Oh my. The food.

I've always loved Chinese food, but I never dreamed it could be like this. Yes, sometimes dog meat is on the menu. And yes, there's often a bewildering array of odd-smelling condiments on the table. But, my oh my, what gastronomic pleasures there are here!

Tonight in Xi'an for dinner I had a local specialty, yanrou paomo. They bring a bowl with two rounds of a doughy flat bread you break into small pieces. Then they take the breadcrumbs away, and bring them back drenched in noodles and a rich lamb broth. Salty, chewy, almost buttery tasting. Oh. Heavenly. The price? Under $3 for a huge bowl of this wonderful soup.

In Haerbin I tried "tomato on a stick": small crab apples skewered, then dipped in a sugar syrup. The cold temperatures freeze the small, ripe apples and the effect is like eating fruity ice cream with a thin, hard shell of sugar. Tart and sweet, creamy and crunchy. Like nothing I've ever tasted before.



Earlier today, in the Muslim Quarter, we stopped in for dumplings. A big, round bamboo tray comes out with the freshest steamed dumplings I've ever had. Stuffings of chicken, seafood and pork are tenderly wrapped in little purses of fresh dough, and then you dip them in a spicy sauce.

You know that saying about Chinese food, that in an hour you'll be hungry for more? I think it's because there's just so much to try. Why wait for the next mealtime?! Gotta go. I smell fresh noodles somewhere.