Monday, July 11, 2011

That’s a Hot Pot!

Hey there Reader-Friends!
I haven’t really talked about my travels too much on this little blog, which is really shocking to me, because it’s definitely near the top of my love list. Well, ta-da! Today is the day!
For the past two years I have taken a trip with a group from my university to Asia during May.
If you are an “all-American” looking for a little taste of a different culture, then maybe a trip to Canada is for you (we made a few pit stops there). But if you’re looking  to devour a different culture, then kick back on a long flight to Beijing!
I’m going to do a few posts featuring some of the major aspects of the Asian culture and experiences I had during my trips to Asia.
And what a better place to start than the food?
We ate so much! The friends we made were wonderful hosts that made sure we did not feel any kind of hungry.
There were so many dishes that we’re just completely amazing…and quite a few I just couldn’t stomach or didn’t understand at all. I will say this-the people love to chew, chew, chew. That’s why they eat the parts of animals that Americans would commonly be repulsed by.
chinese bbq
Chinese Bar-B-Q
We had some moderately spicy sticks last year, but this year my lips swelled, because there was so much heat in these things. Jon boy was in heaven though! He loves his food flaming!

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Snacks
Notice that you don’t see too many fluffy Asians? While they do eat a whole lot of rice and noodle dishes, they hardly eat sweets. And they are really into finding healthy digestion regiments. Hot water (or tea) is drank with meals, because it is believed to aid with digestion.
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“Hot Pot” (everyone gets their own boiling broth and you cook your own meat and veggies! My fav!)
I love using chopsticks! Is it weird that I get a craving to use chopsticks?

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“Bing” –a type of pastry that you can get filled with virtually anything. There was bing filled with meat and bing filled with sweet pastes.

***Warning: Be prepared-Heads ahead***
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Yeah, I ate food that looked back at me. #toughgirl
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Rice balls
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Dumplings (stuffed with pork and celery)
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If you’re thinking: Is that what I think it is? Yeah, probably. Don’t worry, I’m not that adventurous! None of those critters came anywhere near my mouth!

I know you all of your mouths are watering now, right? I promise we did eat some really yummy things. And if you just can’t do the Asian cuisine, McDonald’s and KFCs are not hard to find.
I would be happy to answer any questions you all have about Asian cuisine. Leave me a comment or send me an Email!
Up next? The big sites!
Did you enjoy this taste of culture, Reader-Friends?
Amber Marie

3 comments:

Caitlin said...

Whoa. You are one brave lady! I don't think I could quite stomach this kind of meal!

Nicole said...

Whew... I would have been hungry on that trip! haha! That would be such culture shock, but so fun!

MellyB said...

New to your blog!

I want to go on a huge Asia tour someday. Pretty high on my list.

And while I'm there, I want to be brave and say "Feed me anything! I'm an empty bowl, fill me!" But really, I'd probably be more like, "I think I can survive on these peanuts from the plane for three weeks."

I'm working on it before I buy a plane ticket.