Sichuan Street Food

I mentioned that Sichuan food was marked by spice, but it's not the kind of spice that makes your eyes tear or your nose run; it's the kind of spice, unlike any other I've had before, that makes your mouth numb. And it doesn't hit you all at once, it kind of sneaks up on you after a few bites.

Signature dishes include mapo tofu -- cubes of soft tofu with ground pork drenched in hot (as in red, spicy) oil and topped with seasonings -- and hot pot -- similar to what we've had in Beijing, but the "broth" here is hot oil. Sense a trend? Kung pao chicken (which is really "gong bao ji ding") also comes from this region of China, and, like mapo tofu, bursts with flavor. Interestingly enough, it's sweeter here, and not as spicy as most other Sichuan dishes.

The real treasures though are found on the streets: meat and tofu skewers coated with those renowned mouth-numbing spices, and rice cakes and noodles that come in a variety of  shapes and sizes, served in a variety of vessels, including pineapple and banana leaves. The famous Sichuan noodle dish is dan dan noodles -- fresh noodles (the kind where you can taste the difference) topped with ground pork and seasonings, tossed with hot oil (there it is again) and spices. 

Oh, did I forget to mention the rabbit heads? Yup, those are part of Sichuan fare. And no, I couldn't bring myself to eat one. 

A City on the Brink

A little bit about the city we're spending time in this week... I say it's on the brink because every other building is under construction. And these are not small, insignificant remodeling projects, these are massive structures being erected and finding their own place among existing high-rises. In fact, there are entire blocks in Chengdu -- from the giant Mao statue across from Tianfu Square to People's Park -- under construction or renovation. 

This probably doesn't help the air quality. It's terrible out, the kind of weather that makes you cough for no good reason and makes your eyes squint even though the sun's not in them. And anyway, the sun is hidden behind a thick layer of smog, or something of the sort. Remember this app? Yesterday, it told us it was hazardous to our health to be outside. 

"Chengdu for the future, for the world." Appropriate.

But the city has soul. In fact, if Shanghai is New York (we've heard the comparison before, and I would tend to agree; it's certainly more NYC than Paris, in my opinion), and if Beijing is D.C. (both being capitals and all), then Chengdu is Chicago. There's an emphasis on art and culture here -- music, performance, crafts -- and people are friendly. Its pedestrian walkways, Kuanzhai Alley and Jinli Ancient Street, offer lovely repose from the city's construction chaos. They're the heart. Both reflect ancient China, and although a Starbucks lives among the shops and vendors in both places, you're reminded that you're truly in China. I just hope Chengdu doesn't lose itself completely as it enters the next phase of its history, one surely marked by an economic explosion of epic proportions. 

(Additional photos from around town to be uploaded from Shanghai; cable forgotten at home. iPhone photos will have to do for now.) 

An Incredible Experience

I smile every time I think about what we did yesterday -- um... we sat next to a panda. A PANDA. A real life panda! It was amazing. And it took a lot of restraint for me not to put my arms around him and squeeze.

We got to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding early Sunday morning. We were one of the first visitors there and began exploring in the cold, dense morning fog. The pandas hadn't even come out yet, so we headed to the Sunshine Nursery where we first saw this little guy... 

...and where we signed up for one-on-one panda time. When we first approached the keeper, Mike asked (in Chinese), "is this where we can sign up to hug a panda?" "There's no hugging the panda," she responded, "but you can sit next to one." Okay, we'll take it. (Even though I really, really wanted to hold one like a baby.)  

While we waited for our panda appointment, we toured the park, which we found to be really well-run and well-kept. We saw baby pandas, teenage pandas, and adult pandas; pandas in trees, pandas on the ground, and pandas on log beds; red pandas, twin pandas, and families of pandas; pandas eating, pandas sleeping, and pandas lounging.

A group of 10 of us had signed up for panda time. And yes, it was somewhat costly, but the $220 was considered a donation to research, and we also got a hoodie and a DVD out of the deal. When the panda was brought out, carried in the arms of its keeper (who was more so heaving the one-year old wild animal), you could feel the electricity of excitement in the air. As each of us took turns playing with the panda, the keeper continued to feed her (I think) sticks of bamboo dipped in honey, which helped her completely ignore the giggling adults surrounding her, giddy with delight. It was pure joy, and I was elated to have had the experience.    

Zhoumo kuaile!

In exciting news, tomorrow morning Mike and I are traveling to Chengdu, i.e. the land of PANDAS. He's there for work, and in keeping my resolution, I'm tagging along.  

Chengdu is home to a renowned panda research facility and conservation education center. We plan on visiting the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding -- its official name -- early Sunday morning, when, we've read, pandas are most active. Cost of entry isn't terribly expensive (under $10), but for a couple hundred dollars more, you can hold a (baby) panda. I don't know about you, but to me, this is a no-brainer -- and worth every penny (and those pennies go to research, if you need to justify the cost). I can't wait. Of course, photos (lots of them) to come. 

I'm researching what else there is to do in Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province in Southwest China. It's another big city, crowded with skyscrapers like Beijing and Shanghai, enjoying a thriving economy (Intel has a huge presence there with four factories totaling 600,000 square feet and two other buildings totaling 200,000 square feet). No doubt we'll try local dishes, known for their spice, and maybe Mike will agree to attend the Sichuan opera with me only because there's fire breathing involved. 

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