I have finally worked out the food situation in Tianjin. I spent the first few days unsure of what to eat- and what was going to jump out of my food and swallow me whole before I could do the same. However, it would seem that most of the time this is just tourist wariness. I, however, am now an international student, and so must acclimatise to the situation. Three months without food doesn’t usually work too well for a person.
Last night Matt and I ventured out to see what local food we could find and how we would go pointing at food and smiling at the locals. We left the hotel, accepting our potential fate to accidentally eat goat, dog or even unicorn meat. We had previously seen a place on the corner just a 3 minute walk from the hotel that seemed to be buzzing at night. We arrived to find it alive with locals, all sitting on stools eating food that looked and smelt delicious. The days in Tianjin with smog covered skies are less than ideal, but it really is made up for by the night time. Everything is coated with bright lights from LED signs and small light globes hang in a rustic way (most are also rusty) overhead of people cooking on the roadside. There is something so peaceful about it.
We went between three different places, eating bits and pieces. The first place, we pointed at kebab sticks and indicated two with our hands. The young woman smiled warmly and took the two mysterious meat sticks to the open flame where another man cooked them. When she re-emerged with them, she smiled and slowly announced “you are very beautiful”. Matt and I are still debating which of us it was directed to- something I’m sure will never be settled.
We moved on to another ‘things on sticks’ trailer, this one also with bread and mushrooms and other greens. I ordered mushrooms as well as bread, and sat down at stools to eat my delicious hot goods. As we sat, a crowd formed in the middle of the intersection. Before we could blink, a pile of things were being set on fire, making a bonfire in the middle of the road. People bowed before walking away to let it all burn down to embers. Whilst watching, the woman who had just cooked my food came and sat with me. She began speaking to me, and the fact I didn’t speak Chinese was in no way discouraging. She would talk at me, and then sit back and smile warmly at me before starting to talk again. After I couldn’t reply to her and I sat apologising and smiling back, she got back to her Chinese barbeque. We said goodbye to them and moved on to our final destination for the night.
The food at the last place was mediocre, and as we were foreigners we were charged about double of what anyone else had charged us (which was still only $2). Deciding we might not eat there again, we called it a day and went back to the hotel. Having eaten in the shopping centre for the last few nights, it was so nice to find something really close that offers amazing food that is delicious, cheap and allows us to get to know the locals. And the best part is, I woke up this morning with not a hint of mad cow disease. I will keep you updated as to if this state alters.
