One of the Best

            Today, my Chinese friends took me out to what I would consider one of my best meals in China as of now. It was for no particular reason except for the fact that it was Saturday and we had nothing better to do. I’m not entirely sure whether the different foods we tried are all linked to a certain region of China, but I do know that it was all delicious. 

As always, I let the locals decide what we were going to be eating. While we were waiting for the entrees, these little fruits came out as a sort of appetizer. I’ve never really tried anything like them, and further inquiry and some Google translations later led to me finding out that it is a fruit called hawthorn. This fruit is sort of like a cherry but a bit more tart. They were incredibly delicious, especially surrounded in the candy coating that the restaurant applied. 

            Next came the Beijing style pork, with big leafs of lettuce. You’re supposed to wrap the meet in lettuce and eat them as some sort of lettuce wrap. The pork looks sweeter than it actually is, and what you see underneath are fried strips of wonton, which provide a crispy contrast to the dish. A combination of sweet, salty, crispy, hot, and cool makes this dish a very interesting one to eat.

After that, the preserved duck. This was probably the main reason why my friends brought me here, seeing as they know that I am an unabashed duck fan.  While I was expected Peking duck, I was not disappointed with this new-to-my-palate preparation of this bird. It may be a bit salty to some, but this is due to how the dish is made. The duck is basically cured with salt and seasonings, which lead to the saltiness, yet incredible flavorful aspect of the meat and skin.

When this dish came out, I couldn't even see what was inside. The waiter placed it right in front of me, as if trying to soothe my curiosity.  Looking inside, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by excitement. It was a silken tofu, shrimp, mushroom, and pea soup. It smelled incredible and tasted even better. 

Last came the signature dish of the restaurant. It was fried pork with a sweet sauce and assorted nuts. It was one of those types of dishes that come out of the kitchen extremely hot and you’re supposed to wait, but you don’t anyway and burn your mouth really badly. This dish was worth every burn I got, because it was wonderful. The sweet fried pork was perfectly fried, and the candied peanuts, almonds, and walnuts just took the meat to the next level. It is highly recommended.

            Overall, this was an incredible meal. I would have to say that my favorite dish was probably the tofu soup, but that’s because tofu is quickly rising to one of my favorite things in the world and because the duck was a bit too salty. The rest of the meal though was incredible and what made it better was the chance to enjoy it with my Asian friends. These are the types of experiences I was looking forward to having in China, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.