Beijing

After 2 weeks at home, it was time to head out of the door again. This time, my folks are so blase they didn't even wave goodbye. They had an air of nonchalance when i announced i was leaving again. In fact, both of them weren't even in Singapore on the day i left! Oh well..

Beijing is my first stop in China, and its the second time i am visiting the capital. This time, i really want to explore more of the local hangouts, away from the major tourist attractions.

The weather is getting chilly in Beijing, but that doesn't stop locals from enjoying a hearty meal al-fresco. This noisy, bustling and chaotic eatery specializes in Hubei dishes and is so popular that you have to queue up to get a seat- nobody seems to mind -i guess the food is worth waiting for.

Everybody here makes a beeline for the house specialty - spicy fried fish served in a pan, with some thin, crispy deep fried biscuit to soak up the gravy. Just about every dish i had was served steaming hot and drenched with chilli.

And what better way to wash it all down with some TsingTao beer! - Hey, i'm just doing what the locals do!　

While on the subject of food (and following what the locals do), i might as well confess i tried some grilled chicken hearts 2 days back and beef tendons/ligaments (?) (yes, you heard me right） The first thing i noticed was that chicken hearts was the size. I don't know if they shrink to half their size or something when cooked but they were no bigger than the tip of my thumb. Such a tiny thing! - probably very prone to heart attack -if they weren't eaten before they hit old age . These were grilled on sticks (like kebabs or satay), Xinjiang style, marinated with lots of peppery spice and herbs. Verdict: a little too chewy and rubbery for my liking and i did feel a little bit like i was on Fear Factor while eating them - except i knew i wouldn't win $25,000 for eating them. Ugh!