liuzhou

The Year of the Rabbit ran from 22 January, 2023 to 9 February, 2024 so your hoisin could be anywhere between two and three years old or longer. Does it give a specific date? Opened, i wouldn't use it. Unopened maybe. I'd need more information to give a better answer. Brand? How stored? An image?

And just like that, the horses have galloped in!

First question. Are you sure you're looking at a "best before" date? China rarely uses a best before date. They always use a manufacturing date. Is it specifed in English ir any other language?

Tje rule of thumb for all meals is for there to one dish to match the mumber of diners plus a minimum of one for the table. This can go much higher at CNY.

As I write, we are about two hours away from The Year of the Horse 🐴. All day, people have been chopping, mixing, cooking and preparing for the Family Reunion dinner, tonight. This elaborate feast is usually home made but an occasional bought-in dish is acceptable. Here in Guangxi, this is the usual mix of Cantonese dihes such as white cut chicken and.spicy hot Hunan food. One dish that always returns is a Zhuang style "overturned bowl" - fried and stemed pork belly and taro. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow. Any plans to celebrate in any culinary way?

Why I'm not a vegetarian. I'm on a Neanderthal diet.

Every definition I've ever seen of salad has this to say They may word it differently, but all use "mixture" and "dressing". One ingredient and a dressing does not meet thar definition. I certainly wouldn't call it a salad; it's "chicken in mayonnaise". How was the chicken cooked? How the was mayonnaise? made?

I came across these yesterday for the first time. Known locally as 海棠果 (hǎi táng guǒ，literally 'sea cherry-apple fruit') or 鸡心果 (jī xīn guǒ, literally 'chicken heart fruit'), they are a type of wampee. Clausena lansium, native to China and SE and South Asia. I'm going with 'chicken heart fruit' as it fits the size and shape. Unlike chicken hearts, they are sweet and crisp.

I thought the butter wrap thing was universal, too. I've been doing for almost 70 years.

Find yourself in a restaurant in China with a teapot but no cup 🍵? Or with a bottle of beer 🍺 or wine 🍷 but no glass, a surprisingly common occurrence? Fear not. All you have to do is ask for a 杯子 (bēi zi). This is a catch-all word which means both cup or glass. But, as ever, watch that flat tone on the first syllable. If you're careless and use a falling tone, you'll say 被子 (bèi zi) and the server will think you are tired or feeling cold. You've asked for a quilt! This is probably more avoidable if you ask for a 茶杯 (chá bēi), teacup for your tea or in the case of a beer or wine etc ask for a 玻璃杯 (bō li bēi) or drinking glass. 🍷 🍷

I don't suppose many of you would order 鸡肠 (jī cháng) for dinner. You can see the flat tone then rising tone. But if you do, be careful. These are chicken interstines, surprisingly popular in hot pots and stews. Chicken Intestines Screw up and ask for 机场 (jī chǎng), flat tone then falling and rising tone, the wait staff will look at you pityingly and assume you are suffering from dementia and confused. You seem to think you're in a taxi. You've just asked for the airport! (I should point out that I'm only posting food related terms that can be confused. Almost all Chinese words are the same!)

Eating with friends, you may be asked what 主食 (zhǔ shí falling and rising tone, then neutral tone) you prefer. This expression means 'staple food' but really means 'rice or noodles', China's choices. Having learned this you may be tempted to use it yourself, next time. Be careful. Forget that first tone and accidentally say 猪食 (zhū shi), flat tone and you've just asked your friends what kind of pig swill they prefer!

I like spice. I like chicken. ∴ I like spicy chicken 🐔 . But I have to be careful. Spicy chicken is 辣鸡(là jī). Falling tone then high flat tone. If I mess up and use two high flat tones, I have ordered myself a plate of 垃圾 (lā jī) which means trash! A few restaurants can probably oblige!