Adam’s China Trip Report #3
Day 2: “A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” Laozi
As we attempt to check in for the two hour flight to Lanzhou, Jenny’s fractious conversation with the desk attendant signals a problem. By now, I’ve learned not to ask her to translate whilst she’s arguing with somebody in Chinese, as this inevitably leads to a simultaneous row with me. I wait until she strides away in exasperation before asking her what’s up. Apparently, they closed the desk two minutes before we arrived there. Twenty feet beyond, I can see the gate, and the queue waiting to board our flight.
Our luggage is on the plane and can’t be offloaded. Suddenly, the thought of being without spare underpants fills me with dread (I’m still a novice at the stand-up Chinese toilet routine). In a one-party state, the trains (and planes) run on time. Not necessarily a bad thing, unless your smalls end up 750 miles away. It won’t be my only encounter with pedantic officialdom during the holiday.
We get refunds for the missed flight, and book a cheaper one leaving in a couple of hours. The rest of our party in Lanzhou collect our suitcases and arrange to meet us at the train station.
Bisected by the Yellow River, and chaffed by the sands of the Gobi Desert, Lanzhou is at China’s geographic centre. On arrival, unencumbered by luggage, we decide to walk from the airport bus stop to the train station. We take lunch in a noodle bar. For the equivalent of £2.00, we enjoy noodle soup, a salad of pickled vegetables, sliced roast beef, fried chicken and beer. The staff gather obtrusively to examine my chopstick technique. I do not disappoint, but there is incomprehension when I request a spoon.
Unsure as to the dining arrangements on the train, we decide to stock up with provisions for the 28 hour journey to Lhasa. The proprietor of the local version of Spar adjusts his string vest, drags on a cigarette, and gestures to the food section, before coughing into a spittoon. The shelves are replete with vacuum-packed delights such as chicken’s feet (good with a beer, apparently), dried donkey (described as ‘spicy ass meat’), yak jerky, chilli jellyfish, spicy bean curd, pickled quails eggs, and vacuum-packed hog’s face. We leave with bottled water, instant noodles and cookies.
The main road to the train station has a distinctly local feel. Hawkers line the route specializing in dismembered preserved animals; monkey paws, bear’s teeth, dried heads, pelts and tails. I’m told these sad items hold some esoteric medicinal or spiritual value, but it’s all rather depressing.
We stop at an impressive fruit stall to buy water melon, bananas, cherries, and melon-pear; a fruit I’ve never seen before.
Laden with provisions, we arrive at the station to meet our travelling companions for the 29 hour journey to Lhasa.
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Adam’s China Trip Report #2
Day 1(Still): "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
On the highway back to Beijing we passed what looked like a huge concrete bird’s nest. "That’s known locally as the huge concrete bird’s nest," explained Jenny. Beijing is beset with construction projects for the 2008 Olympics, & the National Stadium is a truly magnificent structure.
We were due to leave the city early next morning; not enough time on this visit to take in the Summer Palace or the Forbidden City. We opted for Tiananmen Square, at 440,000 square meters, the largest urban space in the world. Waving away swarms of rickshaws descending amongst the flagging tourists, we undertook the long march towards Mao’s huge portrait.
At 6pm precisely, the Five Starred Red Flag was struck by an honour guard in front of the Tian’an Gate. Impressive, but power in China increasingly resides in the office blocks of the financial districts. As the sun retreated over the Gate of Heavenly Peace, and the Chairman’s countenance faded into dusk, my thoughts turned inevitably to dinner. Jenny’s thoughts turned inevitably to shopping.
We compromised with a visit to the Oriental Plaza. Beneath gleaming frontages flaunting western brands, its vast subterranean food hall is a cornucopia of culinary traditions. Cities and provinces were represented, from Shanghai to Szechwan, as well as Japanese and Thai foods. Sushi, dumplings, seafood, noodles and curries all jostled for attention under the bright lights. The USA had colonised an ignored corner from where McDonalds and KFC glowered like Nixon. I had a Big Mac & fries. Not. Jenny wanted to take me to her favourite Szechwan restaurant, so we hopped on a bus.
At Jin Shan Cheng I enjoyed the best Chinese food I’ve ever had. The menu was extraordinary, featuring such items as boiled cow frog with chilli pepper; river turtle with Chinese prickly ash; braised fresh deer tendon; frozen fungus; crystal jelly fish; smoked rabbit tea flavour; crispy iced algae and braised sea cucumber. I’d been awake for 36 hours and it was all getting a little surreal. I gazed hollow-eyed at the swimming images.
"How about the frog?" enquired Jenny.
"Just get me chicken or lamb."
"It’s farmed frog, it’s nice."
"Chicken or Lamb. And a beer."
Crispy lamb shank, and chicken sautéed with red chilli & peppercorns arrived at the table with spinach & pine nuts, cold potato noodles, & boiled rice. The lamb was tender and fragrant, the volcanic chicken one of the best (& hottest) dishes I’ve ever eaten. For desert - white dark yin yang bean curd cakes, sweet rice congee, and turtle shell jelly. The jelly, a medicinal delicacy, tasted vile, it’s bitterness unassuaged by the tablespoon of honey I’d added to help it down. The entire meal cost less than the equivalent of twelve pounds.
A taxi to the hotel, a deep and dreamless sleep, and a morning trip to the airport. Destination Lanzhou, from where we take the Quingzang train over the mountains to Tibet, and the holy city of Lhasa…
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Adam’s China Trip Report #1
I've recently returned from a trip to China. Over the next few weeks you can read about some of the amazing culinary experiences I enjoyed during my travels.
Day 1: Brunch in Beijing
After a comfortable flight, we arrived at Beijing. Our time in the city would be brief, so a drive through the early morning rush-hour took us straight from the airport to The Great Wall.
Wanting to stretch our legs after an eight hour flight, we opted to walk up. At 4000 miles, The Great Wall is the longest human-made structure, and some sections date from as early as 200 BC. Seemed to me like a lot of trouble just to keep the Scots out! Nevertheless, it made for a steep and tiring two hour climb in the humid noon sun. At the top we had our photo taken next to a sign quoting Mao's proclamation that any who had managed to reach this point without collapsing were heroes. Bolstered by this, we decided to take the cable car back down and head back to the city for brunch.
Like many of you, I've been enjoying Chinese cuisine in the UK for years. How, I wondered, would it differ in its eponymous homeland? Jenny Li, my delectable and erudite travelling companion, hails from Beijing, & was eager for me to sample its culinary diversity. She took me to one of her favourite restaurants specialising in crab recipes.
Even in a city as large and cosmopolitan as Beijing, If you don't speak Mandarin (which I don't yet), you're lost. I was presented with a menu without a word of English. No matter, Jenny ordered a local beer to keep me occupied whilst she perused the carte du jour. Minutes later the waitress set a huge live crab in front of me at the table.
Not wanting to offend local custom by leaping out of my chair, I tactfully nodded my appreciation. What to do... make friends with it? Jenny said that the staff merely wanted to assure us that the food is fresh. Fresh? It's grabbing my shirt! To the Chinese, she explained, the concept of eating seafood that has been dead for an indeterminable period is distasteful, so it's kept alive until the moment of preparation... which sounds very sensible to me.
The crab waved goodbye to us as it was taken away. It returned ten minutes later in a pan with leeks, shallots, chillies, coriander, and star anise. Accompanying dishes were boiled rice, and one of my favourites - Chinese spinach. There were several cold dishes too; thinly-sliced braised beef, pickled mixed vegetables, & green beans.
The meal was spicy, & delicious, but the beer reminded my brain that it was, by my body-clock, five o'clock in the morning. No time for sleep yet, though, the city awaits…
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