Voice of Will: Street Vendors

2006-02-21 - 1:47 p.m.
Ahhhh the joys of street vendors.
Yes you read that correctly. Street vendors are fun, colorful and if you pay attention a great deal.
Let me give you an example. Street Food. Now when many foreigners get to china they look around, and notice the lack of sanitary conditions, the general ugliness of many peoples carts and how there appear to be NO SUCH THING as food preparation precautions. So most foreigners refuse to eat at street vendors. IT is their loss.

We have all heard the stories of "water in a first time tourist in mexico" and how if you go to a street vendor you will get sick. That is not true. You can go to eat at street vendors, get delicious food for a fraction of the cost, and share an experience that most people will not understand. How you ask? Simple my friend. You eat where the chinese people are eating. Yup. it is that simple. The chinese know where there is good food, and where you will get sick. So if there is a line to buy from a street vendor, get in the line. If you go to a vendor and there is no line (but all the neighbors have one) don't think "Ah, I have a quicker location" No. wonder why there is no one in line.

Some examples of the terrific food you can get from a street vendor. Ham bo bo (I will call it by the names I know) take one pita like flat bread. NOw choose out 5 skewers of vegatables and meats (this includes sliced potatoes, onions, green beans, carrots, cucumbers, several different types of mushrooms, tofu noodles, shredded chicken, and spiral tofu) now those skewers are deep fried for about 35 to 40 seconds, then dipped into a great curry sauce, and then placed in the pita. So in about a minute you are eating a very hot, very full pita with lots of vegatables, some meat, and some tofu. Ah messy, gooey 1.5 RMB goodness.
Then try the Bi jing moua (think a very nasal more.... make it new york nasal). This is another pita like flat bread, but they take slow cooked pork (It has been cooking in a stew pot for several hours, probably since early in the morning) they take this pork and slice/grate/mince it with a huge cleaver adding in the broth it cooked in while doing this. then add it to the pita. Great, juicy, and mouth watering.

How about Shar Bing. Think slow roasted turkey, that is shaved off while you watch, they mix it with shredded lettuce and a spicy sauce and again into a pita.

Or lastly the bbq mutton/beef/pork/chicken/squid/fish that is offered. This is cooked over a bbq pit on skewers, they are cooked, spices are added and you then eat them off the skewers.
Oh man... street food here is great. In fact, I'm salivating right now. Gotta go have some.
Talk more later.