Beijing food

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The north of China eats more wheat products, while the south more rice, hence, in Beijing, wheat noodles and bing (flatbreads of varying shape and fillings) are plentiful. Consulting the Lonely Planet, my favorite crunchy crepes mentioned before appear to be called jian bing.

Our first meal was in the university canteen, where we ordered tang mien, or soup noodles. As we stood in the slow moving line, I stood mesmerized by the chefs pulling the fresh noodles from slabs of dough. They pulled and swung the dough like a jumping rope into a wide flat strip which they then divided into individual noodles like one splits a plastic ribbon lengthwise, and then tossed the whole mess into a vat of boiling water.

Roasted yam vendors appear to be everywhere in China, but still the best yams I had were in Beijing. Very sweet yellow flesh, with the outside roasted just enough to be caramelized to an orange color but not burnt and bitter. You'll also see corn on the cob, and it's worth trying, but if you are expecting sweet and tender kernels, you will be disappointed. The kernels pop off the cob with ease so you won't have to pick your teeth so much, but Chinese corn is more starchy in flavor and very gooey in texture.

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Photos

jian bing
the fabulous jian bing, the magnificient jian bing, how I love thee. This crepe has already been slathered with the mystery sauce and filled with the crunchy.

noodles
university chef serves up some fresh pulled noodles

meat skewers
pick out your meat product of choice, eat first, pay later

hanging meat
a particularly symmetric meat display