*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

Penang Hill

On Friday afternoon, four other teammates and I hired a mini van for half a day to take us around Penang. We were the ones who wanted to do some sightseeing instead of shopping.

We went to Penang Hill, the highest point in Penang at about 710 metres above sea level. The tram ride itself took one hour to go up and down. It's an old tram so it crawls up. The view from Penang Hill is fantastic and the air's really cool and fresh up there. I think it's worth a visit if you are a first-time visitor to Penang!

Friday Morning Breakfast

We went in search of some yummy food straight after we arrived in Penang. We had Apom, an Indian bread, which is slightly sweet. Doughy at the centre and crispy at the sides. Then we also had what Malaysians call Roti Canai, but more commonly known to Singaporeans as Roti Prata. In any case, it was really yummy and was a great way to start the day!

Penang for the weekend

Am heading to Penang for the weekend for the Penang International Dragonboat Race. Will be taking an overnight bus tonight and arriving in Penang Friday morning. I didn't want to do it like last year--leave on Friday night, arrive Sat morning and head straight to the race site without any breakfast! That was just insane.

So this year, a small group of us decided to take it a little easier and go up a day earlier to rest and relax before paddling away like crazy on Saturday and Sunday. Wish me luck!

Crystal Jade Ginseng Chicken

Crystal Jade restaurants seem to be invading Takashimaya Shopping Centre. That being the case, I naturally found myself eating at one of them one day. That Friday night, I ate at Crystal Jade's Korean outlet on the fourth floor.

Riding on the popularity of the Korean drama series, Jewel in the Palace (大长今), there's even a Jewel in the Palace set menu for $53.90+++ per person. My friend and I went for the set menu for 2 which costs $59+++. If you're into BBQ, you can also choose from the BBQ menu. But my friend and I were lazy, we didn't want to cook our own food, hence we went for the set menu.

Our set included the following dishes:
- 6 side dishes/appetizers (the usual big bean sprouts, kimchi, ikan bilis, long beans and carrots, preserved spinach etc)
- stir-fried vegetables
- beef bibimbap
- ginseng chicken
- grilled mackeral
- fruits (2 thin slices of watermelon and 2 thin slices of honeydew)

The appetizers were pretty good and I liked the stir-fried vegetables. The vegetables were light and easy on the stomach. I liked the grilled mackeral as it was tasty and the meat wasn't too dry. The beef bibimbap was OK. Not really that much better than what I can get in a food court. The ginseng chicken was nice, but the soup could do with a stronger taste of ginseng. It was still tasty though and the chicken was very tender.

Service was prompt and the wait staff were good with refilling of our tea. Overall, the meal wasn't too bad and I wouldn't mind going there again if I'm craving for Korean food while in town.

Wan County 万县

Along the cruise, we had a shore excursion one morning to Wan County. The original town has been drowned and what stands now are buildings and homes that have been built to relocate the people.

Women and children sitting outside and enjoying each other's company.

Animal innards being sold at the local market.

Dried goods being sold at the local market.

A stall selling spices, beans and millet.

A row of naked ducks with their necks down.

An old man at the duck stall using a fire torch to fire the duck. I'm not sure why he's doing this though. Maybe someone who is more in the know can tell me!

Buckets of chilli. Just looking at it scares me already. I'm not a huge fan of chilli!

A stall selling freshly made noodles.

Yangtze River and Three Gorges 长江和三峡

I went on a cruise along the Yangtze River to see the Three Gorges. The cruise started from the city of Wuhan and went upstream towards Chongqing which was to be the last stop. It was a very leisurely cruise, but if you go on one, be prepared to have groups of American and British retirees as fellow passengers. Honestly, it felt like a retirement village. I think I cut the average age there by half.

And because the cruise was catered mainly to American and British tourists, the food was naturally bastardized versions of Chinese food. The usual lemon chicken, sweet and sour pork and all those crappy food. You will also find that these people have a Disneyland view of China. They will LOVE everything about it, and say everything's so lovely etc. I'm just so glad I went as an independent traveller. I hate having to go around in big groups.

The water levels along the river have already risen about 120 metres due to the Three Gorges Dam. Many of the villages and houses you see along the cruise are newly built ones. The people were moved to higher ground while their original homes are now all underwater. Drowned and gone for all eternity.

Still, the cliffs are gorgeous. Coupled with the mist, it feels as if you're entering a dream world as the ship meanders through the gorges.

At the Shennong Stream, we had to transfer to small boats because the water level was too shallow for the big boat and also the water passage was too narrow. These small boats are called "pea pods". They are so-called because the shape of the boat resembles that of a pea pod. A pea pod is powered by five men. One coxswain, who's also the skipper, one rower in front of the coxswain, two rowers at the front of the boat and one man who's the second mate. He helps to guide and punt the boat up front when the boat needs to go upstream. These rowers are local farmers.

These pea pods have been in used for hundreds of years. When the pea pod has to go upstream and through very shallow waters, the rowers jump out of the boat and hook a rope made of bamboo onto the pea pod. They then stand on the banks and hang on to the hardy bamboo rope and pull the boat along. The men at the front and back help by punting the pea pod with a long bamboo pole. It's back-breaking work! Originally, the men used to pull the boats in the nude as they didn't want the ropes to spoil their clothes (due to the rubbing of the rope on the clothes). But because of tourism, they have had to have some modicum of decency.

The pea pods break out of their orderly arrangement after we, the tourists, have gone back to our big boat after going through the Shennong Stream.

By the way, most Chinese people refer to the Yangtze River as Chang Jiang 长江, meaning Long River. The word "Yangtze" is really what it is known as in Shanghainese. According to my guide, the term "Yangtze River" came into common use in the English-speaking community because the first Westerners arrived in Shanghai and they asked the locals what the river was called and they told the foreigners the river's name in Shanghainese. The name has stuck ever since.

Mount Hua 华山

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and do some hiking, a good day-trip would be to make your way to Mount Hua 华山. You can join any of the local tours (which are a dime a dozen) to get yourself there. That's probably easiest. It takes about 1.5 - 2 hours to get there by bus from Xi'an's city centre.

The type of rock that makes up the mountains is mostly granite. When you get to the base, I suggest you take the cable car up to the North Peak. The more enthusiastic climbers can start right from the bottom and make their way up by foot. But it's an endless flight of stairs. It's best to take the cable car and then walk to the South, East and West peaks from there. That will take up a few hours and it's a lot of walking! There's a temple at every peak and a few peppered along the way from one peak to another.

You'll see many of these locks. The superstitious Chinese believe that you should make a wish on a lock and lock it there for good luck. Lovers should also buy a lock so that their love for each other is sealed forever. I think it's all crap.

The steps are extremely steep at times and you'll have to walk very carefully. Here, I, the baby mountain goose, scale this flight of steps against an almost vertical wall! Grab on to those chains at the side! The hike can be tiring, but take it at your own pace and just enjoy the breathtaking views!

As you make your way up the endless steps, you'll come across many mountain porters. These porters haul chairs, ten gallons of water and god knows what up the mountains to the teahouses and hostels in the mountain. It's such back-breaking work and my heart really goes out to them. Their faces are weathered by all these hard work and I really can't fathom how they manage to haul all these things up. This particular porter started to break into song, singing a folk song with all his heart in his local dialect. I didn't understand a word, but it sounded extremely lovely and melodious up in those mountains.

Morning Prep Talk

It was very amusing to see employees of many big stores in Xi'an coming out very morning to do "morning exercise". This was just one of them we saw. Before the store officially opens in the morning, all the employees file out and arrange themselves in an orderly fashion and then they start dancing to a tune, flaying their arms in the air and chanting slogans like "We are good, we are good, we are really very good!!!" Then they get some sort of prep talk from the supervisor, after which they file back in to do their work for the day.

Quite bizarre.

Muslim Quarter in Xi'an

Snapshots of the Muslim Quarter in Xi'an.

One of many street stalls selling buns and pan-fried cubes made from green bean flour coated with soy sauce.

This stall sells braised cow's stomach.

One of many roadside stalls selling barbecued food like skewered meat.

A type of sweet cake with date filling.

A stall selling sweet cakes and desserts.

One of many abbattoirs along the streets. It was rather off-putting to see so many goat carcasses hanging out in the open without any proper storage and hygiene standards.

Then you see all these big chunks of meat and organ parts all placed haphazardly for sale. It looked pretty gross actually. I guess I'm just too used to the clean conditions in which meat is sold in Singapore!

A bakery selling the pastries of the Hui minority group.

Anyone for buns?

Seamstresses and cobblers along the street.

A pushcart selling food along the street. Notice the women wearing scarves. They are of the Hui minority group who believe in Islam.



Dried goods for sale along the street.

A stall selling plants in the market in the Muslim Quarter.

Liqun Roast Duck 利群烤鸭店

For a bit of an adventure, try to find your way to Liqun Roast Duck for what is purportedly one of Beijing's best roast duck. I mean, how can one go to Beijing and not eat Peking Duck, right? You will find many local trishaw riders offering to take you there (for a fee of course) but my suggestion is don't hop on, 'cos really, the fun is in sniffing it out on your own.

Follow the makeshift signs and eventually you'll get to it. The place is tucked away in the labyrinth of hutongs and is really very nondescript. But therein lies the satisfaction of finding it.

But frankly, I'm not really a huge fan of the Peking Duck in Beijing because I don't like the way it is eaten. The duck skin is not as crispy as compared to the ones I've eaten in Hong Kong and Singapore. Also, in Beijing they slice it such that there's some duck meat left under the skin. And honestly, I didn't think Liqun Roast Duck was THAT fantastic. Still prefer the way it is prepared in Hong Kong and Singapore. Still, I had fun hunting the place down and going through the hutongs. I like the place too as it's full of local flavour with it's old and cramped interiors, dirty toilets and all. It's actually within walking distance of one of the entrances of the Underground City. And actually, the Temple of Heaven (天坛) isn't too far away as well if you're willing to do some walking!

No. 11 Beixiangfeng, Zhengyi Road
Qianmendong St, Qianmendong Hutong
Beijing,
Tel: (86) 10 6705-5578

Eight Treasure Congee 八宝粥

Had this Eight Treasure Congee 八宝粥 in an eatery in the Muslim Quarter of Xi'an. It's slightly sweet in taste, and has a gooey texture. The congee contains rice grains, raisins, wolfberries, peanuts, red dates, and three other ingredients of which I can't identify.

I ordered it only because I wanted to try it, but I didn't really like it. Too gooey and sticky for me. But interesting to know of new food items nonetheless.

Beijing Underground City 北京地下城

For an off-the-beaten-track tourist spot to visit within Beijing's city centre, try to go in search of the Beijing Underground City which was built during the Cultural Revolution to serve as a bomb shelter. But it turned out to be a white elephant as it was never used. It's a labyrinth of tunnels which will leave you lost if you navigate it on your own. Hence there are guides to bring you around.

The network of tunnels is so extensive that you can make your way to the Beijing International Airport and even neighbouring city, Tianjin, using the tunnels! The taking of photos isn't allowed hence I'm unable to put up more photos.

It's not THAT exciting a place as there are just pictures of military planes and tankers lining the tunnels. But it's interesting the craziness that took over Chairman Mao when he conceived and carried out this idea of his.

Tour groups can enter free of charge without prior permission, while individual tourists are charged 20 yuan.

Address (three entrances) :
62 West Damochang Street, Qianmen, Tel. 6702-2657.
Qianmen Carpet Factory at 44 Xingfu Dajie, Chongwen District, Ttel. 6701-5079
18 Dazhalan Jie in Qianmen.

Go here to read more.

On Cloud 7.5

Dimsumdolly is feeling on cloud 7.5 (not 9 'cos she has to come back to face a lot of shit at work) at the moment because she has finally managed to get rid of all the trackback pings on her blog--all 189,000 of them. Phew. That was a feat.

In one hour's time, she will also be treated to lunch by two grateful beings whom she helped bring together. Her very first matchmaking attempt was successful! Oh, she is so happy for the newly attached couple!

And to keep to the celestial theme, just 'cos she's a goddess (hee), the picture below shows the dimsumdolly at the final steps leading up to Heaven's Gate Pavilion at Hong Lo Temple (红螺寺). It was a long walk up a few thousand steps. Definitely an aptly named pavilion as it's so high up!!! Quite a challenge but definitely worth the climb as the view's great. Thank god for regular exercise and a fair bit of stamina on the dimsumdolly's part!

Beijing Donghua Night Market 北京东华夜市

Just a street or two away from the main shopping district of Wangfujing (王府井) in Beijing, lies a street which comes alive at night with whole row of street food stalls. This is precisely what dimsumdolly's playground is about.

So the line of stalls spanning about 200 metres sell all sort of street snacks (小吃). Pieces of smelly beancurds, muttons, prawns, silkworms are skewered and grilled, emanating a myriad of smells that tease and flirt with one's nostrils. Sea urchins, sparrows and all sorts of innards are also available for the more adventurous eaters.

I had my first deep-fried sea urchin. The black globs didn't taste very good and I threw it away after having a scoop of it. It's a far cry from eating it raw as I adore eating it that way. Or maybe Japanese uni is just different. Who knows?

Always a sucker for crepes, pancakes and the likes, I had to try this Shandong spring onion pancake. Unfortunately it didn't taste as good as it looked. It was very bland.

I'm still not sure what this really is. The shop owner told me it's dog's penis. I don't know if he was lying or not??? Of course I didn't try it. Dimsumdolly has her limits, thank you very much. But if there's anyone who can tell me if the shopowner was telling the truth or not, please let me know!!!

This was some steamed dessert made from glutinous rice. It looked very cute and pretty that's why I bought it. There's a slightly sweet taste to it but I was a little disappointed with the taste as it didn't taste as good as it looked. Too bland.

Other foodstuff sold were pan-fried dumplings (锅贴), boiled dumplings (饺子) and steamed soup dumplings (小笼包). Desserts like sweet soup and caramelized fruits were also available.

My conclusion is that the food isn't fantastic, but it's worth a short visit just to have a look at the food and soak in the bustling energy that runs through the market.

Back

I'm back from my trip! Lots of beautiful sights and interesting experiences. Pictures to come. But for now, work (loads of it) beckons!!!