Cheap Eat Beat: Coming Home
I have to admit, while in the States for the holidays, I overindulged in all things "Western". I blissfully gnawed on chunks of sourdough bread, ate baby spinach by the crate, brie cheese by the wheel, hummus by the container and drank red wine by the bottle. I know we live in Shanghai, the most metropolitan city in China, but for the most part, all of that stuff tastes better in the states.
However, upon hitting the streets of Shanghai after losing a day and a half of my life on a crowded, international plane, I was ready for something rib-sticking and "Chinese". So I went to market to see what looked good. The great thing about wet markets is that they not only have raw veggies, fruit and meat. Street food vendors also cluster around these areas, ready to provide the hungry shopper with a quick, handheld snack. Surrounded by the smells of wok oil, boiling noodles, green vegetables and raw fish I had only one thought on my mind ... scallion pancakes (葱油饼).
I sighted her a mile away, beneath a huge multi-colored umbrella bigger than the pushcart she was huddled next to. In her huge, smoking cast iron pot she was using long tongs to turn over piping hot, crispy, savory pancakes - golden brown and fried so fast that they come out nearly non-greasy. I made a beeline, and for RMB1, I had in my possession a pancake big enough to share and hot enough to warm my frozen fingers.
Going in for the first salty, greasy bite and practically salivating at the prospect, I had only one thought....that it's good to be home.