liuzhou

The wraps I ate last night could have just as easily been wrapped in lettuce leaves. Bánh xèo is also often wrapped in lettuce or other leaves rather than the rice paper used here.

I traded a modest amount of my hard-earned for a large duck leg, which I then de-skinned and de-fatted*, then slow braised with garlic, shallots, Sichuan peppers, dried tangerine peel, ginger, dried red chillies and star anise.The duck was removed from braising liquid and left to cool. Later shredded it and loaded into these simple, thin wheaten wraps (approx 8" in diameter) with cucumber and garlic scapes. Dressed with Sriracha (although sour plum sauce would have been good, too - I was out of that. Several were eaten. As it is finger food, here is a finger. Mine. * Fear not! Fat and skin were rendered and added to the duck fat store. I'm not the sort to look a gift duck in the beak!

How could I have forgotten Zhao Tianyu's wonderful "Deadly Delicious"?

Dried 白条鱼 (bái tiáo yú) - sharpbelly, fried and sprinkled with shichimi togarishi. The largest one in the plate was 3½ inches long. Like whitebait - a bit.

Fresh rice noodles in a spicy broth with beef and tonkin jasmine - 夜香花 (yè xiāng huā)

They are small, yes. Everyone uses toothpicks to get the meat out, then sucks out the juices. Slow eating, but so good!

Wild shrimp with lentils in a mild curry sauce with rice and edamame.

Local river snails fried with pickled chilli and pickled bamboo shoot. This dish is a local specialty.

What mushrooms did you use?

Yes. Considered more hygienic.

No. It's been normal in small noodle and fast food joints for years.

Lunch in a local noodle joint. 老友分 (lǎo yǒu fēn) or "Old Friend Noodles". A specialty of Nanning, this is rice noodles with tomato, pickled bamboo shoots, chili, fermented black beans, garlic, scallion, and of course pork. ¥8 or $1.13 (USD). Cell phone picture.

So do I but have no way to toast the baguettes since my toaster oven commited suicide. I'll buy a new one soon.

Just for once, I decided to listen to my dietician. Then totally ignore her. Fried breaded chicken and chips. Token asparagus for scenery. P.S. You don't seriously think I have a dietican, I hope!

I also went the canned sardine* route, but just put them on a baguette with lots of black pepper. * The last of the cans I smuggled into China last summer.

I often pull that face when only cookng for myself.

Bon Appétit editor Adam Rapoport resigns over 'brown face' photo Several prominent staff members had spoken out about the photograph and the company’s internal culture

Penne with a ragu of a 50-50 mix of beef and pork with fresh tomatoes, onions, chilli and a little Vietnamese fish sauce for unami. Finished with grated grana padano.

Just watched East Side Sushi, a 2014 movie about a Mexican woman in America who gets into Japanese food. It's light entertainment, but certainly full of food.

To be honest, the taste is minimal. A bit llike barley. They are mostly there for medicinal reasons. The crackers were rather nice, though.

Thai red curry shrimp. There was a side of greenery.

I'm sure doing this is against Chinese law, but ... I had some home made jiaozi so boiled them but then decided to pretend they were Italian, so served them with olive oil and black pepper. I hope no one finds out!

Lunchburger Home made, spicy porkburger, lettuce, white onion and tomato. Bun. Two were had.