Peking Duck; 90 Ways to Slice a Fowl

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Unfortunately, I didn't make it to this morning's trip to the Beijing Dragon Seal Wine Museum due to a bit of dehydration and a touch of exhaustion. However, I made sure not to miss out on lunch; the famous Peking Duck.
As it turns out, this duck is sliced into ninety pieces as part of the service, and each piece is masterfully cut off the duck in less than 3 minutes by a highly experienced server. The duck was extremely crispy on the outside, cooked to tender perfection on the inside, and served with a rich, delicious sauce among other accompaniments. What I probably liked most about the meal was that the duck was put out with both flour and corn pancakes, a variety of vegetables, thick sauce, and the understanding that you should eat it as a mouthwatering duck tortilla. Yes, I grew up in a kitchen strongly influenced by my mother's entirely Mexican background, but my love of tortillas grew because the food and ease of eating it made for some of the best meals of my life. I was more than happy to make several little duck-filled pancakes for myself, and will hopefully have another tasty experience with Peking duck in my lifetime, stateside.
This evening, we visited a few bar/shop streets and a row of Hutongs, the traditional family arrangements that were more commonly lived in some years ago, but which people still live in today. The shops were nice to visit, and there were a few things we didn't expect tucked into little stalls; a crepe and waffle house, stores playing Jack Johnson, and a not-too-shabby sorbet and gelato shop. Today was pretty relaxing, and it was nice to just walk up and down the streets, looking around with no particular purpose in mind.

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