times over time. After paying admission, we entered the very busy grounds of the temple.

Due to the crowds of tourists, all paying admission, it was easy to lose sight of the fact that Lingyin Temple is a functioning Buddhist temple. And having been to Thailand and Laos, we were a bit shocked to see young ladies wearing pumps and mini-skirts and guys wearing tank tops (one had even taken his shirt off) and shorts on temple grounds. Folks disregarded signs within the halls prohibiting photos, and even let their children climb into urns within the cultural treasury hall…… it was all a bit surreal.

And yet every so often you'd see a monk walking the grounds.

Or folks making offerings……

In spite of all the wonderful Buddhist statues and carvings it was hard for us to enjoy Lingyin Temple. The amount of noise, and the crowds made it a bit of a tiring experience.

We headed back to our hotel, for a nap, and to attempt to escape the humidity. As we passed this doorway, the Missus suggested trying this place out. Strangely, some noodle soup sounded pretty good…….

I would later find out that this noodle restaurant Kui Yuan Guan is very well known around China. According to the story, the restaurant was founded during the Qing Dynasty, in the late 1860's.

There was reason the place was pretty busy in spite of the heat and humidity.

The menu is full of various noodle soups, and there is a single phrase English description of each type of noodle soup.

I went with the Pork, Bamboo Shoot, and Preserved vegetable noodle soup (10 yuan – about $1.45).

I was to find out later that Kui Yuan Chuan is credited with creating this dish, called Pian Er Chuan, go figure…..

Other than the very lean and tough pork (which I expected), I really enjoyed this soup. The combination of the salty-sour tones of the preserved vegetable, with the earthy and mildly sweet flavor of the fresh bamboo shoots, and what seemed to be a mildly rich pork based broth was a great combination.

The Missus selected the Shredded Eel Noodle soup (23 yuan – about $3.20).

The Missus seemed to enjoy Her soup well enough. We both found the noodl es adequate, though nothing special. This restaurant also marked a first distinct occurrence we were to find several more times at noodle soup restaurants in the region. Our noodle soup arrived, but no spoons were provided. I noticed that other customers simply brought the bowl up to their face and drank their soup, and I was perfectly fine with consuming my soup that way. But for some reason, this wouldn't fly with the Missus, who, in every case would flag down one of the employees and ask for spoons……. it turned out that soup spoons were only provided upon request.

The shop had the A/C going pretty good, which made the soup go down well. As we stepped back out into the humidity, we still felt satiated…. and ready for a nice nap!

Hangzhou: Zhiweiguan (again) and Fei Lai Feng (Peak Flying from Afar)

November 7, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, Hangzhou, Travel

After dinner at Zheweiguan, I slept quite well…. probably because I was exhausted. The Missus got up the next morning raring to go. We decided to just grab a quick breakfast at Zhiweiguan(again), and catch the bus to the Lingyin scenic area.

This time we went with the first floor area, which sells snacks and fast-food type dishes. At this time of the morning it was waaaaay more empty than usual.

The drill here, similar to many other places is…… first you go to the counter and buy script:

You then go to the various counters, place your order, pay with script, and get your food. If you have script remaining at the end of your meal, you return them to the counter and get a refund.

This is what we ended up with:

The Missus enjoyed the porridge (when doesn't She?), but the youtiao (fried dough) was on the greasy and soggy side.

The Xiao Long Bao were actually better here then in the more upscale restaurant on the third floor.

The bean curd skin stuffed with glutinous rice and broad beans was also pretty good.

Crisp on the exterior, perhaps it could have used a bit more flavor, but the glutinous rice sure was hearty and filling. This made for a fairly substantial breakfast for us.

After the meal, we caught the bus to the Lingyin Scenic Area.

Even as we walked up the trail to Lingyin Temple, a line of buses were already unloading tourists.

So instead of hitting the temple with the first wave of tourists, we took a detour, and decided to check out Fei Lai Feng (Peak Flown from Afar), also known as Nimble Vulture Peak (Ling Jiu Feng). This 700 foot peak was supposedly named by an Indian Monk named Hui Li. Hui Li noticed that this limestone peak was so different from everything around it, and also that it resembled the mountains in India. He theorized that the peak had flown to this spot from India… thus naming it "Peak Flown from Afar).

There are trails around the peak, with over 500 Buddha Statues carved from limestone, many dating back to the Song Dynasty (10th Century).

Even more fascinating for us, were the caves lining the base of the peak.

There are over 300 carvings in the wall of the caves….. which adds a sense of drama to the whole experience.

Within one of the main caves, named Shexu Cave, there is a spot where the sun shines through a crack at the top of the cave. I was told this is called "one thread of heaven" which makes quite an impact.

That's not to say that the trails up and down the peak aren't quite dramatic in their own way. Because it takes mild effort to walk up and down the peak, there are less tourists, and some very nice carvings.