Carp cakes, anyone?
Category Archives: Food
Tong Chuan Fish Market
Abalone
The invitation for an expat tour to the Shanghai fish market conjured up a picture of vendors and decrepit carts selling all sorts of wiggly creatures that I would never eat. Yes, it was all that, but also, a community where people live, work, and sell a lot of fish to one of the largest demand markets in the world. Their day begins around 3 am when the fresh supplies arrive from the ships and airports; soon the restaurateurs come through to buy the daily specials, followed by locals, tourists and housewives looking for a freshly caught dinner. By early afternoon, the vendors spray down the sidewalks and retire upstairs to their homes. Our guide, Janny explained that Chinese people like to eat fish brains to make them smarter, turtle to ensure a long life, and seahorse (for men) to increase potency and produce sons.
At the end of the tour, we walked across the street for lunch. I selected a ‘treasure fish’ (looks like a flounder), flopping around… very fresh, for 95 yuan ~ 14 dollars. The restaurant steamed it up with a simple soy sauce and it tasted fabulous. We also had ‘green vegetable’ which I will have to research to find out what it is- prepared with minced beancurd and sesame seeds. I feel a little bad that Fred is hard at work in the office with no prospect of lunch, but I will bring him here for dinner soon!
The Wet Market
I’ve been told that the vegetable markets are called ‘wet markets’ because they hose down the produce in lieu of refrigeration. This is my favorite vegetable market a few blocks from our home. There are many unrecognizable veggies, and everything is fresh and delicious, very flavorful. The veggie lady tries to teach me the names of everything. The man across the aisle laughs loudly when I try to repeat the words in Mandarin. Then, my veggie lady will pantomime the preparation and cooking method for the vegetable in question. It really gets funny when the other vendors join in with their own pantomimes and try to get me to understand. They must think I am hard of hearing and if they just talk louder, I will get it.
Half A Chicken
If you buy a half a chicken, you should get your money’s worth, right? Yes, in Shanghai, the half chicken comes with one chicken foot (yes, I mean a claw) and a perfectly bisected head (yes, one eye looking at you). Good thing I grew up in Ree Heights and watched Aunt Lois slaughter the chickens. At least Cousin Jimmy is not chasing me around with the claw, pulling the tendon to make the chicken foot grab my ear.
Magic Pears
I arrived in Shanghai with laryngitis and a cough, and soon, Fred was coughing too. Our driver was very concerned for our health, and continually inquired as to whether we had medicine for our cough. He kept talking about pears and rock candy. Eventually, he handed me a bag of pears and said it was good for the cough. After listening to Fred cough night after night, I was desperate enough to try anything, so I cut up the pear and we ate it. Within 20 minutes, the cough was gone. No cough for 8 hours. I learned later that the Chinese cook up the pears with rock candy to make a syrup. These brown pears are called ‘feng shui’ pears. Look for them in your supermarket- they really are magic!
Musings of an Expat Tai Tai
Dragon fruit, price 9.80 Yuan ($1.60) each.
Tai Tai (say tie tie) means ‘lady of the house’, and that pretty well defines my role here. I spent the first few weeks figuring out the grocery stores and food markets. There are several imported food markets and the local vegetable stands have a good selection. There are some strange looking fruits and vegetables like this ‘dragon fruit’ piled high in the supermarket. I have to wash and scrub and disinfect all the veggies and fruit, but so far, so good.
Our moving shipment has not arrived, but we have everything we need, so no worries until the weather turns cold, at which point I will go shopping since I only have my summer clothes. 