Satisfaction and a belly rub

China and the Chinese are known for many things.

• History
• Language
• Culture

But perhaps the one thing China and the Chinese are most renowned for is the food. This isn't the bastardised version of Chinese that some take away joints sell (eg. mongolian lamb, sweet and sour pork and honey chicken). Rather the authentic Chinese from the down and dirty skewered food that exists on the streets, to the tiny hole in the wall eateries, to the opulent restaurants filled with tanks of gold fish.

The food here is cheap and flavourful. The food can also be expensive, oily, filled with MSG. But the food is always FUN.

I love how the Chinese infuse theatre, comedy and meaning in their food.

Theatre


For theatre, one can't go past the Peking duck experience.
Chefs bring the whole duck out to you...present it with a flourish.

Then they show you how quickly and finely they can carve the duck up into perfect slithers of Peking duck goodness.

This opening scene is followed by your own theatrics. Making your own Peking duck parcels.

We went to Da Dong, purportedly one of China's best Peking duck places. And I have to agree.

At Da Dong, they have gotten into the spirit of food theatrics. Displaying an extensive range of condiments to accompany the main duck act. I have never seen anything like.


Four divided dishes filled with 8 different bits and pieces to add to my duck pancake master piece.
From the front: shallots, plum sauce, sugar, crushed garlic, cucumber, perserved fluorescent red vegetable, pink pickled mystery and black pickled mystery.

All added to my duck masterpiece, except for the perserved fluorescent red vegetable. I was not game enough.

In addition to the many condiments came two forms of wrap.

The pancake or the little round thin buns. Shall one go for traditional theatre or something a little more avant garde. I was adventurous and had the controversial little buns.

Very yummy!!!!!