Hot Off The Press: Travelblog- Peking Duck in Peking
Posted on: July 28, 2011
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Taking time off to reflect and refresh is an important part of leading a successful life. You can’t climb the ladder if you’re tired and running out of steam. So I’m a firm believer in taking time for vacations and trips away. It gives me energy and inspires my creativity. Which is why I grabbed at the opportunity to travel to China last week. Ladies, we’ve got to see the world to understand what a difference we can make in it!
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I woke up on day one and turned on the TV. There’s a news show in english called Crossfire. The topic of the day was about a huge controversy in China over a CNN online article about foods that are challenging to eat. Seemed like a benign issue to me, but the Chinese were offended that their prized ‘pidan egg’ was placed on the list. CNN has taken down the article given the complaints. Pidan egg or preserved duck eggs are a traditional Chinese delicacy. Also known as 1000 year old eggs, they are rarely more than 100 days old. It is made by coating duck or chicken eggs in a clay-like plaster of red earth, garden lime, salt, wood ash, and tea (sounds supergross to me and I side with the writer!). But one thing I have learned being on this trip is the Chinese are a very proud people with a rich history. They are looking to be considered a top Nation of the world (rightly so given they are the 2nd largest economy). So any slight on their image is met with furious backlash…
Although I couldn’t read or understand a lick of the language, I felt right at home. I got no stares or people trying to rub my black skin (as I was warned by several americans when they learned of my pending trip). I just went about my business like everyone else and it felt great. A little voice told me to stop by a local tea shop and I peeked in. The guy greeted me and we used the universal language of smiles and finger pointing. I got to experience a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. Everyone knows how much I love tea! So this was the highlight of my trip.
The foods were really different from what I expected. It is no secret to those who know me, that I had not been a fan of Chinese food. But I really wanted to experience the cuisine in country. China is best known for Peking Duck and I can see why. It was a wonderful treat to eat this meat combined with flour wraps, cucumbers, onions and duck sauce (yum). I explored quite a bit and ate wonderfully fresh vegetables, enjoyed perfectly cooked rice and became quite adept at using chopsticks. The joy of learning while eating was a delight…But my absolute favorite was Ganges Indian restaurant! The food was soo amazing. Hot, spicy and deliciously made chicken saag! I had the best time while watching a belly dancer perform live with scenes of bollywood movies in the background. When in China, eat Indian!
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