I first saw these nectarines at a park in Guangzhou, dangling from a tree as part of a botanical exhibit. I learned from my dad that they (the nectarine growers) put some sort of a sticker over the fruit before it ripens to block out light and create a lettering effect. Quite clever, I must [...]
Tag Archives | Food Shopping
Dragonfruit
How could you not be curious about a fruit that looks like a blowfish mated with a Venus fly trap? The dragonfruit, also called the pitaya or strawberry pear, is one of those strange-looking things you see in a market and just have to try. I had forgotten about eating these in abudance as a [...]
Ikea Restaurant in Beijing
Whew! With being mildly under the weather and furnishing a new apartment, I haven’t had time to write a lengthy post yet this year. I did, however, make it out to Beijing’s Ikea over the weekend. I had thought US IKEAs were crowded, but here I couldn’t push a shopping cart 3 feet without hitting [...]
We Didn’t Have Eggnog for Christmas, But…
…We did have Lulu 露露, an almond milk drink that is all the rage here in Beijing. (You may have seen it in this Thanksgiving video.) And unlike eggnog, it’s not so heavy that it sits in your stomach all night long with the turkey, pie, and chocolate pudding you stuffed into yourself. Of course, [...]
Clementines in Winter
‘Tis the season for colds and flu. Last week Jacob had a cold and sore throat, and now this week is my turn to be under the weather. Fortunately, ’tis also the season for clementines. Markets and street vendors’ carts are overflowing with this juicy fruit that’s filled with vitamin C. Unlike tangerines, clementines are [...]
Northern Snacks in Zhongshan
Zhongshan is over 2,000 kilometers from Beijing, farther than Miami is from New York City. Twenty years ago, it was hard to find northern-style foods in this Cantonese-speaking and Cantonese-food-eating city. How times have changed. At our local hypermarket Da Run Fa 大润发, the prepared foods section is dominated by northern style foods, including every [...]
Video: Hong Kong Open-Air Market
Hong Kong’s Central district has a large open-air market that stretches for blocks and blocks. We head towards the egg stand and try the "Thousand-Year-Old Egg," a duck egg that has been preserved in clay, ash, salt, lime, and tea. Oh, and the name is a bit of an exaggeration.
Appetite for China is all about fresh and simple Asian cooking. Welcome and bon appetit!
