liuzhou

No. Bigger. Nearer to 4 inch. Ah! Well, yes. Again different places tend to go for a similar look. All the baozi in Shanghai look similar but different from HK. No, I've seen char siu in large cubes and small dice and even minced in baozi.

I'm confused as to how you know what size the baozi are when there's nothing in the pictures to give any scale. Anyway, baozi come in all sorts of sizes depending on the vendor. The ones in the images were average to large. Different places have different protocols for marking or snipping baozi. The most common is some sort of code so that the vendor knows the filling just by looking at the bun. The menu lists shiitake and diced pork buns. The dice in those is within the parameters you mention. Personally, I prefer a smaller cut in my baozi. Or ground/minced pork.

After my breakfast disappointment, dinner eventually rolled around the kitchen redeemed itself. 子姜炒鸭 (zǐ jiāng chǎo yā) - Stir-Fried Duck with New Crop Ginger. Served with Rice.

32. 包子 (bāo zi) I've mentioned 包子 (bāo zi) a few times recenty in different topics, but never really thought much about what is available here in Guangxi. I tend to stick to the same two or three choices. But there are many more. So, I checked out a very popular local place (the one all the taxidrivers use) and translated their on-the-wall menu. Many of the items are duplicated, appearing on both the top banner and down the right hand side. I've only included each one once. I can't pretend to know what they all really are. Quicksand Bun, anyone? Char Siu bun Pork and Shiitake Bun Sesame and Peanut Bun 小笼包 xiǎo lóng bāo Xiaolongbao 鲜肉蒸饺 xiān ròu zhēng jiǎo Fresh Pork Steamed Jiaozi 糯米烧卖 nuò mǐ shāo mài Glutinous Rice Shaomai 玫瑰豆沙包 méi guī dòu shā bāo Rose Bean Paste Bun 嘉华莲蓉包 jiā huá lián róng bāo Jiahua Lotus Seed Bun 芝麻花生包 zhī ma huā shēng bāo Sesame Peanut Bun 韭菜鸡蛋包 jiǔ cài jī dàn bāo Garlic Chive Egg Bun 香油素菜包 xiāng yóu sù cài bāo Sesame Oil Vegetable Bun 红烧粉丝包 hóng shāo fěn sī bāo Red Cooked Vermicelli Bun 麻辣酱肉包 má là jiàng ròu bāo Hot and Numbing Paste Pork Bun 香菇肉丁包 xiāng gū ròu dīng bāo Shiitake and Diced Pork Bun 腌菜肉丝包 yān cài ròu sī bāo Salt vegetable Pork Bun 鲜肉灌汤包 xiān ròu guàn tāng bāo Fresh Pork Soup Dumpling 玖瑰豆沙包 jiǔ guī dòu shā bāo Black Jade Bean Paste Bun 珍珠烧卖 zhēn zhū shāo mài Pearl Shao Mai 叉烧包 chā shāo bāo Char Siu Bun 牛肉包 niú ròu bāo Beef Bun 水晶包 shuǐ jīng bāo Crystal Bun 流沙包 liú shā bāo Quicksand Bun 自制豆沙包 zì zhì dòu shā bāo Self-Made Bean Paste Bun 大馒头 dà mán tou Large Unstuffed Steamed Bread (Mantou)

This breakfast was disappointing. Advertised simply as 炒粉 (chǎo fěn) fried rice noodles, it came with overscrambled eggs and was totaly unseasoned. With onion and one miserable bean sprout. Fortunately, I had also ordered a couple of pork baozi as back-up (not pictured).

31. 武鸣柠檬鸭 (wǔ míng níng méng yā) Wuming Lemon Duck This one I take personally. I’ve written about it here before, so I’ll just summarise. 武鸣 (wǔ míng), Wuming is a town south of Nanning city, Guangxi’s capital. It is very much a Zhuang stronghold and is considered to be the source of the southern dialect of the Zhuang dialect. At some time in the 1980s, a local speciality was born. Precisely who was responsible is open to debate (I suspect it just evolved and there is no one inventor) but it is certainly clear who popularised it. One of my closest friends is from Nanning, but her maternal family home is Wuming. In high school, she had a classmate, also originally from Wuming, whose grandfather had a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Nanning. Early on, his daughter, classmate’s mother introduced the dish to the restaurant and it became widely popular. Now that hole-in-the-wall is a hugely successful chain with several branches in Nanning and beyond. There is a branch here in Liuzhou. Not a Hole-in-the-Wall. They've got their own walls now. Several of them. I first tasted the dish in 2008 in their flagship restaurant when the classmate hosted my friend and I along with a couple of other friends. Details of that meal are here. The dish, 武鸣柠檬鸭 (wǔ míng níng méng yā), Wuming Lemon Duck, consists of stir fried duck with preserved lemon and spices. The lemons can take years to reach perfection in their eyes. I have a couple at home which are now 25 years old! Just about ready, I guess! There is a recipe for making the lemons written by my friend here Zhuang Preserved Lemons Finally, there is a recipe for the finished dish, wrested from the restaurant by guile, deceit and fraud. The internet now has a few recipes, too. I’ve just spent the morning reading them. They are all garbage. One even insists on Peppadews, as if Nanning is in South Africa! Idiots.

Neither are sweet. The green are mildly spicy (by my standards) although occasionally one can creep up on you; the red are fiery spicy (as I like). The dish would be considered rather spicy by most people, I think, but not so much the locals. We like spicy round these parts. I guess I'm going to be here till the end of the week or early next depending on how well my ancient body responds to treatment. It is working, but it is slow. Thanks.

30. 酸嘢 (suān yě) Mixed Pickles Don’t go looking for 酸嘢 (suān yě) in a dictionary; you won’t find it. It is from an undocumented Guangxi dialect and like Guangxi cuisine is a hybrid. The first part 酸 (suān), comes from Mandarin and here means ‘acid’, ‘sour’, ‘tart’ or ‘pickled’. The second 嘢 (yě) is Cantonese and means ‘things’, so together we have ‘pickled things’ or just ‘pickles’. Internet travel guides tell you these are a speciality of Guangxi’s capital, Nanning and while that’s not exactly untrue, they are in fact popular across the whole area. All the pictures in this post were taken here in Liuzhou, for example. I’ve already mentioned pickled meats and fish but 酸嘢 (suān yě) is used to refer to pickled vegetables and fruits. These are sold everywhere by itinerant merchants to supermarket chains. The roadside guys and gals are the most popular and everyone has their favourite. Itinerant Pickled Salesman The pickles are even served as an appetizer at wedding banquets. Wedding Pickle Jar Wedding Pickles So what vegetables and fruit are pickled? What do you fancy? Almost everything can be pickled. The veg or fruit is soaked in rice wine with sugar and chilli pepper to give a sweet, sour and spicy result. Everywhere, you can see people snacking on these delicacies. So, to illustrate (literally) I’m just going to post images of examples of 酸嘢 (suān yě). I will identify most of those I know, but many are a mystery. They often don’t look like they did, once they’ve been processed Pickled Selection Pickled Selection ( I can see figs and daikon radish) Bottom right is pickled cucumbers Supermarket Selection Pickled Cowpeas Pickled Garlic Shoot Bulbs Pickled Peanuts with Green Chilli Pickled Daikon Radish Pickled Long Beans Pickled Lotuus Root Pickled Chillies Neither vegetable or fruit, but algae - Pickled Kelp Pickled Chicken Skin Fruit Soy Pickled Garlic Pickled Mustard Greens To my surprise, I don't seem to have a picture of my favourites - pickled mango or papaya. Later!

They aren't mosquitoes. There are no mosquitoes in Scotland. They are midges, for which Scotland is notorious. https://www.visitscotland.com/travel-planning/midges-ticks-scotland

Dinner： 黄鳝粥 (huáng shàn zhōu) - Paddy Eel Congee 青椒牛肉 (qīng jiāo niú ròu) - Green Chili Beef (except it had more red, my preference anyway)

They have fences now? Modern life!!

As someone who grew up spending a lot of time on an uncle's farm, I feel obliged to point out that although the Highland Cattle may look cute and photogenic, they can be bad-tempered and aggressive. I have the scars to prove it.

29.食油 (shí yóu) In some people’s minds, Chinese food is too oily or greasy. I suggest they have never had real Chinese food. Yes, some parts of China favour a more oily preparation – Shanghai for example but I don’t find it excessively so. Other areas are far from greasy. The Chinese are generally unafraid of animal fats, it’s true. The famous Hangzhou dish, 东坡肉 (dōng pō ròu), Dongpo Pork is made from from pork belly that is nearly all fat. However, when well made, it isn’t greasy at all. The fat is meltingly soft and packed with flavour. 东坡肉 (dōng pō ròu) - Dongpo Pork The pork of choice is almost always 五花肉 (wǔ huā ròu) - literally ‘five flower meat’ so named because five layers are visible – two pairs of fat and flesh and finally the skin. 五花肉 (wǔ huā ròu) - Five Flower Pork Belly Even when buying say a piece of pork tenderloin for a lean meat stir fry, it will come with fat. This will be removed and cut into pieces then rendered out to be used to stir-fry the dish and any accompanying vegetables etc. The veg do not pick up any porcine flavours. I have only once seen lard (pig fat) in a supermarket – everyone renders their own. 猪里脊肉 (zhū lǐ ji ròu) - Pork Tenderloin High quality leaf lard (猪板油 - zhū bǎn yóu) from the kidneys is available on-line at reasonable prices of around $2 USD for 500 grams, just over 1 lb. 猪板油 (zhū bǎn yóu) - Leaf Lard* Besides pig fat, various vegetable cooking oils are used. The generic term is 食油 (shí yóu), literally ‘food oil’. The preferred choice is very regional. Although my local stores all carry 大豆油 (dà dòu yóu) soy oil, 葵花油 (kuí huā yóu) sunflower oil, 菜油 (cài yóu) rapeseed oil/canola,, 玉米油 (yù mǐ yóu) cØrn oil and 植物油 (zhí wù yóu) blended anonymous ‘vegetable’ oil, by far the favourite locally is 花生油 (huā shēng yóu) peanut oil. Other areas differ. 化身有 (huā shēng yóu) - Peanut Oil* I differ, too. I prefer the neutral taste and high smoke point of 稻米油 (dào mǐ yóu), aka 米糠油 (mǐ kāng yóu), which is rice bran oil. 稻米油 (dào mǐ yóu) - Rice Bran Oil 橄榄油 (gǎn lǎn yóu), imported olive oil has become available in recent years. I was so excited I took my first selfie holding a bottle just to show friends who had left China appalled at the previous lack of the Mediterranean delight. Unfortunately, what is available is generally of very low quality and is mainly used as a cosmetic by my lady friends. Chinese food never uses it! 橄榄油 (gǎn lǎn yóu) I should also mention 麻油 (má yóu) / 香油 (xiāng yóu) / 芝麻油 (zhī ma yóu), three names for the same thing - sesame oil. This refers to toasted sesame oil and is only ever used as a finishing oil, off the heat, immediately applied to a dish before serving. It is never used for cooking or marinating. It is valued for its scent and favour, both of which are highly volatile and rapidly lost when heated. 芝麻油 (zhī ma yóu) - Toasted Sesame Oil There was a scandal a few years back when some unscrupulous turds were collecting used cooking oil from restaurants and canteens etc, “purifying” it and selling it back to the same restaurants etc as being new. This trade in what is known as 地沟油 (dì gōu yóu) or gutter oil was stamped upon from a great height and people imprisoned for lengthy times and is now thankfully extremely rare. 加油 (jiā yóu), literally ‘add oil’ is yelled at players by sports fans and is the equivalent of ‘Go Go! Go!’ or whatever you shout to encourage your team or favourite sporting star. * Marked images from advertisements on Meituan shopping portal - fair use, but I will replace

What @Anna N says. The peas are sold in cans or dried in bags or boxes. I have never used canned - they didn't have them when I lived in the UK, so far as I remember. When I was in the UK last, I bought these. They are still in my cupboard. They last forever. I won't!

Skye is beautiful and I want to live in the Oyster Shed. Haven't been for too long.

Yes, Indeed. Never fresh peas. Unheard of. Almost sacrilegious. An insult to the finest salmon and to fish and chips.

In addition to the egg and tomato, the egg and cucumber and the egg and bitter melon, they also offer egg and green beans and egg and green chilli.

It's relatively dry but does have some soy sauce. A very simple dish. Eggs, cucumber and soy sauce.

Egg and tomato is by far the most popular, but this is not unusual. 2nd prize. They also offer egg and bitter melon.

Dinner： 西芹炒鱿鱼 (xī qín chǎo yóu yú) - Stir-fried squid with celery. Odd pairing, I thought, but it worked. Squid was verging on the chewy though. Still, I expected that.

Lunch: 虫草乌鸡汤 (chóng cǎo wū jī tāng) - Cordycep militaris and black bone chicken (silkie) soup. 黄瓜炒蛋 (huáng guā chǎo dàn) - Scrambled egg with stir-fried cucumber

28. 祭礼 (jì lǐ) 孔子 (kǒng zǐ) - Confucius Statue in Liuzhou During Mao’s Cultural Revolution (1966-1976 approx), 儒学 (rú xué) -Confucianism was derided as a backward superstition and followers of the philosophy were imprisoned or even killed. Yet its influence remained everywhere. Around 2010, the powers that be in the Chinese Communist Party decided that Confucianism’s paternalism and filial piety was exactly what they needed some of, so they co-opted the philosophy for their own ends, remembering that So they duly started being Confucian, opening Confucian temples all over China, including this one in Liuzhou. They claimed it was built on the site of a former temple, destroyed in the 1960s, but no one believes that and certainly no one remembers it. They held a grand opening ceremony in September 2010 The Confucian disciples were students from the nearby university dressing up for the day, but we did get the surreal sight of the Liuzhou Party Chief sacrificing his dignity by bowing to the superstition that would have had him killed 40 years earlier. The ritual of dedicating the temple also involved non-voluntary sacrifice, known in Chinese as 祭礼 (jì lǐ) – ritual sacrifice. A pig is slaughtered and its head put up for Confucius to presumably dine on from beyond the grave. In case the pig gets lonely, a cow is given the same treatment. Pig’s heads (猪头 - zhū tóu) are not uncommon. Millions of pigs are slaughtered every day in China and they all have heads. Usually parts of the head, cheeks, brain, ears, snout, lips etc. are sold separately (some members may remember Cameron’s face), but at festivals such as New Year etc, a whole head may be braised and served for a feast. I’ve never seen the cow’s head served up in a similar fashion. The head is shaved, blow-torched, washed and blanched, then a slow braise with copious spices and aromatics: ginger, chilli pepper, bay leaf, cassia bark, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, 13-spice powder, rice wine, sugar, salt, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. After about an hour, it is ready to eat, but the meat is often removed and fried with other ingredients. An earless* 3 kg / 6 lb head costs around $10 USD. Ears are sold separately.

Another randang fan here!

I often make stovies here in China. Scottish comfort food. They've popped up on the Dinner topic from time to time. I also like cullen skink, but have never made it.

Stirling Castle is much more interesting than Edinburgh's.