Author Archives: christine

Tsinghua Cafeteria Series: Students

Cafeteria no. 7 at Tsinghua University is incredibly crowded.  The space issue is compounded by the reservation system, which is a fancy way of saying that students stake out seats with a mitten, hat, or notebook.  Walking into the cafeteria … Continue reading

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Chinese Shake’n'Bake: McCormick Chicken Wing Seasoning (xiangla jichi 香辣鸡翅)

Although I reluctantly admit to being a snob about convenience foods in the states, in Beijing I love to try random premixed items found at the grocery store, including this little packet of chicken wing seasoning. This fragrant-spicy spice mix, … Continue reading

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Recipe for Afternoon Tea, or Jujube and Longyan Milk Tea (hongzao guiyan naicha 红枣桂圆奶茶)

For the chowhound, food souvenirs might be one of the most pleasurable aspects of travel.  I used to pore obsessively over Japanese guidebooks for their painstakingly detailed guidance on the representative specialties of each prefecture and the oldest purveyors still … Continue reading

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Travels in Tianjin: the birthplace of the egg crepe (jianbing 煎饼)

Most people do not think of Tianjin as a tourist destination, but I went recently and loved it. First, you get to be harmonized (hexie‘d 和谐) on the express train, and the female attendants wear luxurious red wool pillbox hats … Continue reading

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Tsinghua Cafeteria Series 2: small hot pot station

Sadly, there is no way even Jen can make this small hot pot 砂锅 station look delicious. The presentation of the ingredients was the most saliva-inducing part of this experience. This is the first station when you enter cafeteria no. … Continue reading

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Noodling Around: biangbiang noodles (youpo chemian 油泼扯面)

To a displaced American with southern Chinese-Taiwanese roots, where rice rules supreme, northern Chinese noodle and bread culture (mianshi 面食) is completely bewildering. But the pleasures of biangbiang noodles are many. Jen introduced me to biangbiang noodles, which I loved … Continue reading

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Hutong Market near Jiaodaokou (交道口)

I spy four kinds of beans, lotus root, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, corn…. in November.

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