Mike's Chomping Cheesy Chinese Chow Challenge #5 – Chao Bing

Following the disappointment of my noodle and Parmesan Cheese experiment, I decided to go back to basics and use a mild cheddar cheese with one of my favourite fast food dishes; chao bing (炒饼). It may look like a noodle dish, but it is in fact strips of shredded pancake stir-fried with cabbage, egg, peppers and bean sprouts. It can also be stir fried with meat (肉炒饼). If you want chao bing without meat, ask for su chao bing (素炒饼). 

I collected a portion of chao bing from a local street stall and quickly made my way back to the apartment while the food was still hot. The chao bing from this particular stall is always tasty and a little bit spicy.

Once I grated the cheese onto the chao bing, I instantly knew that cheddar was the better choice of cheese in this situation. The Parmesan cheese would have to wait for another opportunity to redeem itself. The cheddar began to melt and after I had the first delicious bite, I breathed a sigh of relief – I had discovered a great pairing! My Cheesy Chinese Chow Mojo had returned!

After gobbling up the remaining cheesy chao bing, I made a promise to continue on the never-ending quest to find other Chinese cuisine that can be enhanced with the addition of cheese. 

Until next time, my fromage friends!

Tôi không biết “炒饼” bằng tiếng Việt là gì, nhưng nó là một món ngon.
炒饼 và phô mai bào ngon lắm!

Beijing Poem - Intoxicated by a toxic city

The air quality index measuring the PM2.5 pollutant particles in the air has recently risen above 200 for the first time in quite a while. This, coupled with a number of friends leaving Beijing very soon has made me think about how the smog can have a huge impact on your life here.

On good days, Beijing is such a beautiful and exciting place to be.
On bad days, you can feel suffocated by the pollution and forced to stay indoors.
Below are two photographs of Sanlitun Tai Koo Li area. One is taken on a clear day, the other on a high pollution day.

I found a poem that I wrote last year and it sums up my feelings, so I wanted to post it on my blog.

Intoxicated by a toxic city

The Jekyll and Hyde emotions of life in Beijing,

Respect, love and wonder for the treasures within.

History, people, culture enthralling,

All is forgotten when the grey curtain is falling.

The venomous fumes envelop this place,

Choking and leaving a taste of disgrace.

A chorus of suffocating lungs complaining,

But beauty is surrounding and forever remaining.

Charmed by the capital’s enchanting scenes,

Whilst listening to the hum of air filter machines.

The rose-tinted glasses angrily thrown away,

A colourful city, now a cold shade of grey.

Unannounced, the poison cloud returns,

The furnace of progress; forever it burns.

What price to pay for this growth and wealth?

Be confined like caged birds or damage your health.

Why choose to live in this city you ask,

To live a life trapped in a mask?

Polluted days are dark, dirty and daunting,

But the power of Beijing is eternally haunting.

Mike's Chomping Cheesy Chinese Chow Challenge #4 - Noodles

Bolstered by my successful baozi and cheese experiment, I felt it was time to try something wild and dangerous. A new and exciting taste sensation cannot be created if I always play it safe and never think outside the box. It’s not always cheap or easy to locate different types of cheese here in Beijing, but perhaps I was limiting myself by using cheddar in many of my investigations. I decided to put my tube of Parmesan cheese to good use. It had been sitting on my shelf for far too long.

I like a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on a delicious pasta dish, so I felt quite certain that it could enhance a snacking experience if used appropriately. Noodles are not so different to pasta, so once I had mentally prepared myself for this challenge, I went on a noodle hunt. 

My local noodle restaurant were unfortunately not selling 拉面 (hand-pulled noodles), however they did have 拌面 (board/block noodles) which is a tasty noodle soup with egg, meat and vegetables. 

I hungrily placed the noodles in a bowl and watched as the Parmesan cheese rained down on the flat noodles. I felt sure that I had a winning combination.

Slurping up the noodles, I have to admit that I was rather disappointed. The noodles are already full of flavour, unfortunately the Parmesan cheese became clumpy in the soup. The cheesy gloop helped me to understand that perhaps I should go back to cheddar cheese for my next cheesy challenge. It wasn't exactly a terrible taste, but it just didn't ignite my tastebuds in the way that I had hoped. I may have had a minor setback this time, but this small failure can only encourage me to continue on this cheesy mission.

Gần đây tôi đã ăn mì sợi và pho mát pác-ma. Vị của nó lạ quá! Lần tới tôi sẽ dùng pho mát dày!

Beijing Summer: The Beijing Battalion Part 2

The Beijing summer can be a long, hot, sweaty experience for a pasty-skinned Welshman. Apart from slathering on sunscreen lotion when the sunlight burns through the smog, there are other things you can do to alleviate the uncomfortable heat.

Firstly, wake up early in order to enjoy a hearty breakfast in the shade before the temperature gets too high.

Sitting outside in the shade of a tree while watching breakfast being prepared was the perfect way to start the day. This tasty feast of baozi (包子) and wonton soup (馄饨) was the delicious and kept me full for a good few hours.

Next, invest in some electrical appliances that will make the summer months just a tad more bearable. Now that the long, harsh winter is a distant memory, Peter and Rita the heater are no longer needed. Instead, I require the help of the following additions to the Beijing Battalion:

Don the Air-Con

Don has had a rather relaxed period up until recently. He was quite grumpy when woken from hibernation and often complains about being overworked. This results in him weeping and leaking his tears onto furniture as he protests about constantly cooling the apartment.

Stan the Fan

                                  

Stan is my biggest fan. Haha. He helps out when Don decides to imitate a waterfall. Stan offers support at those crucial moments when it gets too stuffy. 

Glenda the Blender

Glenda is the latest recruit to join the Beijing Battalion. When the temperature soars to mid-thirties, I generally lose my appetite. Glenda can offer a tasty soup or a thirst-quenching smoothie for the rare occasions when a full, stodgy meal does not appeal. 

Finally, the last piece of sage advice is to militantly binge on ice cream. 

Ở Bắc Kinh, nắng hè nóng hừng hực. Một trong những thú vui nhỏ trên đời là được uống một cốc nước trái cây tươi vào một ngày hè nóng bức. Làm sao giữ mát mẻ trong những ngày oi bức được?