The Food… here’s looking at you

It is clam geoduck served raw

 Food is very big in Chinese culture. Here small storefront noodle sellers get Michelin ratings. It’s also a very communal thing.  This trip to Zongda’s home turf saw us eating five large meals in the course of three days.

Two of the restaurants had tanks where you can choose your favorite fresh seafood!

These big meals all worked the same way. Everyone sits around the table and the food that the host ordered is brought out and placed on a large Lazy Susan in the middle. At two of the meals, the Lazy Susan was motorized

    Out came the fried noodle, bok choy, broccoli, crab, squid, mushroom dumpling, prawn, ginger duck, fish and tofu soup, sweet yam, mackerel soup, fried beef, sweet potato soup, grouper, spring roll, carrot cake(not really), Deep-fried pork, goose liver, eel, beef with veggie, razor clam, steamed egg with clam, black chicken, beef on hot stone, clam-geoduck, rice balls, kailan, and for dessert that crowd favorite chilled white fungus and pear soup.

   During a few occasions, as I was trying to lift something off of a tray that was passing by, it would stop, and I would look up to catch the eye of someone assisting me by stopping the table. I learned early on that there is a specific etiquette to eating at one of these tables and how chopsticks are handled. No tapping, pointing or playing with chopsticks. Also, there are sets of chopsticks on the Lazy Susan to be used for serving, but I was told that during more casual encounters you can lift an item off with your own chopsticks. I tried to stick to the rules as best I could once I learned them.

As a guest I always believed I should eat what’s placed in front of me. Also, these folks looked healthy and if they were going to eat that funny looking thing well then it was OK by me to give it a go.

At the first meal, I asked what was in that bowl set out  before the meal started. I was told the black slimy stuff was fungus. OK is this the way it’s gonna be. I was to find out that it was only gonna get crazier for my poor Down East taste buds.

OK so I kindly let Sheri eat the sandworms in gelatin first. 

First you move it around in the gelatinous goo hoping that it would get more appealing then…

  To my surprise she did eat a couple ….reluctantly.

My turn… When I saw the guy two chairs over pick up his sea cucumber and take a big old bite I thought I can do that. This was one of those times I had to just not think of it just bite and swallow. Since the water is not acceptable to drink some foods required extra 53 proof rice wine to reduce the squeamishness.

Another important feature of Chinese cooking is that fish, birds, beef and chicken are chopped up bones and all and cooked. This leave you fishing around in your mouth for those little bits that cannot be chewed, digested or enjoyed. They say it’s more flavorful, but for me it’s more awkward.

By the end of the third large meal, I realized that a lot of the plates that passed by were looking at me so here’s a picture parade… the eyes have it!

Yep that’s the ducks head