Shopping at Carrefore is challenging at the best of times…but just before a holiday, it's like the wild west. So much pushing, yelling, crying and screaming. And that was just me.
But some seasonal delicacies start showing up. I posted this online and no one could tell me what it was. My Mandarin teacher was able to read the signs. She explained that a cow has four different bladders and some are actually attached to the esophagus. Here they were all piled on crushed ice in plastic bins. There was also a pair of scissors so customers could shear off the amount they wanted, and have it weighed. Not sure how it is actually cooked. Hmmm.
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Sea Cucumber and Pigs' Feet Ligaments. Sea Cucumber I understand, I usually see them dried and in a glass case, but these were fresh. In Traditional Chinese Medicine they're supposed to be a male enhancement - eeew. I would think the Pigs' Feet Ligaments would be really tough and chewy. But now that I think of it, eating Sea Cucumber is like chewing on rubber bands as well.
Roasted duck tongues and pig tongues. I've had cow tongue before, but never duck. Duck tongue is a super popular snack here. Chinese people eat it like beef jerky, and it's sold in pouches in convenience stores like you would buy Slim Jims. Both are still gross.
These are fresh water chestnuts, and they're only available in the stores for a short time. After peeling, I sliced them and added them to a stir fry of Chinese vegetables. Incredibly sweet and crunchy.
This store was at the IFC Mall, really high end and pricey mall that includes a Prada store, Gucci, etc.
I thought this was a jewelry store on first glance, but it actually only sold hair clips, hair ties, hair bands, etc. The fur hair scrunchie in the window was 2400 rmb, the same as $392.00!!
Emily at the Apple store, dreaming of a new Macbook Air. Dream on Emily. Dream on.
