as soon as we got through customs [which took forever, btw!] we went straight to departure level, got plane tickets directly to Chengdu from Peking. to make it clear the cashier showed us on the map where Chengdu is as there's another town which has a similar sounding name. i encountered my first spitting Chinaman sitting next to me on this Air China flight to Chengdu. the way they clear their throats is gut wrenching...as in "WT...F?! that's gross! would you mind?!"

the roll/bun is dense and dry. tasteless! meat is dry too but it's supposed to be dry. no greens, no sauce, nothing! not even soya sauce. i tried some of the dried meat but couldn't swallow more than 2 bites of the bun.


after checking into the guesthouse we wandered around looking for real Sichuan food. i noticed a table by a restaurant's entrance. there were 2 balls of dough on it, i thought it was a noodle house. we went inside signaling we wanted to order some food. they brought the menu and i just pointed at it at random. it was around 1:30pm that means lunch was recently finished, we found out that's why the first half of the menu wasn't being offered. no wonder there was only one other person in the restaurant. while we were eating 2 more arrived but otherwise we had the place to ourselves.

first the young man brought us tea [no taste] and then 2 bowls of rice water, plus our beer. all 3 liquids had no taste! next a steamy plate of dumplings arrived. egg and scallion filling. still hungry so i pointed randomly again at the menu and got minced pork dumplings. everything was made from scratch. so...that was my first Sichuan meal. for the record, i don't like typical Chinese food but Sichuan cuisine is the reason i came to Chengdu...and i love it! fantastic. here comes the Sichuan pepper junkies


the young man made some more dumpling sheets for my second order. he stood on a wooden box.
<
RMB is Chinese currency. at the time it was around RMB10 = 1 Euro
the price i specify is usually for the whole meal, unless otherwise stated.

Okay, these show up.

I love the pics of the dumpling boy!

Is rice water to drink? I would mistake it for a finger bowl and probably commit some awful social gaff ... haha. I guess I'd have to study customs a bit before visiting. I usually do.

I'm a Sichuan pepper junkie! I just made a dish recently from a Chinese cookbook. I tend to make Thai, but I unearthed that cookbook from my collection and decided that I needed to use it ... at least the recipes with Sichuan peppers. :P

is rice water to drink? I would mistake it for a finger bowl and probably commit some awful social gaff ... haha. I guess I'd have to study customs a bit before visiting. I usually do.

i didn't know what the hell it was until i tasted it. rice water -cooked- as appetiser i guess. this wasn't in any customs section though.

I'm a Sichuan pepper junkie! I just made a dish recently from a Chinese cookbook. I tend to make Thai, but I unearthed that cookbook from my collection and decided that I needed to use it ... at least the recipes with Sichuan peppers. :P

didn't know that! i've never done drugs so i don't know what it's like to be "high" but Sichuan peppers...oh boy...it's like licking a 9V battery nonstop! a very peculiar sensation only a "junkie" enjoys. so like a druggie i keep chasing that sensation. luckily the feeling is the same as the first everytime even if i increase the dosage.

i have a few Sichuan books. normally i just drool all over the photography...but i should really try making something! brought/sent back many Sichuan spices from the trip. maybe that's an incentive to get my act together

Arrooaagghhh.... Puuuuiiiiii... Welcome to China!!! Hahaaa. i once met a wealthy but 'uncivilised' chinese millionaire in a 5 star hotel in London, everywhere he went, his aides/servants had to wipe the floor after he spat! the looks he got from the staff & other guests were total shock, horror & disgust. He spoke 'country' mandarin very crudely & loudly, starting & ending every sentence with swear words... which his aide kindly translated & censored the offending bits, he was a real nasty piece of shit, i got out as soon as i could. I hope that wasn't him you sat next to on the plane!!!

the airline dried meat looks like mountain cured/wind dried meats, normally ham but could also be beef. it's not too different to what you find in italy:) they have olives in China too, normally preserved or dried & used in cooking, like so many dried/preserved chinese vegs. during the harsh winters. But i use them in my famous bugs/insects medicinal brew... i made some for my niece when she was ill, the next time i saw her, she just ran screaming No more, no more.. hahahaa...

Haaaa.... rice water, never had that one before but i'm sure you just add spice/condiments to 'soup' it up before drinking. Or you could wash your fingers in it )

dumpling boy stood on a wooden box?! shame on you... that's child labour, hope you tipped him )

glad you decided to drop by and say hello! ))))))) we sure have missed you, DC.
sorry i have to stop short but tomorrow i'll respond properly, yes?

[/me finishing my Czech beer and disappearing...]

Arrooaagghhh.... Puuuuiiiiii... Welcome to China!!! Hahaaa. i once met a wealthy but 'uncivilised' chinese millionaire in a 5 star hotel in London, everywhere he went, his aides/servants had to wipe the floor after he spat! the looks he got from the staff & other guests were total shock, horror & disgust. He spoke 'country' mandarin very crudely & loudly, starting & ending every sentence with swear words... which his aide kindly translated & censored the offending bits, he was a real nasty piece of shit, i got out as soon as i could. I hope that wasn't him you sat next to on the plane!!!

OMG, that's horrible! they didn't kick him out for spitting? for some reason i've always enjoyed your stories, DC. i think the way you tell them makes all the difference crude country mandarin, eh. sounds worse than a farmer who's never been to school or such? too bad only you know what crude country mandarin sounds like. i think i'd laugh if i could understand him.

and no, it was an ordinary chinese man on the plane. he took a long time to get frogs out of his throat and then i saw him spit. he started everything over and over until we landed

the airline dried meat looks like mountain cured/wind dried meats, normally ham but could also be beef. it's not too different to what you find in italy:) they have olives in China too, normally preserved or dried & used in cooking, like so many dried/preserved chinese vegs. during the harsh winters. But i use them in my famous bugs/insects medicinal brew... i made some for my niece when she was ill, the next time i saw her, she just ran screaming No more, no more.. hahahaa...

noooooo. no chinese medicinal brew! i'll take the dry bun and meat then.

Haaaa.... rice water, never had that one before but i'm sure you just add spice/condiments to 'soup' it up before drinking. Or you could wash your fingers in it

i didn't think of that! adding Sichuan chili oil to rice water. but i have no desire to drink rice water...

dumpling boy stood on a wooden box?! shame on you... that's child labour, hope you tipped him

he's clearly a grown man, just a bit short :P why isn't the table low enough for him i wonder. he has to kneed doughs all day it'd make sense to saw off the [table] legs a bit.

[OMG, that's horrible! they didn't kick him out for spitting? for some reason i've always enjoyed your stories, DC. i think the way you tell them makes all the difference crude country mandarin, eh. sounds worse than a farmer who's never been to school or such? too bad only you know what crude country mandarin sounds like. i think i'd laugh if i could understand him.]

yes the hotel could throw him out but that's why he got servants/slaves/aide to wipe that spit off the floor! it's almost like he's the king & his cronies do everything he says. did i say... they're very arrogant & crude in their business dealings too. they might not be educated but they have a cut throat way of dealing with people, totally ruthless! heehee... crude country mandarin = farmer/country bumpkin/provincial mandarin, often laced heavily with the local dialect & spoken at speed. A typical sentence starts with a long string of swear words, this is followed by the person addressing your question or giving you a reply but it sounds like a scolding or in a manner to intimidate you, often using the 'let your father tell you this...' phrase as if to put you in your place. Actually i prefer these kind of conversations... at least you know who you're dealing with, a provincial bumpkin... it's the sly & cunning ones that pretend to be your friend & offer help or advice & insist on buying you things or gifts, then later expect you to do XYZ for them in return.. these are the crooks i hate most!! you can tell... i've had my experiences with them

[and no, it was an ordinary chinese man on the plane. he took a long time to get frogs out of his throat and then i saw him spit. he started everything over and over until we landed]

that must be one big frog he ate before flying... hehee.. just that description alone brings back memories... haahaaa. of course it's country bumpkin arrogance & ignorance.. they treat everything as their own.. he probably thinks that for the price of the air ticket alone, he better make the most of it... spit boy.. spit!! if it were a redneck in alabama.. well you can imagine.

[dumpling boy... he's clearly a grown man, just a bit short :P why isn't the table low enough for him i wonder. he has to kneed doughs all day it'd make sense to saw off the [table] legs a bit.]

maybe they're hoping he would "grow" into his job later on.. or maybe they did saw his legs off :P

DC.