I think that the Chinese get a bad rap when it comes to their food. They generally don't eat dogs or cats, and I have never, ever gotten sick eating the food here. It is healthy and usually has lots of vegetables in it with a little meat. Delicious though. Emily and I live in the "old town" section of Suzhou and when the weather isn't too hot or cold, we often go walking around the streets and will usually buy "street food" while we are out. This is similar to the American hot dog stand, but with a huge variety of items available. Want some leg of lamb on a stick? No problem. Veggie stir fry? Just a few yards away. It is all delicious, too. Sweet potatoes baked in these barrel-like ovens are popular and so is tofu (which I am convinced, Americans do not know how to cook. They serve a deep-fried tofu here that is wonderful). You can also find drink stands serving Milk Tea, dessert stands and even exotic things like pigeon, which is quite tasty. This kind of eating serves two purposes. First, it is convenience food and is healthy eating. The Chinese idea of fast food is vastly different from the McDonald's we're used to seeing. Fast food here can be a nice slice of pork with rice and stir-fried vegetables. Served in under a minute, too. Next, it keeps these people employed in their own businesses. Many of these who run the stands have day jobs and supplement their income by working a stand at night. The stands are unlicensed and unregulated though, so they are technically illegal. But, since they serve an important purpose by feeding people, the law generally looks the other way and often times you will see guards and police officers eating at these stands as well. They are a deeply rooted part of the lexicon of China.

China has food shops like Japan has vending machines. Just everywhere you look. Here, you are never more than a few feet from a meal. I think this is important to the Chinese because during the Cultural Revolution, Mao directed that all sparrows be killed because he saw them as thieves of the grain produced. Killing these birds caused an environmental disaster and resulted in plagues of insects that triggered a major famine here. Millions of people died from the lack of food. A horrible time in the history of China. So, the Chinese are keenly aware of this because the older population remembers what it was like to go without food for a week. The government here too has placed a high priority on food production and it is abundant here now. An amazing transformation and a very difficult lesson to learn from their transgressions. The other aspect of food here is that there are fruit stands everywhere. All fresh and in amazing varieties. We have a stand 5 minutes walking from our home and it is one of our favorite places to go.


Some of the more exotic things that I have eaten are Water Buffalo, Ox, Pigeon, Snake, Eel, Tongue, intestine and (drum roll, please...) deep fried Cicadas. And while some of this sounds icky, all of it is quite good. You have to remember, the Chinese have been eating these things for over 7,000 years, so they pretty much know what's good and what's not. I also promised myself that regardless of what it is, I would at least try everything. I am considered an "adventurous" eater by my western friends here. The only items off the menu are dogs, cats and endangered species. Above that, I will always try it. In doing this, I have been really surprised at the great taste these items have and they are excellent.


About this photo, My wife Emily is being served Tofu by a street vendor in out old town section of Suzhou. I shot this with a Nikon N1AW1 and processed the image in Photoshop, adding a boarder and giving the image a duotone tint that gives it a Sepia tone appearance. Lens was an 11-27mm set at 11mm (18mm equivalent on a 35mm). Available light.


Hope you enjoy and have an excellent day!