Foodquest: September 24, 2003 Foodie: Pokey Photography: Pokey Narration: Pokey, Slowdog Posted: October 2, 2005

China.  The land of both the exotic and familiar.  Chinese cuisine has become as familiar to us as Pizza and Tacos.  Thanks to the large Asian population in many cities around the United States, quality Chinese dining can be easily found.  In September of 2003, our traveler, Pokey pays a brief visit to Beijing and Shenzen and returns to us with the sights of the Orient.

A foggy morning in the high rise hotel overlooking the city of Beijing.  All around are the hustle and bustle of construction, indicative of China's rapid modernization effort.      While cloudy mornings put a damper on seeing the street markets, they provide an excellent opportunity to find some breakfast to start the day. 

Breakfast is more of a brunch with the myriad of steamed dumplings, sliced spiced  beef, barbeque pork spareribs and flat sesame bread (sau bing).  Next to the sau bing is a relative of sausage made from roasted pork rind slowly seasoned with soy sauce and spices.  The best part?  All served with a cold side of Coca Cola, or as originally known in China, "Bite the Wax Tadpole."    The spiced beef makes for a tasty and succulent side when paired with parsley and the sau bing in a sort of sandwich.  The steam dumplings are filled with a combination of pork, shrimp and vegetables that has been seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce and spices.

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