Over Memorial day weekend, my virgin experience of Beijing BBQ was very memorable. After weeks of watching Anthony Bourdain’s adventure through China, I yearn to experience authentic food from this region in China. Arriving at my Sam’s house, I followed my keen sense of smell toward the grill. Expecting hamburger patties and bratwurst sizzling in their casing, I was utterly surprised by the BBQ delights. Zhongbang, a chef from Beijing, introduced me to savory lamb skewers. The lamb meat was purchased from Costco and thinly sliced and placed on bamboo skewers. I have been advised to soak skewers in water so that the meat slides easily in place. With the same rotating motions of roasting marshmallow, the lamb cooks well over the medium heat. The do-it-yourself street food features seasoning according to each person’s preference. Salt ads flavor while chili flake adds heat. The pungent taro powder rounds out the dish. Zhongbang emphasized that when the tongue numbs from the chili flakes, the complete experience arrives. Truly, the experience not only a culinary adventure but a cultural one.
Restaurant Consultant.
Traveling to the night street markets in Tapei and Hong Kong, I am amazed at the number of street vendors. Each regional market is famous for certain dishes.
Taiwan: salt ‘n pepper fried pork, BBQ eel
Shanghai: pork dumplings, pan fried pork buns
Hong Kong: curry fish ball, wok fried chestnuts, dried squid,
Street food vendors do what they do for two main reasons. One is the cash business. Popular food stand can easily make great cash profits. For instance, a food vendor that serves curry fish balls in Hong Kong can generate a good profit. Rent is not expensive since they usually just serve their items in small portable food carts. Also, their food cost is low. Curry sauce is mainly Chinese bbq sauce mixed with water. Fish balls can be purchased at high volumes at low cost. Another great reason for street vendors to sell their food items is that they can test out their food items. Street vendor can be creative and try new food items. Successful food vendors can eventually develop their products and distribute them to restaurants. A successful pot sticker maker can build loyal customers and eventually have their products packaged.
