liuzhou

These monstrosities may look like white bread for toasting or sandwiches. No such thing! Described by the store as 黄金芝士条 ~ 流心芝士下午茶 (huáng jīn zhī shì tiáo ~ liú xīn zhī shì xià wǔ chá), Golden Cheese Bars ~ Lava Cheese Afternoon Tea Collection. What kind of cheese they use is not divulged but I would bet heavily on it being American ‘cheese’ which isn’t cheese! Of course, I've never bought it to test!

I wouldn't worry about your adding oyster mushrooms to beef and broccoli being 'inauthentic'. Beef and broccoli isn't 'authentically' Chinese anyway!

香辣鱼炒饭 (xiāng là yú chǎo fàn), Spicy Fish Fried Rice, The fish are dried rice paddy minnows.

About 25 years ago, a family owned bakery opened here in town by the name of Maison Cherry. The master baker was a family member who had trained in Paris. I got to know the family quite well, especially the eldest daughter who had studied English, used the English name Cherry and liked to chat when I went in. The bakery made many cakes which didn’t interest me but also made great French bread of several types – pain de campagne, boule de pain, etc and real croissants. The one thing they didn’t do was baguettes. I asked why and was told it was because ‘people here don’t understand them’. They had trialled them but got tired of people coming back next day complaining they had gone stale too quickly. But, for about four years, I lived happily. They reserved me a loaf every couple of days and called me when it was ready. Then, one day, I was passing their bakery shop and it was closed. Permanently. I tried to call the daughter but her phone service had been cancelled. They just disappeared. I’ve never been able to find out what happened. Their store is now a Chinese KFC knock-off. I weep.

Very common here. The one labelled stewed doesn't look stewed. It very much looks like quail century egg. These are sold in every mom 'n pop corner store as well as supermarkets. And, yes. Always rubbery. I never buy them. I buy fresh and D,I,M, (Do it Myself)

Another bread I used to bake myself but now routinely buy is this pita-like bread from Xi’an, where I lived a long time ago. It is the bread most often used in 肉夹馍 (ròu jiā mó), Rou Jia Mo. Rou Jia Mo The bread is called 白吉饼 (bái jí bǐng). There is a recipe in the first post of the Rou Jia Mo topic linked to above. Unusually, it is not steamed, but dry-fried then baked. Bai Ji Bing

Hunan food never skimps on chilli!

For complicated reasons, tonight's dinner was a delivery app favourite. 青椒肉丝 (qīng jiāo ròu sī), green chilli pork slivers, a Hunan favourite, but found in homes and restaurants all over China. Served with rice, of course.

The only way to get a bird, chicken, duck, or goose, with the giblets is to buy a live one and slaughter it yourself. Many people do. Otherwise, both supermarkets and market vendors remove the precious giblets and sell them separately. This can be in mixed giblet packs like these and include parts I suspect most don’t come with the birds in the west. Intestines? Or, you can buy each type of giblet separately. Hearts, livers, gizzards, intestines, necks, etc. I always have chicken or duck livers and hearts in the freezer but until very recently was unable to find goose liver or hearts that hadn’t been pre-cooked or, in the case of livers, turned into foie gras. I can now buy both online but have to buy a minimum of 2½ kg / 5 pounds at a time. I’m guessing they are mostly sold to the restaurant or foie gras trade. Goose intestines are especially prized.

In drinks I use stainless steel 'ice' cubes. never wet, never dilute your drink.

If you wanted to be "authentically" Xinjiang, I would suggest using your honey, but as I said, there is zero reason not to use maple syrup.

I should say that maple syrup is unknown in Xinjiang or anywhere else in China. It is uber-North American. That's not to say you shouldn't use it should you find a recipe. It is nearly al produced in Canada and the USA and used there, although limited amounts are exported to Europe. I've never had it, ever.

No. That's about a different type of cake. Not the ones I showed. Ba Bao (8 Treasures) is a very common term in Chinese, especially in food names - not only cakes and not only those 8 ingredients. Ba bao soup, ba bao congee, ba bao tea, ba bao beef, ba bao rice, ba bao vegetables, ba bao pickles .... The list is endless.

I'm sorry, I don't have a recipe. I've never met anyone who who home makes them. They are usually sold by street vendors who descend all over China from Xinjiang every year when the nuts are in season.

A bit late, but I found just what you need.

I'm not big on sweet snacks but like these. 新疆八宝切糕 (xīn jiāng bā bǎo qiē gāo), literally ‘Xinjiang eight-treasure cut cake’ a traditional snack or cake from China’s far western province, Xinjiang. As always with number in China, there aren’t necessarily eight ingredients, but around eight. These had ten. Jujubes, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, raisins, black mulberries, and flaxseed, all held with that old traditional favourite, 4-O-α-glucopyranosyl-D-sorbitol syrup aka maltitol syrup. Honey is used in more traditional versions.

You cant really tell from the price alone. What you have to consider is also the average income in China is correspondingly low. It's no less cheap for the average Chinese person. And Borough Market is expensive anyway!

Here for anyone not familiar with the concept are a couple of tree slice boards. Ginkgo Wood These ginkgo boards are found in China and Japan. Ginkgo wood is more on the softer side. However, they are expensive. Pine Board Another softer wood. All these boards also come with steel rings to minimise warping and the price depends on diameter and thickness.

The label is about normal around here. I found toasting improves it.

… and then there’s this Wheat Mix Bread, The bakery is in Beijing and doesn’t claim dual nationality, settling instead on German. However, it’s firmly Chinese and most of their goods are the same old Chinese not-bread bread. They sell these OK 500g loaves for $5.75 a loaf, but recently slapped on a ridiculous $5.16 delivery charge, essentially doubling the price. I had been buying them for about two years at a much lower delivery price. The sourdough above has free delivery, so these fake Germans are now off my shopping list.

One saving grace. I’ve never met anyone in China who knows what sourdough is but I know the Chinese; it’s 酸面包 (suān miàn bāo), literally sour bread. A couple of months ago, I found this online, described by the seller as “Whole Wheat Sourdough Rubon Country Bread Multi-grain French Old Bread German Sourdough Bread”! The sellers are obviously confused. Rubon county doesn’t exist and isn’t even a possible Chinese name and as far as I remember France and Germany are two different countries. The bread is baked in Anhui province, 1,368 km / 850 miles from me. It takes 2-3 days to arrive, but isn’t bad, if not great. It’s also rather pricy for China at $7.25 USD for a 500 gram loaf. But needs must..

The chicken skin fruit trees have just cropped and it's a bumper harvest this year. These pictures were sent me by a friend in Wuxuan, a town near here.

That what the sandalwood boards are - slices of tree trunk. I've seen the same with the other true woods I've mentioned.

I do regularly eat white button mushrooms. Never had a problem in 50 + years.

Yes, but.... They last for a few days, which baguettes in France (or Vietnam) don't. In France four hours at best. In Vietnam, bánh mì sellers get two or three deliveries or bake the same number of batches throughout the day. In France, you have to get up early or go without.