Chinese food in China

  

I have to admit, I was NOT looking forward to the food in China.  I have heard horror stories of the dishes containing parts of animals that would never see a plate in any other country.  Chicken legs, fish eyes, scorpions, intestines, brains and on and on.  Based on advice from a co-worker I was determined to tell anyone taking me out for a meal that I was a vegetarian.  Meat? Who me?  No, not even fish.

Luckily my first meal out cured all my fears and I never looked back.  Who wouldn't love a restaurant called "Made in China"?  With a sense of humor like that you gotta give it a chance.  

The photo at the top is an amazing dumpling plate they serve.  The dumplings are handmade right in the open kitchen so you get to see the action.

 

This was pretty cool to watch.  Look at those cute little packets of happiness!  I followed the dumplings but real Szechuan chicken which was spicy and delicious!  

While in Beijing I was told repeatedly that you have to try Peking Duck.  Uh oh - food with a head!  Lucikly, I was guided to order the 1/2 duck which was - thankfully - sans head. 

Peking duck comes with several parts.  In the back of this photo you'll see a plate with marinated strips of the crispy skin.  Then the meat is in a really nice sauce (dish in front).  On the left you see a plate of julienned cucumber and some other veggie.  You wrap it all in a - well, a Chinese tortilla for lack of a better term - and dip it into a lovely soy sauce.  YUM!

And what would Chinese food be without dim sum!  We tried all kinds of dumplings.  Again - they make these by hand!  Some were pork, some shrimp, all delicious.

Moral of the story - don't be chicken of eating in China.