Groceries or pet store????

Sometimes I wonder??? It has to be the most foreign thing I've seen so far. THE FOOD-d-d-d-d-d... If you have a weak stomach??? Stay home!!!!!

Our first experience with food was when we first visited China to house hunt. We basically only had visited the restaurants and a couple of markets.

The restaurants was what I thought "an experience". It was like going on a day trip to the aquarium. The exception was, that you got to pick and choose your fish, from the tanks, for dinner. They catch it right in front of you, and a few minutes later, it's cooked and on your plate or plates, because you cannot choose just one...you want to taste a few of them...
There are also a variety of basins on the ground that contain a panoply of seafood. You point and choose and if you can figure it out, tell them how many. ( I say this because, one time I showed them a hand and the thumb of my other hand, meaning 6 scampis, but somehow I ended up with 15 scampis.. Hmmmmm ) .
The variety of fish and other critters is phenomenal. I've seen from little minnows to huge salamanders, big turtles, eels, frogs, worm thingys, shark, catfish, swordfish, crab, lobster, shrimp, critters that I don't even recognize, etc, etc etc..... Well, you can't complain that freshness is questionable... And none of them are cooked the same!!!
Needless to say, we stick to the fish and seafood when it comes to the tanks. Then you have to deal with the menus. OMG!!!!! First of all, it's like dealing with the Cheesecake Factory menu. Hold the cheesecake and other western food!!!... If you are lucky, there will be a few words of english ( about 3 ), to describe the dishes, ONLY if you are lucky! If not , then you want to look at the colorful pictures and make sure you recognize the meat. If not, don't order it...
I've seen everything from liver, to heart of different animals, to bladder, to cow penis : ( to intestines, to every part of the chicken you can imagine, to fish head soup, I'm talking the fish heads are floating around in the broth, to black chicken, it's a type of chicken that has black meat, neck of pig soup, tongue, tail, testicles, ears, eyeball soup, and I could go on and on and on....
Well, you can't say the Chinese are wasteful??? They use EVERYTHING!!!
And you know what??? It's really good food, they are really good chefs!!! We even found fondue there, it's awesome!!!!
And the more beer ( TsingTao ) you drink, the better it gets! : )))))))))))))))
No Joke!! It's good!!
And then you have the grocery stores. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.. Now, even if I like cooking, I find myself not so brave. I find myself in a whirlwind of doubt.
There are almost no spices ( thank goodness I had the packers pack my spices, I should have them in 1 month ), no flour, the bread is all white and sweet, you don't know cream from milk, no canned goods, TONS of rice and noodles, ( I've yet to see the difference ), dried meats and fish hanging everywhere, butcher blocks with fresh meat on them, (where you take a pair of tongs and choose you piece of meat), tanks of fish and seafood, Ice with a huge variety of fishes staring at you, oh oh oh, and they have a fish butcher, if you can call him that, that fixes the fish you have chosen to purchase before you bring him home. And the fruit and veggie department!!! WOW oh WOW oh WoW!!! Now that is a spectacle for the eyes!! There are fruits and veggies of every color shape and form. Some with sweet smells, and some that are called literally " Stinky fruit" and you do not want to be there when they cut those suckers open. PHEW!!!!! POOOOOOHY!!!! They reek!!!! But I guess they're good for you...

Well, let me tell you that I bought, nononononono!!! "WHAT HARRY BOUGHT!!!", a BBQ'd chicken, already cooked, "WITH THE HEAD STILL ATTACHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH... I have to stare that boy( ewww, I hope he's not a boy, he probably has testicles attached too...), right in the eyes and cut his head off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm attempting to make soup with it tonight, Wish me luck, I'll let you know....

Here I go, to my butcher block! (we might end up at the restaurant...)

Tata for now, Pauline : )

Your word of the day is: Chiung... pronounced " she-ong " meaning, please...