Wang Fu Jing- 王府井小吃街

东城区王府井好友世界商场南
Beijing, China

Occasion: Much anticipated lunch. Our first visit to this little snack street. 12.09.11

Stinky Tofu

"What was that smell and where is it coming from?" It was the familiar aromas of stinky tofu for Henry.  He knew instantly what it was.  Though I've never tried it before,  I've heard many horror stories of how they've caused people to want to yack and feel nauseous.  Not for me though, I actually thought it the smell gave it more character.  I was anxious and overly ready to finally give these bad boys a try.  One bite and I fell in love.  I don't think I've ever hated a tofu dish, and this was one more to add to my list of favorite dishes.  It's deep fried and topped with a spicy sauce and cilantro.  Henry was brave enough to have a few pieces and to my surprise he actually didn't mind it.  For once, he actually thought a dish was too salty.  I had to object.  Honestly, this street snack food is not too bad once you overcome the smell and the idea of it.  It's just like deep fried tofu.

 Cuttlefish Ball

Henry really wanted to try these, so we got them.  They were surprisingly very tasty for very very very cheap!   Texture is rubbery, like fishballs in your pho, but the outside is crispy since it's been deep fried.  Something about eating it in China makes this little snack taste very authentic, or the fact that we're eating it in an alley filled with Chinese snack foods.

I'm not sure what these are called and I've definitely never had these before.  But the skin reminded me of potsticker skins and we got some that were filled with a thin layer of ground meat goodies and a few that were just chopped up veggies.  These things were not only good, but super greasy, which is probably what got us full. Not bad at all!

Milk Tea Tapioca

Not as sweet as the ones from the states and there aren't that many tapioca balls in it, but for less than $1, it was well worth it.  I used it as a source of heat for my frozen hands.

We satisfied our hunger with all of these snacks and was happy to find that it didn't not give us stomach problems, considering the fact that the foods we ate were made in an environment that would most likely not pass the health inspections that would be performed in the States.