liuzhou

Working fine for me. Try again. I've re-pasted it, but it's the same as before.

I didn't know where to put this. "Food Funnies" seemed appropriate, but then I thought no. It's not funny. It's sad and ridiculous. As someone commented

This morning, my best friend J called me to invite me to lunch at her home. Last night, she just came back from her home town where she always returns for the Chinese New Year - as do most Chinese people. I was a bit surprised at the invite as we almost always eat out. I've only eaten once at her home before and that was pizza delivery. She loves her food, but isn't a cook. Anyway, I'm always happy to see her, so off I went. Seven minutes walk maximum between our homes. When I arrived, I learned the secret. Her fiancé was also there, a lovely man and if it was him who was doing the cooking! Here is the spread. Lunch for three. 12 o'clock is stir-fried spinach with garlic. 3 o'clock is braised pork with aged vinegar. (The pork was organic from her mother's pig. Ex-pig now.) 6 o'clock we have fish stewed in soy sauce. (The yellow things are undeveloped eggs from the chicken in the next dish). 9 o'clock is organic chicken with eryngi mushrooms (Pleurotus eryngii). With rice. I took along a bottle of decent Italian as I know J likes " a draught of vintage ... ...a beaker full of the warm South". She had kindly bought me a bottle of beer, so I drank that and a happy lunch and happy mouths ensued.

Further to the above post...

I live and learn.

"What a clucking mess" I'm going to post this without comment. It hardly needs it. https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2018/02/20/trade-union-pop-chicken-strapped-kfc-punniest-thing-youll-read-today/

You are meant to overstuff yourself; not the rolls!

I was in my local supermarket earlier, looking for a type of pickled vegetable I wanted. They didn't have it, but I spotted this which made me titter. Definitely winner of the "Useless Information" Oscar 2018. I'm in China! Everything is eaten with rice! Even rice is eaten with rice! Then I noticed this. Got to be better than tasteless vegetables. Neither of them take your fancy? Try this. I checked out the ingredients list on the back of each pack. They are identical. Yet the one for Tasty Vegetable is a smidgeon less expensive. It takes less ink to write "Tasty vegetable", I suppose. No, I didn't buy any of them.

I just heard, to my surprise, that series 3 has been completed and is about to be broadcast. I'll add any info I get as to dates, etc.

I'm 100% with you on the spinach. I'm surprised at dill, though. Not something I'd ever associated with Indian cuisine - I would have thought it would be overwhelmed by the other spices - maybe that is why there is a lot of it. Interesting.

No.

Yes, They are going off right now outside my apartment. 10 pm. And I have to eat the same food almost every day with the same people, but in different houses each evening. You invited my family for dinner yesterday, so I must invite yours tomorrow, but will cook exactly the same food. I escaped the circuit today, but I don't think I can keep it up.

Last night? We still have two weeks to go on the mainland! March 2nd I can relax.

I have no idea what the blueberry thing was. I didn't eat it. I loathe blueberries. Not many foods I can say that about, but... (Probably blueberry flavoured, thin over-sweet yoghurt.) Yes, the edamame were that bad. And inedible. Like I said, it was New Year's Eve and the crew and caterers just wanted to go home. Fortunately it's a relatively short flight and a meal wasn't really necessary.

Last night, dinner with an old friend and her mother. We went to a restaurant I'd never been in before. A hotpot restaurant with a difference. In fact, we needed the wait staff to explain the "concept". We ordered what would have seemed to be the normal stuff for a hotpot, but then it went a bit strange. The waitress arrived with a pan and a lot of ingredients, some we had specifically ordered; some which come no matter what you order. She arranged these in layers into the dry pot. First she placed a layer of mixed vegetables - carrot, garlic, leek, onion, daikon radish - on the bottom. (This is the standard base.) On top of that she placed the stuff we had ordered. Fish slices, beef, de-boned ducks' feet. Then she produced a bowl of dark brown paste and started beating the daylights out of it, like some dominatrix on steroids. I didn't know whether to get excited, run or both. Finally she slathered this thoroughly disciplined paste all over the top of the other stuff, turned on the induction heater set into the table and told us to wait ten minutes (or we'd be next for whipping.) We did ask what the paste was, but she sternly informed us it was a state secret. (Some sort of soy bean paste with some something) My friend and her mother sipped rose petal tea as we waited. I, more sensibly had a beer. Before the ten minutes were up, Ms Whiplash came back and added the shrimp we had ordered, reminded us to wait and left. I was watching my watch. Bang on time she came back and gave us permission to eat (but to mind our table manners or else!) We were a bit confused that there was no broth in the pot, as is usual with hot pots, all the more so when this arrived. Ms Whiplash's colleague, Sister Stern passed our table, so we asked about that. "When you eat the stuff in the pan, I'll bring you some broth, then you can eat your greenery!" Yes ma'am. It was utterly delicious. In the ten minutes we had we had waited, the brown paste had melted into a thick sauce coating every mouthful. As promised, either Ms. Whiplash or Sister Stern (by this point I couldn't tell them apart) came back and filled our pan with a broth, so we then cooked our greenery. At some point, my friend topped up my beer with the rose tea. I didn't notice her doing so, but was surprised to find my glass hot when I went for my next sip. Nothing to do but get another bottle. A lovely meal. I'll go back. And the wait staff were friendly and helpful, really

Needed something quick - busy day. Spaghetti with shiitake, garlic (lots), chilli, anchovy, Chinese chives, EVOO and black pepper.

This afternoon, I checked out the "Danish Butter Cookies" which are in every supermarket. The front of the box says "Danish Butter Cookies" in both English and Chinese (not Danish), but in the small print on the back of the box, it said, in Chinese only, "Made in Guangzhou to an original Danish recipe." I'm now guessing none of them are from Denmark, but they are charged for at imported food prices. Nuts don't only buy nuts!

Here is a picture a friend sent me of her CNY eve dinner for the family. Five people shared this lot. They are on the border of Guangxi and Sichuan provinces. And to show you the quiet, tranquil manner in which such dinners are consumed, here is very short video from another friend, this time in Hunan. (In each case, permission has been granted by the said friends to post them here.)

I forgot the fruit. Traditionally, oranges are seen as lucky and these lucky "orange trees" appear all over the place, Mainly outside commercial premises. This one is outside my nearest posts office. For the last couple of years, every vacant shop has been briefly transformed into a pop-up fruit store selling all sorts. They will sell you a couple of apples if you insist, but they are really looking to sell fruit baskets or cases of fruit to be given as gifts,. Little of it is actually in season, but forced. By the end of next week, they will all be gone.

No pejoration intended towards N. America. It's just that the "North American" nuts are ten times the same price as the identical, more local ones and probably aren't North American at all. Any pejoration is aimed at the buyers. Yes, the butter cookies are the much like those we also get in the UK at Christmas. Most are Chinese made, although one brand is labelled Danish Butter Cookies. Hmmm. Maybe.The only thing most locals know about Denmark is Hans Christian Andersen and butter cookies.

Chinese New Year's Eve, Feb 15th, 2018. Shanghai to Nanning, Guangxi. China Eastern Airways Grim.

The candies drive me insane. Every year for weeks before the CNY, the supermarkets hide all the stuff I want to buy and fill their stores with candy. Cheap (but still overpriced), nasty candy. Those are two of the candy sections in my local supermarket. There are eight! Then there are the cookie sections. Four of them. And the nuts for the nuts who buy them. They never have these at any other times..

Last night, I decided I had had enough of all the Chinese New Year nonsense (on only the second day) and went back to my roots. Mince and tatties! With cabbage. Well, almost to my roots. It is still somewhat Sinified. The mince was made with Shanghai Worcestershire sauce as I'm out of Lea & Perrins and also contained a whole star anise and some chilli powder. Also, the cabbage was stir-fried. My long departed, Scottish grandmother is no doubt apoplectic in her grave. To please my equally departed, French grandmother, that's a blob of Dijon mustard at top-right.

They don't usually change according to which zodiac sign it is this time. Chinese New Year dinners vary throughout the country in line with the regional differences, but there are some which are more or less universal. Most of these are laden with significance and superstition. Here are a few. Jiaozi 饺子 (jiǎo zi) Many dumplings are considered to resemble money bags and therefore are a lucky omen for the upcoming year. Jiaozi, however are thought to resemble ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots and are by far the most common. Originally from the far north-east, they are now universal. Fish 鱼 yú Considered lucky as the word for fish (鱼 yú) is pronounced exactly the same as 余 yú meaning 'surplus' or almost exactly the same (only the tone differs) as 裕 yù, meaning 'abundance'. The fish is usually served whole to signify family unity. Pork 猪肉 zhū ròu Pork, as I'm sure people know is the default meat in most of China. It is usually served in some form as New Year meals. Again, it is symbolic of wealth and abundance. How it is served is highly variable. Cured pork and pork sausages are a common New Year food. A popular New Year pork dish here where I am is 扣肉 kòu ròu, deep fried pork belly slices placed in a bowl with sliced taro between each slice then steamed. When ready the bowl is turned upside down to present the food like a dome. '扣 kòu means upside down bowl'. 扣肉 kòu ròu Chicken 鸡 jī Again, although chicken is usually served, there are huge regional variations as to exactly how. Popular here in the south is 白切鸡 bái qiē jī - white cut chicken, which is a whole chicken poached in water, then cut for presentation. This is originally a Cantonese dish. Other regions will have their own favourites. Noodles 面条 miàn tiáo Noodles represent longevity, something very much to be wished for in Chinese culture more than perhaps in others. Again, what type of noodle dish is is variable. Long noodles are preferred, for obvious reasons. Never cut your noodles! New Year Cake 年糕 nián gāo These are made from glutinous rice with various sweet flavourings, most importantly sugar. Again they vary a lot depending on location. Here is a local version. Finally, I ought to mention 汤圆 tāng yuán, sweet balls of glutinous rice, served in a hot, thin syrup. I don't have a picture as I can't stand them. I don't like sweet food much and I hate their texture and stickiness. Please remember, these are only the more common dishes or ingredients served. The variation across the country is huge.

Chinese New Year's Day dinner for one. Chongqing Chicken with Chillies - 重庆辣子鸡 (chóng qìng là zi jī) Served with rice and Baby Bok Choy - 小白菜 (xiǎo bái cài)