Food

Perhaps one of the most interesting components of the trip has been our change in diet!  Our Chinese hosts have provided us with several formal banquets, and as a result we have learned about some of the etiquette.  For example, the most prestigiuous guest at the table would eat the chicken head.  No, we have not been eating chicken heads, but there was one on the plate that one of the hosts was happy to consume!  We also noted that the fish cheeks are the tastiest and most desired parts of the fish.  As for me, I have chosen to eat vegetarian while I am in China so I have been enjoying many cold dishes containing tofu, vegetables, fungi, peanuts, pumpkin...I could go on and on!  Last night our group split up since we didn't have a formal dinner scheduled and we went to Pizza Hut and ordered a Veggie Lover's Pizza which contained tomatoes, peppers, corn, and pineapple.  Pizza Hut is actually an expensive sit-down restaurant here!  It was nice to
have a break from Chinese food after eating it twice a day for almost a week.
Some of my colleagues visited an outdoor food market last night where they saw the scorpions, grasshoppers, snakes, etc.  They said that the sights and smells were a little overhwhelming, but I hope to get down there tonight to at least take some pictures.
I am trying to enjoy all the conveniences of Beijing because I know that the whole trip will not be like this!  In fact, I may even walk over to the nearby McDonalds to grab a coffee after I post this because good coffee is definitely something that is hard to come by over here.  I ask that you continue to please write comments and I will publish them as soon as I figure out the best way to accomplish this!