For your viewing pleasure, I introduce the finale of the three post series on day four in Beijing. If you knew this, you must find my life terribly fascinating. I do.
After an unsuccessful attempt the previous night, we made a point to arrive at the night time food market before closing. This market is as the tour books tout; a place for tourists to try the legendary bugs and balls of Chinese cuisine. From the disproportionate amount of westerners, it's obvious this isn't the typical Chinese restaurant setting where these exotic cuts are enjoyed. Instead it's a place where westerners can go to earn a misunderstanding of typical Chinese cuisine.
Animals eating animals.
I tend to lean towards the "When in Rome" school of thought that I, as a TOURIST, should do as the locals do, eat as the locals eat, and drink as the locals drink. For me, this is the best way to gain a truer understanding of the observed culture. It is also an easy way to support practices I wouldn't necessarily subscribe to by loosening my ethical and moral restraint, all for the sake of an experience (even if that experience becomes an 18 month residency). In short, I am a hypocrite and I eat all kinds of meat--young, old, land, sea, happy, miserable. It doesn't count if you're in a different area code.
While visiting the different stalls, I realized I wasn't in a mood to stomach some nasty tasting bug carcass, so I opted for the more palatable cuts. I had some squid, an entire leg of lamb, deep fried ice cream, and some sugar glazed fruit.
Sit tight, day five is just around the corner.
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