Ok, I’m getting used to Chinese food now. I keep forgetting to take pictures before I tuck in! So far, the only repeats I’ve been served are several versions of sweet and sour pork. I think Americans are expected to want it. Two versions were too sweet, but one of them was just right – crispy (I could even munch the bones) and not too sweet. Americans are also expected to want rice. I like rice, but I don’t feel I have to have it in order to believe I’m eating Chinese food.
This morning a couple of sparrows joined me in the dining room at the Xinan Country Garden Hotel. They weren’t tame, though, so I couldn’t get their pictures. Doors and windows are left open to allow the sweet breezes to flow through (no screens). I was the only guest dining; everyone else has gone back to work after the holiday.
I haven’t mentioned my dinners because I have gotten into the habit of buying a couple pieces of fruit (apple, orange, etc.) and some bread and eating in my room. It gives me time to read, contemplate, and write. The fruit is very good. I love the green-skinned oranges. They are easy to peel and very sweet, like the mini oranges you can buy by the box. The apples are small by American standards and not as sweet (Fuji, of course, are my favorite American apples), but they are crisp and delicious with delicate color and flavor. They are reminiscent of Pink Lady apples. So far, the bread has been from bakeries that are western style. I’ve not found the neighborhood store that sells fruit, vegetables, and local bao or its equivalent like we found in Beijing three years ago.
I have discovered a wonderful “pie crust” fried bread. It is made by the local vendors, is flat and thin like a cracker, but is actually what we think of as pie crust or even the Greek phyllo dough used for baklava, though a little heavier. It has two layers and in-between the layers is a thin sprinkling of either fresh or dried green vegetable. The mixture is spicy, crunch, greasy, and delicious. It costs anywhere from one to three yuan each. I do have one picture of me holding the hot, fresh bread.
