Chinese Delicatessen
Life in China 2016: A Picture A Day, October 21 – The delicatessens in Chinese supermarkets are similar in idea, but very different in the kind of food you can buy in an American deli! They have whole roasted chickens (with the heads and feet of course!) and ducks and maybe even a goose, pigeons, or other birds. There is also a variety of chicken pieces, usually cooked in a few ways: spicy, something yellow that I’m guessing is curry or saffron?, and … there is breaded/fried chicken! There is no such thing as lunch meat or cold cuts. But, there are fresh rice noodles of all sizes, and you can get a bowl fixed right there. There is no salad bar either, but a “bar” of spicy food dishes, I’m not sure what it is actually called! There is also a big tofu section, a sushi section, and roasted peanuts! Of course they vary, and the bigger the supermarket, the more they have, these pictures are from the same supermarket where we get the Beggar’s Chicken (July 21st post) and Dim Sum. www.myownchinesebrocade.com
Chicken Feet
Life in China 2016: A Picture A Day, October 19 – After 7 ½ years in China, I still just don’t get why the Chinese (and other Asian countries) love chicken feet so much! I have starting putting the whole chicken, including head and feet, in the pot for broth, BUT - I have tried eating the feet, and my opinion is that you are just chewing the flavored skin off the bones. Anyhow … my opinion doesn’t really matter; Chicken feet are VERY popular in China! Top picture is three different flavors ready cooked at a supermarket, bottom left to right: package of spicy chicken feet for snacking, fresh chicken feet on a pile of ice, and more precooked, but packaged chicken feet.
Live Poultry at Market
Life in China 2016: A Picture A Day, June 28 – Yesterday, a Chinese friend who lives in the nearby town, showed me where the closest wet or fresh market is. It was much closer than I thought, not very big, but it had a little of everything, meat, fish, veggies, eggs, etc. This is the live poultry section. I told her that being a “city girl” I wouldn’t know what to do with a live chicken or duck; her reply was “Oh, for about 2 rmb (30 cents USD) they will kill it for you!” In the past, I’ve also seen live chickens for sale on the side of the road in some places, and people carrying them home live in plastic bags! At least you KNOW the meat you’re eating is fresh :-)
Buying Chicken
Life in China: A Picture A Day, April 7, 2016 - I apologize to my vegetarian friends who may not like this picture, but, it is part of life in China! This is how I buy chicken at my supermarket. There are usually a few pre-packaged pieces, but nowhere near the variety of if you just buy it unpackaged. For whole chickens, they always come with the head and feet (unless you are in an area with a supermarket that caters to expats :-)) For a city raised girl, I’ve come a long way! When we first moved to China, I wouldn’t buy a chicken unless the head and feet got cut off, now I just throw the whole chicken in the pot! (But I still don’t eat the feet!) I’ll see how people handle this picture and then I’ll decide whether to post buying meat at the wet market, or others pictures I’ve hesitated posting!
