It would not be in my nature not to post about the food I have been eating here! As you can imagine, most meals consist of either rice or noodles with lots of meat and not so much vegetables.

A Chinese banquet meal is served at a large table seating 10-12 people, with a big lazy-susan in the middle. Dish after dish comes out of the kitchen, filling the table. Each individual setting includes a small plate, small bowl and spoon, and chopsticks. It is appropriate to reach your chopsticks into any dish to serve yourself! ;)

Doing my research on traditional Nanjing foods, I have been on the prowl to try as many as I can! Here is what I was able to try:

Tang bao (soup dumpling): Filled with meat, these dumplings are juicy with just a thin skin.

Pidu Noodles: Pidu is actually pork skins that have been boiled, dried, and deep fried. They are combined with chewy noodles, mushrooms, pork, and greens in this tasty dish!

? ??? (Sesame cake): A flaky pastry that is filled with sweet or savory fillings. The secret to flakiness is to inclose a lump of duck fat!

???? (Bean Lantern): A traditional dessert made with red bean paste and small soft dumplings.

Fried beef dumplings!

Chicken Gansi: Gansi is a finely shredded tofu, boiled with chicken broth, vegetables, and baby shrimps. Tastes like good ol’ chicken noodle soup :)

I was not, however, brave enough to venture to try Duck Blood Soup or Balut (fertilized duck egg).

I look forward to discovering the different cuisines among the many provinces of China!