Klaus is a vegetarian and I have had many chances of trying, what I would call, alternative foods in Beijing. No meat, means a lot of tofu and seafoods, the tofu however is not on my favorite list, supposedly it gives men soft balls and I take that very seriously? After a few weeks in Beijing I have to admit that the different kinds of tofu prepared with lots of spices and different sauces can actually be quite tastefully. Especially when considering that most other meats are served with bones chopped up, chicken, beef or fish. I so miss the feeling of chewing meat, not just liking meat off bones, a Western thing I guess.
Klaus has been very good at bring a lot of his friends with him to dinner in the evening, so that I could try to get some good meat dishes that he has never had himself. China is huge and covers very different climates, think harsh North versus lush tropical South, mountains on the West and Ocean on the East. People eat what they can easily get their hands on, so obviously there are many different dishes from around the country.
I like spicy food and have had my nose running a few times already. My favorite dishes are by far Sichuan, be it chicken, fish or whatever they can create that way. Basically the food is cooked in spicy chili oil, covered in dried chili, garlic, ginger and some very special pepper corns called Sichuan peppers. When they are crushed in the mouth, the tongue will start to buzz, the lips will go numb and the mouth starts to water, a lot. It is not super spicy, just the feeling of it is weird, almost like putting a 9v battery to your tongue. Horrible you might think, I find it quite amusing.
The other day I had some sausage, I could not believe it when I was told it was made from tofu. It actually tasted a lot better than the typical cheap American sausage. I could have lost a bet on this for sure.
Although I like spicy food, I don't think the Chinese kitchen so far has been super spicy. If anything, it is very greasy, which makes some of the dishes not so inviting at times. And no, I have not become a tofu man!
Klaus is a vegetarian and I have had many chances of trying, what I would call, alternative foods in Beijing. No meat, means a lot of tofu and seafoods, the tofu however is not on my favorite list, supposedly it gives men soft balls and I take that very seriously? After a few weeks in Beijing I have to admit that the different kinds of tofu prepared with lots of spices and different sauces can actually be quite tastefully. Especially when considering that most other meats are served with bones chopped up, chicken, beef or fish. I so miss the feeling of chewing meat, not just liking meat off bones, a Western thing I guess.
Klaus has been very good at bring a lot of his friends with him to dinner in the evening, so that I could try to get some good meat dishes that he has never had himself. China is huge and covers very different climates, think harsh North versus lush tropical South, mountains on the West and Ocean on the East. People eat what they can easily get their hands on, so obviously there are many different dishes from around the country.
I like spicy food and have had my nose running a few times already. My favorite dishes are by far Sichuan, be it chicken, fish or whatever they can create that way. Basically the food is cooked in spicy chili oil, covered in dried chili, garlic, ginger and some very special pepper corns called Sichuan peppers. When they are crushed in the mouth, the tongue will start to buzz, the lips will go numb and the mouth starts to water, a lot. It is not super spicy, just the feeling of it is weird, almost like putting a 9v battery to your tongue. Horrible you might think, I find it quite amusing.
The other day I had some sausage, I could not believe it when I was told it was made from tofu. It actually tasted a lot better than the typical cheap American sausage. I could have lost a bet on this for sure.
Although I like spicy food, I don't think the Chinese kitchen so far has been super spicy. If anything, it is very greasy, which makes some of the dishes not so inviting at times. And no, I have not become a tofu man!
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