There are many things I like to do and see when I travel. Museums and art galleries and historical sights and picturesque landscapes rank right up there, but some of the most memorable pleasures are gastronomic. I like tasting my way through a new place–and the corollary to that is that I also like visiting food markets (and even grocery stores) to see foods whose names I may only have read about. And any chance to marvel at food artisans in action is a good one. I recently was in Beijing for meetings, and had the very nice and unexpected opportunity the following weekend to stop by a food market near Xiangheyuan Road with some of our close friends. Oh, the sights to behold! The food, the vendors, and of course, the noodle maker….
Market scene; Dried spices/teas
Choice cuts
Chinese yams
Garlic shoots; Dragon Fruit
Assortment of bean curd products
Prepared food vendor; Egg vendor
… And the noodle maker in action.
Perennial Pastimes 
Love these photos and seeing the unusual (for us) vegetables. I once found a vegetable called “bitter melon” from an Asian market in Toronto. Ever curious about veggies, I decided to buy one so asked the vendor how to cook it. I should have listened when, after telling me how to prepare it, he said, “my mother always made us eat this first.” The bitterness was beyond description.
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I love watching people make hand-pulled noodles. I’ve gone to some hole-in-the-wall places in NYC to watch them. It’s dinner and a show! 🙂
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