There are many sites in and around Beijing that must be seen at least once in a lifetime, but only a handful warrant multiple visits. Apart from the Great Wall, Wangfujing Snack Street is one of the few attractions that has consistently drawn me back time and again. Wangfujing is a busy shopping district with two main areas where strange treats are sold alongside more mundane fare. Tourists mill about the rows of food stalls, many with looks of complete shock on their face when they see the delicacies awaiting them. Mysterious sea creatures and insects are top draws for the daring. Some merely gawk at others without trying any of the skewers on offer. The footpath is frequently hosed to get rid of the organic materials that have been dropped, spat out, vomited, or otherwise excreted on to the ground.
I compiled an incomplete list of items that I tried for the first time at the mother of all snack streets.
Visit 1
- Starfish
- Seahorse
- Sea snake,
- Soup made of cows inner organs
- Stinky tofu
Visit 2
Visit 3
Visit 4
- Bees
- Dragonfly
- Lamb testicles
- Under the counter cat
*****
“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
James Beard
