Mmmmmmm Chinese Food.

Tastes Like Chicken. Cause it is...
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Well, I guess the question on everyone's mind is: Do you think that they would really eat dog?

The answer: (Todd, don't read any further) Yes, every morning for breakfast. Although for the first few days we didn't realize it. The street vendors serve these 2 really good types of breakfast dishes. Baosia and Giahosa. Baosia is a little meat filled dough ball and Giahosa are just meat filled potstickers. It was not until our 3rd day that we discovered that the meat was dog. Ususally, people say it tastes like chicken. But this was better than chicken. (don't worry Todd, daddy won't eat you)

Kiss the fish head.
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On the evening of the 3rd night we went out to eat with 3 local girls, Phil the big, friendly Austrailian, Dave from Kentucky and a French guy who I can't remember his name. We ordered everything. There was chicken dishes, pork dishes and fish dishes. The Sechwan style of cooking is spicy and everything we ate had a kick. The fish was the most unique because was deep fried with the head attached. Well, I guess there was the Blood Eggs. Which look blue and are floating in a vinager mix. They looked gross but were edible. This was also the evening where we found out what the mystry meat was..

Good Variety for any diet.
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On our last day in Beijing, we decided to branch out and head to the food street market. This is where it gets good. We had heard rumors about live scorpions, bee larva and other creepy-crawlies. Before I could dare the food, I needed some liquid encouragement. But I had to be daring and I tried the Green Beer. It tasted like beer with grass in it. I won't be drinking that again.

We then moved on to the daring food portion of the event. We found a vendor, and here is what we ate:

Live Scorpions - throw those suckers in the deep fryer and server me up a stick!!!. They were good. Not "buy them by the bucketful" good, but I'd eat them again.

Mmmm Green bear.
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Starfish - this is considered a delicacy here. Throw it in the deep fryer and serve me up a stick! NOT GOOD!! Too salty. They can keep it.

After the Starfish, I lost steam. I didn't have the stomach to dare any of the other things they had availible. (beattles, cockroaches, bee larva, snakes and lizards. All deep fried of course)

We did try these squid filled balls that had some stuff that seemed to moving on it. Not my favorite, but we finished them. It had a funky flavor

Here in Xi'an we have tried food from the Musilum street vendors, which included a soup that was made from mutton and bread with spices and two different fried dishes that we have no idea what was in them. We were too full after the soup to enjoy the fried dishes, but they tasted good.

Scorpion
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All in all, the food is very good here. We have avoided the tourist areas in favor of the street vendor and local resturants.

Our eating motto: If it is filled with locals and we are the only tourists, it's probably good.