Chinabites

Posted: Jun. 02, 2009

One of my new roommates and her boyfriend have taken a special interest in Chinabites’ mission to expose foreigners to the wonders of Chinese cuisine. Last night they invited me to go with them to a local eatery known for a particular delicacy that they will treat themselves to every once in a while.

Cover your eyes and read no further if you’re kosher or hallal, because this local delicacy is barbecued pigs feet.

The setting was a dingy building with an industrial feel. Extremely low tables and chairs were set up all around and the dark interior was lit with bare light bulbs.

One wall of the interior dining space was set up for barbecuing and stir frying.

At my request we ordered quite a few non-pigs-feet dishes. We had cold noodles, cold rice porridge, and yunnanese french fries, in addition to the two pigs feet dishes (braised and bbq’d). The best dish of the evening was a whole roasted egg plant stuffed with tomatoes and cilantro quite reminsicent of an indian dish called baingan bartha.

My roommate suggested that since we were sampling the local treats we might as well spring for the local beverage, bottled mango juice. It wasn’t the fresh squeezed juice that I had gotten used to in Hong Kong, but it wasn’t devoid of actual fruit juice either.

These are the sorry remnants of a pigs foot meal after two hungry locals and a timid foreigner got done with it.

It’s a bit of a trek to the east of city center to get to Yangji, but if you’re looking for the hardcore local experience (without all that bothersome hygeine) you probably need look no further.