liuzhou

Same with me and passion fruit. I remember exactly where I saw the flowers first and thought (still think) they were so beautiful. Although I like the fruit, it pales beside the flowers.

The dish which comes to my mind most closely matching your description is indeed 茄子皮蛋 (qié zi pí dàn), a relatively mild Sichuan dish, usually employing just a little green chilli pepper. It also makes use of sesame paste, which may account for the sweetness you mention. I have recipes in Chinese for the dish and would be happy to summarise the ingredients and general method, if you think it is what you are after. Just let me know. Alternatively, search for 茄子皮蛋 on the search engine of your choice and it should list Chinese language recipes (with pictures). If any appeals to you as being close to what you are looking for, send me the address.

20. 生蚝 (shēng háo), 牡蛎 (mǔ lì), 海蛎 (hǎi lì), 蚵仔 (é zi) Thousands of 生蚝 (shēng háo) oysters are eaten every day across Guangxi. Every day two women sit in the main seafood market shucking the molluscs. Yes, they deliver to the restaurants pre-shucked losing all the internal juices. The other names listed above are alternatives in different parts of China. The last is only used in Taiwan. Oyster Shuckers - Liuzhou Very few, if any, of those oysters are sold as I like to eat them. The general Chinese reluctance to eat anything raw goes into overdrive at the mention of oysters. Restaurants refuse to sell me raw oysters, fearing lawsuits when I surely drop dead after the first one. That is when they finally realise I’m being serious. They think I’m joking when I ask for them raw with a lemon. Only once, have I managed to persuade a roadside stall holder to serve me a plate and he watched very nervously, then was amazed to see me still alive the next evening, when he refused to repeat the experience. Grilled Oyster Vendor in Laibin, Guangxi. His oysters are farmed in 湛江 (zhàn jiāng) in neighbouring Guangdong. So, I have to eat them at home. No hardship. I can buy them easily enough to take home. I get both wild ‘caught’ and farmed and can also save money by buying them in bulk boxes. They keep well wrapped in a damp towel in the fridge. The locals like to bury them in finely chopped garlic and grill them or, in restaurants, often cover them in fake fake cheese and grill that. By “fake fake” cheese I mean they use local copies of Kraft slices which, in my book, isn’t cheese in the first place. I’m surprised you call it American cheese; most countries would be ashamed to admit it! Fake Fake Cheese Anyway, I wouldn’t put good cheese on oysters either. I am a firm believer in the cheese and seafood don’t mix rule! But then, I am also the kind of person who thinks that the same cheese on a burger ruins the burger. I’m a cheese lover. Sacrilege I treat them with respect, shucking them myself immediately before eating, always careful to keep the internal juices, then hold them momentarily on ice until they are all ready. Unshucked Shucked and on Ice I then eat them with a little lemon or lime juice or with nothing depending on my mood. I did manage to persuade one young friend to try one. She didn't die, found the experience pleasant enough, but is still reluctant to repeat the experience. Pity. I have been eating these oysters here, every week in season, for over 20 years and never got sick once. (He writes from hospital, although my current condition is non-oyster related. They aren't on the hospital menu app, that I have noticed. In fact it's an exclusion zone for seafood of any kind. 😭 )

I messed up dinner and missed the deadine for ordering (which I hadn't been told about). Sweet talking a nurse led to me getting a meal on condition that I accepted whatever the kitchen sent - a risky proposition, but one I had no choice but to accept. I'm sure what they sent is not on the menu in this format. It was a bit of everything they happened to have, but actually quite good. Stir fried chicken with onion, Chinese yam, carrots, wood-ear fungus, potato. Rice. More than I could eat. Equivalent of $1.50 USD. All tomorrow's meals have been ordered.

Breakfast this morning was a winner. 小笼包 (xiǎo lóng bāo).

6b 雪蛤 (xuě gé) Something I forgot to mention when discussing frogs. 雪蛤 (xuě gé), hasma is the oviducts and surrounding fat of a type of frog, Rana temporaria chensinensis, the Asiatic Grass Frog or Forest Frog. This part of the frog, believe it or not, is considered a delicacy and used in a number of desserts and sweets.

19. 鱼子 (yú zǐ), 飞鱼籽 (fēi yú zǐ), 蟹黄水 (xiè huáng shuǐ), 虾子 (xiā zǐ) , 鲕 (ér), Flying Fish Roe Although I mentioned it in passing, when looking at crabs, I deliberately left out any details of one important aspect, as it fits more comfortably with other issues and products. I am talking about the ladies’ roe, 鱼子 (yú zǐ). Unlike in many Western countries where lumpfish roe tends to be the choice for cheap substitutes for the good stuff, here the choice is much more likely to be flying fish roe 飞鱼籽 (fēi yú zǐ). This took off about ten years ago, when there was a craze for Japanese cuisine, especially sushi, which often features flying fish roe (とびこ - tobiko in Japanese, or in the less honest places, the cheaper 雅子 – masako, which is actually smelt roe.) Naturally orange in hue, tobiko is often recoloured, using squid ink for black, beet for red, yuzu for yellow, or ‘wasabi’* for green. I have, too, come across capelin roe, but only what I have found inside the raw fish. Even that is rare and capelin are not well known. Undyed Capelin Roe Somewhat more expensive and tastier is 蟹黄水 (xiè huáng shuǐ), crab roe. This red roe is particularly valued in China due to the fame of Yangcheng hairy crabs. Crab roe, too is often dyed other colours, especially black. Black Dyed Crab Roe Be careful if ordering it however, no matter the type of crab. The locals like to eat the ovaries, roe and digestive tract of the crab. This combination is known as 蟹黄 (xiè huáng), whereas the roe alone is 蟹黄水 (xiè huáng shuǐ). I don’t mean you shouldn’t eat it, but not unwillingly. Real caviar 鲕 (ér), from sturgeon is not thought of as Chinese but, in fact, China is the world’s largest producer by far, with one company, Kaluga Queen accounting for 60 tons a year, one third of all the caviar produced worldwide. They claim that twenty-one of France’s twenty-seven restaurants holding three Michelin stars serve their caviar as do Per Se and the French Laundry in the USA, among others. It is also sold domestically. The sturgeon are raised in Qiandao Lake, 355 k / 220 miles south of Shanghai. More information here. I don't know how much caviar makes its way to Guangxi apart from the three x 10g tins in my fridge. Kaluga Queen Caviar and Smoked Sturgeon Here is a selection of local dishes using the various roes. Scrambled Duck Eggs with Flying Fish Roe Baked Egg with Goose Liver and Caviar Shrimp with Orzo, Wakame and Crab Roe Hake with Black Crab Roe Avocado and Crab Roe Whole roes from freshwater fish, probably carp, are available in one store I frequent. I've never bought one. So cheap they can't be great. Or am I missing something? Other roes from non-native species such as cod, salmon and herring are available oline at import prices.

Yes, I know. That is why I was careful to say "active cocaIne".

There hasn't been active cocaine in Coca Cola since 1903.

18. 蛤蜊 (gé lí), 车螺 chē luó) One difficulty about living, or even travelling, in China is an often overlooked linguistic phenomenon. Many foodstuffs and dishes have radically different names in different parts of the country. Many have different names on different stalls in the market! I know several different names for the simple potato, for example. I first lived in Xi’an and made the effort to learn food names. After a year, I moved to faraway Hunan and was baffled. Everything seemed to be different, including food terminology. I started over and finally managed to order my dinner - usually successfully. After another two years, I decided to move to the neighbouring province of Guangxi thinking it wouldn’t be so different. My first attempt to order lunch in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant was a fiasco. I did finally manage to get something to eat, but had to learn a new language in five minutes, first. The first time, though, that I noticed this phenomenon was in my first year, on a trip to Qingdao (home of Confucius and Tsingtao beer). This seaside city has great seafood and I mostly ate at a family run, outdoor place opposite my accommodation. Here, I discovered a great dish of what that they called ‘gala’. I searched for this for ages elsewhere only to find that ‘gala’ is the Qingdao dialect for 蛤蜊 (gé lí), the accepted Mandarin. Now I am I Guangxi, where they are called something different again—车螺 (chē luó)! Whatever you call them, I like them – clams! With there being over 15,000 types of these bivalves in the world to choose from, I’m not short of choice. But I’m not going to even try to say what species 99% of them are. I don’t even know the local names (and neither do the people selling them). Clam and Mustard Greens Soup By far, the favourite dish locally is 车螺芥菜汤 (chē luó jiè cài tāng) or Clam Soup with Mustard Greens, so much so that in many supermarkets it’s only possible to buy the clams and mustard pre-wrapped together. I don’t buy mine in those supermarkets, although I often make the soup. Prepacked Clam and Mustard Greens for Soup The soup is the only dish most people know it's possible to make with clams and I regularly surprise friends by cooking them different preparations. I remember one friend being delighted seeing the clams all pop open when I cooked her clams with fermented black beans. That was years ago and she still talks about the dish. Black Bean Clams I also use the local clams in Asian dishes such as Red Curry Clams Clams with Scallions Clam and Noodles with Shichimi Togarashi or pair them with seafood such as Clams and Sea Snails in Oyster Sauce Apart from the clams above, in my favourite seafood vendor's place, I get more choice although this is unpredictable, depending on the catch, the season and the weather. , Huajia Clams White Clams I also see dried clams, used in stocks, soups and hotpots for their umami. Dried Clams Finally, we can occasionally find these large clams grilled in the night markets - known locally as 'purse clams' as they supposedly resemble that essential accessory. Grilled 'Purse Clams'with Garlic and Chilli

I don't believe so. They aren't that sophisticated. I don't think they even employ a nutritionist. That said, I'm not sure what health-based reason there would be for proscribing that particular dish! 😷

I grew up with, but was deprived of Turkish Delight. My parents ate it, but it was deemed too rich (expensive) and sophisticated for me and my siblings. When I was finally able to sample some, I was so disappointed. Some over-sweet jelly stinking of flowers . I'm still as unimpressed. I did try it many years later in actual Turkey just in case - no better. It was nearly as traumatic as my introduction to Coca Cola. I had heard of this heavenly concoction that came from America and epitomised a mysterious but fascinating dream world of rock 'n'roll and the big screen. It wasn't widely available in the 1950s UK. We were on holiday in Scotland and, as usual, it was pouring so my parents took us to a show of some kind. There they had Coca Cola and to make up for us missing the beach, my father bought my brother and I a bottle each. The extravagance! My brother loved it and I hated it. Sugary water! Heavenly it wasn't. Still can't stand the stuff.

酸菜肉末 (suān cài ròu mò) - Minced pork with pickled vegetables. 土豆丝肉 (tǔ dòu sī ròu) - Vinegared potato and carrot slivers with pork.

Here are a few random (almost) screenshots from the hospital's ordering app. The translations in blue are mine - the app is 100% Chinese. I've tried to pick random pages from different food categories. Then we have the set meals which give no details other than price. Here is the crap to avoid.

By claiming it's a Yangcheng crab when it was actually raised in your kitchen sink. It's all about terroir.

17. 螃蟹 (páng xiè), 大闸蟹 (dà zhá xiè), 三斑蟹 (sān bān xiè) I had a notion to do a seafood piece for this topic, but quickly realised that would stretch too far. There’s a lot of it about. So, I’m splitting it up. Today, my favourite. Always a good place to start. But first. We are lucky here. Unlike most Chinese provinces, we are not landlocked, so have access to the sea. 409 km / 658 miles to the south of Liuzhou (4 hours by road, 2 by train), is the coastal city of Beihai, Guangxi’s seafood central. This city lies on the Tonkin Gulf, close to the border with Vietnam. Fresh sea food is shipped daily to local restaurants and to my local markets and supermarkets. Near my home is the excellent 北海渔家风味 (běi hǎi yú jiā fēng wèi) restaurant, literally ‘Beihai Fishing Family Flavour’ and there are many others. Beihai Fishing Family Flavour As with most of these restaurants, seafood is displayed live in tanks, you make your selection and they cook it. One place has an ‘all you can eat’, fixed price menu with a twist. If you order the food, you have to eat it. They fine extravagantly for any leftovers. So, I can get what I want, whether I recognise it or not. And what I want most is crab. Well, what I can afford and want is crab. Some species are crazily priced. We mostly get 兰花蟹 (lán huā xiè), blue swimming crabs Portunus armatus. These have leapt in price recently – don’t know why, but are still just about affordable. I usually cook these at home. Either stir-fried with garlic and black fermented beans or my late wife’s favourite, with garlic, chilli and oyster sauce – Ken’s Killer Krab. Restaurants tend to go more for the former – the Cantonese influence. The proudest moment in my life came when mother-in-law asked me to cook the crabs for a big family dinner as I “do it better!” A rare compliment from a Chinese housewife! Even rarer for a mother-in-law. Although most famed in Shanghai, 大闸蟹 (dà zhá xiè), Eriocheir sinensis, mitten crabs, aka hairy crabs are also very popular here, if expensive. An August* treat, these small crabs are most highly prized if from 阳澄湖 (yáng chéng hú) - Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou, about 100 kilometres / 60 miles north-west of Shanghai. Such was the amount of fraud regarding these prized specimens in the past, that today, all genuine Yangcheng crabs are laser etched with a trackable serial number. These can fetch up to $100 / kilo wholesale price. In a restaurant, the sky is the limit. Cheaper versions from other waters (previously passed off as Yancheng) are available in my local supermarket when in season. These and the real ones from Suzhou are separated into male and female and priced quite differently. The females, marked 母 (mǔ) come in at a significantly higher price as they contain the roe, considered quite a delicacy. The males, 公 (gōng) also have good meat, but obviously lack the roe. I have only had the Yangcheng version once – in a 5 star Liuzhou hotel restaurant, both genders – and can happily confirm that they are better, being sweeter, meatier, and with a certain 我不知道, Chinese for “Je ne sais pas.” An odd crab that sometimes turns up my supermarket is 三斑蟹 (sān bān xiè), the three-spot swimming crab, Portunus sanguinolentus. Slightly larger than the above two crabs, these are fun to look at when raw, but lose their colouring when cooked. The flavour is OK, but inferior. They are cheaper, though. 3-spot crab fried rice. You can see the uncooked shell top right. Cooked 3-spot Crab Large crabs of undetermined** species are apparently reserved for the city’s Cantonese restaurants, something I try to avoid. Not only are they wildly expensive places; I find the food bland and ultimately boring. We also get largish crab claws, but always frozen. I only bought once. I prefer fresh at all times. And when It's so available, why go frozen? Crab Claws * Hairy crab season falls in the 6th month of China's traditional solar-lunar calendar. This usually happens in August by the Gregorian western calendar. ** undetermined by me.

16. 螺蛳 (luó sī)，田螺 (tián luó), 海螺 (hǎi luó) According to research reported in this 2003 article from China Daily, pottery was invented in Guangxi between 7,000 and 12,000 years ago for the express purpose of cooking today’s favourite ingredient, the snail. More recent discoveries have pushed that date for pottery back even further to an incredible 20,000 to 26,000 years ago. At least, that is the date for pottery. I have seen nothing to confirm or totally refute the connection with snail eating. But we do know that neolithic man consumed freshwater snails in large quantities. After all, snails don’t run away or bite back like other prey. The neoliths also left the shells behind in dumps we know they used. The earliest known human remains in east Asia are those of 柳江人 (liǔ jiāng rén) ‘Liujiang Man’, discovered in Liujiang, Liuzhou in 1958. and believed to be about 68,000 years old. He lived in some of the karst caves south of Liuzhou city and snail shell dumps have also been found in the region. Liujiang Man Whatever the truth, and it is disputed, the locals haven't abandoned their snail eating. Tons of them are consumed one way or another every day, most often in the form of 螺蛳粉 (luó sī fěn), Liuzhou’s now famous river snail noodle dish, but I’ve written about that above so I will say little today on that subject. That is not to misrepresent luosifen’s economic and gastronomic importance to the city, but to show there’s more to snails than just that. One thing is sure; snails were eaten for millennia before anyone thought to turn them into soup for noodles. Preparing Snail Broth for Luosifen Of course, many cultures eat snails, but I have never seen so many in markets or supermarkets anywhere else. Huge steaming pots of them, red with chillies and full of gastropods are set out to tempt you. These are 螺蛳 (luó sī), literally spiral shell snails, the famous river snails, a type of Viviparidae, although no one seems to know the exact species. They are found in huge quantities in the Liujiang, the river that runs through the city as well as in the local rice paddies and ponds. They are usually eaten as a snack or as beer food with the diner using a toothpick to extract the tiny, but delicious, morsel within. Always, it seems, sold with compulsory chillies. Often they are enhanced by including ducks’ feet or chickens’ feet, euphemistically known as 凤爪 (fèng zhǎo) or ‘phoenix claws’, more the locals like to gnaw on. Snails with Phoenix Claws (Chicken's Feet) Snail meat is also extracted raw from the shell and sold to be added to soups, hotpots etc. I like that they include some chilli and ginger in case you forget. Raw snail meat Cooked snails These snails are sometimes called 田螺 (tián luó), literally 'field snail' but it's a useless descriptor as it is also applied to many other species large and small, including Cipangopaludina chinensis Gray, aka the Chinese apple snail or Chinese mystery snail, an invasive species causing havoc across the USA and Canada. While it can be delicious, it is also highly prone to hosting parasites including the human intestinal fluke Echinostoma cinetorchis. Larger snails of other species are sometimes served stuffed with pork and baked but are nowhere near as popular as the little spirals. River Snails with Pork Sea snails are shipped in from southern Guangxi and often served with other seafood such as clams Sea Snails with Clams Snails being cooked in one of Liuzhou's less salubrious restaurants

About the same or slightly cheaper. They are saving on cross-town deliveries.

Lunch: Chicken with woodear fungus, loofah with pork, and rice. Good.

No, it isn't at all complicated. The antics of my tutors were complicated.

I have just had a half-hour tutorlal from three nurses and a random visitor on how to access and navigate the cellphone app containing the hospital's full menu and how to place my orders which will be delivered to my bed. I'll try to grab and post some screen shots over the next however long I'm here. A whole new adventure! And they have luosifen on the menu. Here is part of the breakfast menu.

Here is a short video showing the technique of making the 蛋饺 (egg wrapped dumplings) in a ladle. She does form them into 'moneybags' instead of rolling them but the cooking process is the same. https://youtu.be/Y0MTPhoubUg

Yes, but I think she has had a bit more practice than most.

Any is too much for me, but I know what you mean.