This is a local snack unique to winter in Jiangnan.

When I was a kid, I would run to the street as soon as I got out of school, of course, when I had a few dollars in my pocket. Through the alley, over the bridge, you can smell the smell of fried stinky tofu. The person who ran the fried tofu business was a thin old man with white eyebrows and beard, and he always carried a stretcher, which was actually a box made of wood, with stinky tofu, soy sauce, chili sauce, and a stack of small plates in the front box, as well as a canning jar with a few pairs of chopsticks inserted into it. A box in the back housed a small coal stove and a pot.

The old man always stood on the corner of the street, concentrating on deep-frying stinky tofu. I never heard him yell, but there were always a lot of diners who came for the smell and stood in a circle in front of his small stretcher. His stinky tofu is very distinctive. At first glance, it looks black, no different from other stinky tofu, but as soon as it is put into the pot and then taken out of the pot, it becomes golden and fragrant, and coated with a layer of soy sauce or chili sauce (his chili sauce is homemade, red, spicy and comforting), it is yellowish and reddish, and very beautiful. Carefully bite into a mouthful (because it is very hot), outside the yellow and white, crispy outside and tender inside, spicy and stimulating, at this point is not eating but tongue rolled down to swallow.

Elderly people always fry only a few pieces at a time, frying several pieces to sell a few pieces, so wait for people are a eat, other people **** peer attention. Eat fried stinky tofu is mostly women and children, really strange, Jiangnan women do not eat spicy, but a stretcher in front of this have become "spicy girl", chili sauce coated with a thick layer of coating, women at this time, no matter what Sifu, straight to eat red lips, tears and snot, hot sweat. The old man just couldn't help but say: spicy stick, do not eat a lot of grams. Said to say, he did not go to block. So, the old man's chili sauce every day to consume a bottle.

At that time, my father gave me 50 cents a month, and at least half of the money was contributed to the stinky tofu. A piece of stinky tofu cost a penny, and the day could only be quieted down after eating a piece. Sometimes I didn't plan to overspend, then I restrained myself from running there for fear of growing hooks in my eyes. However, at times like that, if I accidentally slipped in front of the old man's stretcher, the old man would always see everything, as if realizing that I didn't have half a penny in my pocket, and would smile and fry a piece of the crunchiest and most tender one and give it to me to eat. I was sorry to eat it for nothing, but when my father sent me money next month, I immediately went to return it to him, and the old man accepted it, but he was sure to fry an extra piece of stinky tofu for me.

Leaving that small town in the south of the Yangtze River for more than twenty years, I have never eaten that delicious fried stinky tofu (although I have eaten fried stinky tofu in other cities in the south of the Yangtze River, but the flavor always seems to be a little worse). It always appeared in my dreams, and along with it was that skinny old man with a white beard and white eyebrows whose name I didn't even know.

Meat and bone congee

I've only had meat and bone congee once.

It was a Sunday morning in winter in the south of the Yangtze River, and my aunt, who had always been frugal, suddenly offered to take me to eat meat and bone congee. I was so flattered that I followed her all the way, fearing that she would suddenly change her mind.

Following the green stone road, through the bustling vegetable market, turned into a small alley. In the distance, I saw a small store with a gust of white mist, and heard the sound of an iron spoon knocking on the edge of the pot. Aunt led me into the store, the store has been full. Everyone was drinking something called meat and bone porridge, as if it was really delicious.

The boss's wife led us into the inner room by the stove and said with an apologetic face, "Let's eat here." The boss's wife was a woman in her 40s with ear-length hair, meticulously pinned behind her ears with a black hairpin. I was afraid that my aunt would run away from the scene, and hurriedly made a fool of myself by saying, "Yes, yes." The result attracted two blank stares from my aunt. "Alright, a bowl of meat and bone congee." The boss's wife picked up a large iron spoon with one hand and uncovered the lid of the cauldron with the other, and a wave of heat swept over the aroma of meat porridge. She stirred the large iron spoon in the pot and served a large bowl of porridge to me. The bowl of porridge was grayish-white, the rice had been boiled to the point of disappearing, and the surface of the porridge was dotted with a few small pieces of meat bones. I carefully tasted it, well, fragrant and sticky, viscous. I really don't need to "eat", just drink it. I stood by the stove, holding a big bowl, and drank my first meat and bone porridge. At the end of the day, I chewed the bones like a puppy. That bowl of porridge cost my aunt five cents.

Later, my aunt told me that cooking meat bones is very troublesome. First, you have to boil the meat bones (bones with some meat on them) for a few hours, then you have to put the new rice into it and cook it again. The key is not to burn it, but to control the heat and simmer it slowly. Finally, put salt and monosodium glutamate. Therefore, the average family is not to do meat and bone porridge, time-consuming and laborious but also not drinkable. She also warned me that you can't eat too much meat and bone congee on the street, because some bosses put the bones that their customers have eaten into the pot again to save money. I don't know if what she said is true or not. Anyway, since then, I have never eaten meat and bone congee, not because of the fear of unhygienic, but the money in my pocket is not enough to allocate it.

But I still often went to that meat and bone congee store, mainly because I wanted to see what they did with the finished bones. But the boss's wife seemed to understand my intention and always greeted me with a smile, "Little girl, come and have a bowl." Then, I fled with my legs.

Yangchun Noodles

Yangchun Noodles has a nice, noble name, but it's actually the cheapest and most affordable noodle dish that the people of Jiangnan love to eat. In "Shanghai Morning", the capitalist Xu Yide pretends to be poor in order to avoid public-private partnership, and asks his little buddy to send his lunch to this Yangchun noodles, so it can be seen that Yangchun noodles belong to the patent of the toiling masses. As for why such a name of Yangchun Baixue, probably to take its antonym, but I'm sure that the person who took this name is by no means the lower class.

Twenty years ago, my uncle's family seemed to especially like to eat Yangchun noodles, every Sunday, my uncle must lead the whole family to the town's noodle shop to eat Yangchun noodles. The two cousins were very happy, but I didn't like it. There was nothing else on the noodles except for some chopped green onions, which were naked and tasteless, and I didn't want to take a second bite after the first one. Every time I don't have the means to finish a bowl of spring noodles, I always remind my uncle to eat wontons, at least there is some meat flavor. But uncle firmly refused, said wontons are too expensive, and not eaten, the same ten cents, spring noodles eat full, while wontons can only stuff teeth. Uncle's teeth are so big. I don't like to eat, but I have to accompany my uncle's family to eat every Sunday, because it's their holiday, and they are waiting for this day for six whole days. The noodle shop in town knew my uncle, and every time I came, I didn't need to order, but I was quickly served yangchun noodles, and then my uncle's family began to bury their heads in the sand and make happy noises. Whenever this happens, I just look at the yangchun noodles in front of me with a sad face.

Lu Wenfu specifically mentioned Yangchun noodles in Gourmet, saying that the first pot of Yangchun noodles is the most refreshing and delicious, so many people rush to the head soup early in the morning. I think my uncles definitely didn't eat this kind of Yangchun noodles. But anyway, I have no interest in yangchun noodles any more, my appetite went down more than twenty years ago.

Light Cake

Light Cake is a snack in Fuzhou. It is said to be in memory of Qi Jiguang, and in any case, it has something to do with this national hero.

When I was a kid, I always liked to stand in front of the high barrel stove and watch the master make light cakes. The master of the light cake is everywhere, a plate, a stove is all the props. Light cake masters to roll up their sleeves high, put the lye and salt water dough slamming, and then divided into a dose, with a hand around a clap, a small round cake came out, and then a bamboo stick to the center of the poke a small hole in the potential to the barrel of the furnace wall, and so on, wait for it, not long, the stove wafted out of the smell. Estimated almost, light cake master with a small shovel sharp shovel, charred light cake jumped out.

This light cake hard bang, yellow through, bite very hard, without a mouthful of good teeth and tenacious spirit of struggle is not to deal with it, but once the entrance to the more chewing the more fragrant, the more fragrant the more chewing, and finally always ate a piece of still want to take away the second piece. Light cake chewy also resistant to storage, put it ten days and a half months no problem, resilience, very national character, may be this is the relationship between it and Qi Jiguang it. The light cake is very cheap, a penny a piece, then often patronize the light cake stove, buy a piece or two, chewing all the way to school.

Winter light cake master is relatively happy, guarding the stove warm, summer on the bitter, bare shoulders or sweating, sweat drops on the stove snorting. I would not dare to buy, because that light cake must also have light cake master hard work sweat.

Some time ago, in Fujian "hometown" mentioned the light cake, they said that the thing is delicious and good for the teeth, often chewing than "white arrow" "green arrow" absolute They said it was good for teeth and chewing it often was definitely better than "white arrow" and "green arrow". But I do not know if there is now, have not eaten for many years. Hopefully, this light cake stove can still be seen on a street corner in Fuzhou.

Taro fruit

Taro fruit is one of Fuzhou's early breakfasts, also known as triangular cake. It is said to be made by boiling betel taro, peeling the skin and crushing it into a paste, then mixing it with rice flour and kneading it together. Then, it is cut into a piece of triangular shape and put into a frying pan to fry, until both sides are browned, out of the pan. Eat, with a piece of paper wrapped around the lower end of the taro fruit (because it is very oily), to a corner of the breakthrough, a bite, outside the burnt inside tender (gray inside), there is a taro aroma, well, the taste is very good.

Fried taro fruit stalls are also everywhere, early every morning, you can see the streets and alleys up a stall, smoke, aroma, buy taro fruit people with bowls or carry a small bamboo basket, waiting for taro fruit out of the pot. Often fried out of a pot to buy a pot. But there are also buy the rest of the incomplete, shelved for an hour or two does not matter, eat up or very fragrant, it is not like fritters, landing soon became a chewy old fritter. So, selling taro fruit stall owners are very self-satisfied, sometimes nine or ten o'clock in the morning, but also do not see them close the stall, slow and easy to guard a few pieces of taro fruit has not been sold. They know that there are always hungry people who will be looking for the fragrance.

Fuzhou's citizens are usually a bowl of paste plus a taro fruit on the solution to the breakfast problem, both delicious and real, after eating, playing a full go to work, this revolutionary energy can not be said.

Pot side paste

Once in the office and colleagues Kan eat, I said to eat, or Fuzhou pot side paste delicious. They asked in unison: What do you mean by "pot side paste"? These usually eat all over the world without invincible guys actually do not know something. I proudly began to introduce them to Fuzhou snack - pot side paste.

Pot side paste in Fuzhou and even many places in Fujian, but in the field I have never seen, not produced, probably because there is no field called "shrimp oil" condiment, and pot side paste without adding shrimp oil will not be pot side paste.

The production of pot side paste is very complex, to first soak the rice for a few hours, and then ground into a paste to be used. A large pot is set up to cook a pot of soup with shrimp, dried razor clams, mushrooms, green onions, garlic, celery, and finally some spoonfuls of the essential shrimp oil, and the soup is made. This is not the end, the first step in a long journey. Pour the soup out of another package, under a number of water to seventy percent of the heat, the edge of the pan smeared peanut oil, and then scooped a bowl of rice paste around the pot to pour a circle, cover the pot. After three minutes to see the edge of the pot when the rice paste rolled, with a spatula into the water, then add water, repeat the above behavior. When the last and fourth pour is done, add a portion of the thick soup mix and add additional seasonings such as shrimp oil, if appropriate. Once cooked, serve in another pot and keep it warm over low heat until ready to sell.

All in all it's a cyclical process that can't be done without patience. Therefore, the general family is not to do the pot side of the paste, to eat on the street to buy. Fuzhou's streets and alleys restaurant stalls have to buy, and very cheap. Pot side paste taste special, seafood flavor, each piece of rice paste are playing with a roll, white, like a tube tube green onion, very crisp, and then with yellow shrimp, razor clam, black mushrooms, green onions and garlic, colorful, appetizing.

Hearing this, colleagues' throats moved. Then they discussed that when they can go to Fujian on business, they must try this pot side paste. I added, in Fujian, pot side paste are used as breakfast and after dinner snacks, and do not take it as a meal, probably it is eaten regardless of the sake of satiety. Considering the variety of local snacks that are sweet and cloying, we all say: the people of Fujian are really happy.

Yes, the people of Fujian are happy.

Wonton

I think there is probably no other snack that is as popular and has as many names as wonton. Wonton is called flat meat in Fujian; copra in Sichuan; wonton in Yunnan and Guangxi areas; and only in Jiangnan.

The content is almost the same, but the form is a little different. Fujian wontons focus on fresh, add shrimp oil is one of its major features. When I was a child, I was always fond of eating wontons mother expenditure to buy wontons, buy to buy, but also buy out of the experience. Know that the street of the wonton flavor is too strong, after eating to quickly fill the boiling water; and the end of the street of the wonton flavor is still good, that is, only to see the skin does not see the meat; the best is to cross a few streets of the "wild" store, said it is wild, because when open when not open, it seems to depend on the owner's interest. This wonton amount of taste the most authentic, each wonton snow-white and transparent, a little red meat filling in the middle of the hidden, with a few green onions, just like a pool of white lotus in the autumn water. Fujian wontons are generally very frugal, a small wooden stick to the meat on a little bit of puree and then to the skin of the wontons, a wonton is completed, often a plate of puree can deal with a day to sell wontons. Eat wontons are usually girls, they can not care about the loss, slowly and leisurely fingers, with a small spoon carefully scooped up the wontons to the cherry mouth to send. Therefore, compared to other snacks, Fujian wontons are a bit more feminine.

Sichuan wontons have a distinctive personality, masculine flavor. First of all, a major feature is no soup, the second major feature is the spicy mouth. That year to Chengdu research, a special visit to the "copy", who knew that the end of the up is a few dry dumpling-like wontons, above also poured a layer of red chili oil. I struggled to swallow this bowl of "copious hands" because I still have some skills in eating spicy food. As a result, I don't remember any other flavor besides spicy.

Jiangnan area, wontons are the most common snacks, where the wontons are divided into large wontons and small wontons two kinds. Large wontons in the filling is more, there are fresh meat and vegetables, but it is different from the north of the dumplings as thick as the filling, Jiangnan people always refuse to make dumplings like the northern style, they always want to maintain the tradition of wontons, even if some of the larger, small family of the original color remains unchanged. Jiangnan big wontons are enlarged small wontons, look like a nun's hat, soup more than enough, the average person to eat a bowl will have a feeling of seven minutes full.

The authentic Jiangnan small wontons is the most Jiangnan cultural flavor, skin rolled carefully, sticking to the bowl can see the pattern in the bowl, really is as thin as a cicada cataract. Meat to be lean, dealt with delicately without dregs, after the burnt wontons, skin crystal stretch, "white and red, distinctive", like a beautiful white butterfly. At this time, the attention will not be on the food. However, this kind of small wontons are not much now, the people who do it and the people who eat it seem to have lacked this exquisite mood. Instead, the streets are full of popular small wontons, a simple wrap, finished, not even rolled skin, buy ready-made.

When I was studying in the north, I missed the wontons (Fujian's Jiangnan), and I missed them so much that I gnashed my teeth. Northern students are very unimpressed, said, what's good about that? The first thing you need to do is to get your hands on some of the most popular products and services in the world, and then you can get your hands on some of the most popular products and services.

Yes, if you want to be real, eat northern dumplings; if you want to be slim, eat Jiangnan wontons.

Lamb kebabs

It's strange that I don't eat lamb, but I can't resist lamb kebabs.

The first time I ate lamb kebabs was in Beijing. That day, from the Beijing library to check out the information, turned to the Baishiqiao neighborhood, where there is a hotel restaurant and snack stalls. First bought the imitation food nest, eat straight out of the sour water, such as the Empress Dowager Cixi's appetite how so good to deal with such a whine, then stood in front of the grilled lamb kebabs stall. Didn't want to eat it, indeed was attracted by the flavor of the aroma with stink.

Schoolmates are also southerners, do not eat lamb, but he dared to think and do the spirit of my admiration. He bought three skewers first, then said as if he were dying, "I'll eat it first." He carefully took the first bite, rolled his eyes, and then picked up the frequency. I stared at his mouth fluttering up and down and asked, "Hey, don't just eat it, is it good or not?" He ate three skewers in one breath, and then touched his stomach and said with satisfaction, "It's silly not to eat." Quickly pull out money, a hand grab a hand, this string of bites, that string of bites, really delicious, fat but not greasy, burnt full, and a unique, indescribable strange flavor (only later heard the students in Xinjiang, that is the flavor of cumin). We ate while walking like this, finished, on the ground and then buy, anyway, lamb kebab stalls everywhere. Straight to eat a full cluck with the smell of sheep, can not eat, and then eat, we have to become a grassland herdsman.

It was thought that the lamb kebab is so delicious, who knows Xinjiang students said: that counts what lamb kebab? The real good is our Xinjiang lamb kebabs, that is the home of the lamb kebabs. The first time so envious of the people of Xinjiang, really feel that Xinjiang is a good place.

We don't have the chance to go to Xinjiang, so let's take Beijing's lamb kebabs as Xinjiang's.

This is the first time I've ever seen a Beijing-based lamb kebab.

Returning to the South, I have also seen the lamb kebabs, but not only the appearance of the small, small, flavor has completely changed, if Beijing's lamb kebabs are imitation brand-name, then the South's lamb kebabs are counterfeits. There are exceptions, a business trip to Nanjing, in Xinjiekou found a long-lost lamb kebabs, the flavor, the appearance and Beijing's same. I once again stood on the streets of Nanjing without regard to the gentleman chewing up. In the future, as long as you go to Nanjing, you have to find ways to sneak to Xinjiekou to have a good time.

But always reluctant, something always encourage the head: "Let's also go to Urumqi to open a readers and writers association?"

Mutton Buns

With the lamb kebabs as a base, it was like having the guts to go to Xi'an to eat mutton buns.

Seeing the majestic Terracotta Warriors and Horses, touching Yang Guifei's bathing pool, dodging vendors, eating strawberries freshly picked from the fields, and of course climbing the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the ancient Bell Tower, it was time to savor the Xi'an snacks.

The most representative snacks in Xi'an are meat buns and mutton buns. However, I don't even look at the meat buns, a big piece of fat meat stuffed in a big cake, fat oil straight up, although the owner of the meat buns said how delicious, I just can't eat. It's not that I'm afraid of getting fat, but I haven't eaten fat meat since I was a kid. I've given up on the meat buns, but the mutton buns are a must.

So I went looking for it. In the ancient building near the turn around, turn tired in a small stall to sit down. After sitting down, I realized that an old man across the street was concentrating on his work: breaking a piece of hard steamed bread into granules. He was so focused that he was breaking it slowly and steadily, and the powder that fell off was pressed into his mouth with his little finger. What is he doing? Is it bad teeth? Just thinking, and see the old man to break the product into a big bowl full of soup, the bowl of soup suddenly turned into a bowl of paste. The old man had a flavorful clattering finished the bowl of paste, stood up, wiped the residue stained on the beard, hit a loud full cluck, face is full of happiness. Suddenly seemed to understand something, hurried to find the fellow asked, "What is that?" "Mutton buns." God, this confused thing is the famous mutton bun? When I was a kid, I hated putting steamed buns into the soup, soft and not, to texture without texture to taste without flavor, and then delicious steamed buns and then good soup are muddled.

So, unfortunately, in Xi'an's biggest gain is to buy a bunch of folk crafts, and in eating, is a blank.

I read Jia Pingwa's book on Shaanxi snacks, which spends a lot of ink describing the splendor of mutton steamed buns, but I still wasn't incited to drool by him. This is rare in my history of reading books about food.

Korean cold noodles

First came to the Northeast, the first time I saw the authentic North Korean people and North Korean writing or fuss, and then read more, it is not strange. Then began to think about how to deeply understand the Korean national culture, for example, their food culture, more specifically, how to eat all around the school of Korean snack bar.

So, first go to the North Korean kimchi stalls to scout a bit, and buy kimchi Korean old lady close, ask: "Dao La and what does it mean?" The North Korean mother is really like the old lady in "The Strange Attack" as kind, she not only patiently answered my kindergarten level questions, but also recommended that I buy the masterpiece of North Korean kimchi - Kratom. After tasting the frangipani, I gained confidence in North Korean snacks.

That day, minus 18 °, outside the house has long been gray and white world. When I came out of the bath, my hair was frozen to a stick of firewood. Do not feel cold, just thirsty. I was looking around for a water source, and then I found a "Korean cold noodles" front is waving in the wind, cold noodles? Cool noodles? Just the thing to quench your thirst. A head into, inside is already full of people, everyone is carrying a big bowl to the stomach into the cold noodles, very comfortable look. So I also asked for a bowl. When served, it seems a little wrong. Bright red noodle soup on the ripples, of course, the noodles are lurking in the soup bottom, just this soup, how to look like just out of the tap, cold, not to mention, there is a bleach flavor. Doubt to doubt, I really too thirsty, no matter what, drink it. As a result, my thirst was quenched, but the remaining warmth in my body was all taken away. I ran all the way back to the dormitory, and is covered with a hot water bag and is filled with boiled water, tossed half a day, only to melt the ice in the stomach of that piece of shit.

I made a fatal mistake. Northeasterners and southerners would have been different, they can eat frozen pears and popsicles in the freezing cold, that's because they have a strong stomach that has been worked out since childhood. So they can wrap up in a big cotton jacket and eat cold noodles, while I, only when wearing short sleeves.

But, I still don't have the courage to savor Korean cold noodles anymore. Even the thought of those four words makes my stomach start to run cold.

I don't blame Joseon Cold Noodles, I only have myself to blame.

Daokou roast chicken

It's a shame to say that I spent most of my attention on food during my years of study away from home. The reason for this is that the school cafeteria's lackluster food makes you hungry from time to time; secondly, it's in your nature to eat, and you're certainly no exception to this rule.

So, soon after arriving in Changchun, I inquired about the "Daokou Roast Chicken" is quite distinctive, and I was busy inspecting it in person. Indeed, placed in the window of the roasted chicken fat tender, yellow, hot, spreading the charming aroma, and see the people buy roasted chicken into a long queue, more confirmed that this roasted chicken of the name is not false. Since then three years, as long as the wallet a little money, will be busy to the roast chicken store to send, can not afford to buy a whole on the buy half; can not afford to buy a half on the buy chicken mince (chicken liver, chicken eggs and other components of the cheap and excellent taste, is the most favored by poor students). The pleasantness of walking with a small bag of roasted chicken is unspeakable, and I only felt how wonderful life was at that moment. At this time, if you go to attack the reading level, and then thick "bricks" can be effortlessly "gnawed" down, this is "Daokou roasted chicken" power. Sometimes the appetite is much more important than the head, in other words, the material can sometimes overcome the spirit without any problem.

Whenever a female compatriot in the dormitory celebrates her birthday, she invariably buys a "Daokou roasted chicken" to entertain everyone. Chicken on the countertop, often not wait to open the plastic bag, we have already manipulated the guy jumped to try. That sizzling, hot roast chicken, tender and no residue, even the bones are crispy, a piece of chicken on the tongue can not stay on the stomach to go. At this time there are often brothers and sisters looking for the aroma of uninvited, say "Happy Birthday" on the butt to sit down and chew up. In those days, when we asked our brothers and sisters to do something or they asked us to do something in turn, we all said no more than the price: a Daokou roasted chicken.

Three years in Changchun, can be said to be accompanied by the fragrance of "Daokou roast chicken" through. (Although we couldn't eat it often, the scent from a roast chicken store not far from the school made our study life more flavorful with its unstinting aroma).

When I was about to graduate, I was told that there was a big bakery specializing in sandwich biscuits, which were too good to mention. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance. Otherwise, now there will be the same delicious for me to reminisce.