nosh nook #16 - monday, april 6, 2009

a culinary adventure on beijing’s snack street (link)
04.05.09 - the jakarta post - by lia lenggogeni

in beijing, there's one of those must-see tourists spots known as wangfujing snack street. it's an outdoor market where they shut down a stretch of the road for four hours every night so that rows of street vendors can hawk their various foods & snacks & dishes. visitors to snack street can expect to find an assortment of delicacies & weird-ass foods.

lia lenggogeni visited there & reported her findings back to the jarkata times. she opens with a story about being accosted by a pushy vendor offering dog meat on a stick. EW.  NO.  NO DOG MEAT ON A STICK. she agreed with me & made the right choice by turning him down.  as she traveled snack street, she noted that while it doesn't necessarily "represent the rich and diverse chinese cuisine," there are foods from various regions & cultures throughout china.  uighur grilled lamb kebobs!  wee grr!

things i would try if i ever made it to beijing's snack street...the starfish, the flatbread, the snake, the caramelized fruit kebabs...maybe the scorpion, although the story in the article that uses the words "rancid" & "centipede" sort of reduces my sense of adventure regarding insect eating.  it's a moot point though, since it's going to soon be demolished to make way for skyscrapers anyhow.  yay chinese progress!  just like here in brooklyn!