liuzhou

Living here, it is almost a legal requirement to always have at least three types of ginger in the fridge / pantry. Young ginger, middle-aged ginger, old ginger, sand ginger etc. I covered what I can find in most stores here. I use some variety of it in almost everything. I also drink a lot of ginger tea, which I make from scratch. But my favourite dish containing ginger is not Chinese. It is this. (The first recipe, of course. Never tried the others.) It calls for "syrup from a jar of stem ginger", which I've never seen here. So I have to make that myself, use the syrup and munch on the ginger at other times. I have cooked it many times and served to many friends, all of whom have loved it. I also pickle my own young ginger - the sort of stuff served in Japanese sushi places as a between bites palate cleanser. Always have some in the fridge. It keeps forever; or would if I didn't keep eating it. I also have some Chinese cooking wine laced with ginger. Seldom use it.

Wontons in chicken broth with garlic, green chilli, and scallions

Yeah. I nuke my sponges too

Ridiculous. Sure change sponges or sterilize them. Ditto cleaning cloths. This isn't an article. It's an ad trying to get you to throw away perfectly good stuff you already have and then buy it again! Don't fall for it!

The slow death of French cheese Read and weep!

Nothing new. Move along.

Well, my mother's maiden name was Fleming which does point in that direction!

No! That's my sister! Are we related? I have another sister? Some sort of family secret?

More attrition food. Sort of a penne al'arrabiata. Not really, but close. Although meat is pork.

"Ox 1.1 The domestic bovine quadruped (sexually distinguished as bull and cow); in common use, applied to the male castrated and used for draught purposes, or reared to serve as food."

What would prefer to call them? They are called oxtails because they are the tails of oxen.

In what way?

I didn't fancy Chinese tonight so I made pork fried rice. Rice, pork, shallots, garlic, red chillies, green chillies and shiitake.

Confused. That wouldn't even fill me.

三鲜馄饨 （sān xiān hún tún） - "Three delicacy*" wontons in spicy chicken broth with Shanghai bok choy. * Shrimp, pork and shiitake.

I don't know, sorry. Could have, I suppose. I'm not a tea drinker. That said, Xinjiang is not a big tea drinking area.

My lovely chicken vendor lady in the market chops my chicken. Never a splinter. (But I have to be careful - "chicken lady" in Chinese is also slang for a prostitute, which I'm sure she isn't!)

The noodles are usually served after the diners have eaten the chicken and spuds, to soak up the spicy* juices. They are meant to be "soggy". * The spiciness is believed to be because the inventor of the dish was from Sichuan, but for whatever reason relocated to Xinjiang, but took with him his favourite spices - chilli and Sichuan peppercorns. Who knows, but the dish does feature both, neither of which are indigenous to that area.

As it happens, today is my 24th anniversary of arriving to live in China. 24 happy years, but not so happy today. But about your bones! Yes, most animal protein , including fish, is served on the bone in China (not anything I complain about), but I've never heard of crushed bones. Even splintered bones are rare. Big plate Chicken (大盘鸡 dà pán jī) is one of my favourite dishes. From China's troubled westernmost province of Xinjiang, a mostly Muslim area. I eat it regularly in a local Muslim restaurant, if with friends. Even a small plate has beaten me with two or three companions! Chicken, potato, spices and noodles not what to like? I guess their choppers were blunt or they had no idea how to chop chicken.

青椒鸭肉 (qīng jiāo yā ròu) - duck with green chillies. Actually , there are red ones in there too, along with all sorts of Chinese stuff. 上海青 (shàng hǎi qīng) - Shanghai bok choy

I have two of those. Never use them for the intended purpose, though.

I'm a little confused. Nowhere on the wrapper does it say that this is Fuding BaiMudan White Tea, which would be 福鼎白牡丹茶. Instead it says 福鼎野年老白茶, which means Fuding wild, aged white tea. But I'm no tea expert.

I knew I was using the wrong bait! 😂

Thanks. I guessed it was some dialect, but couldn't work out which. I only speak Mandarin and my local dialect.

Scored me some 花菇 huā gū or flower mushrooms, a prized type of shiitake. Stir fried with chicken and Chinese spiciness. Served with that old Chinese standby - orzo!