Fruit, fish, rice crackers, bunnies, fireworks, dumplings, kebabs, watches. You can buy just about everything you need for daily life and special occasions without setting foot inside a building.
At every gate of our campus, food vendors set up shop. They arrive in the mid-morning to prepare for the lunch rush. Should we decide to grab some food around lunchtime, noon or so, we have to wait in line for quite awhile. Their popularity stems from the food's cheap cost, speed of preparation, and overall deliciousness. More on these purveyors of meals some other time.
Today, after lunch at our local noodle joint, we came upon a vendor of dried snack food. He was selling various seeds, nuts, and fruits out of large plastic bags. Our go-to snacks from these "establishments" are banana chips, unshelled roasted peanuts, and sweet potato chips. This last item has me in a state of enthrallment whenever we buy a bag. Sweet, thick, crispy, just the right amount of oil, these are sweet potatoes like you could never have imagined. I can't ... stop ... eating ... them!
I used to not like sweet potatoes, but since being in China and seeing the multitude of ways they are cooked, I am a convert. And these chips are quite possibly the best snack food ever.
Until I break into the bag of peanuts.
Hi Sara! Turner told me about your food blog and I have been enjoying it - your photos are great and the unique foods you've written about make me want to visit China. Interesting how much improvising you have to do to cook at home, too. I have your site bookmarked and look forward to reading often. Well done blog! Julie in MN.
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