Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya
 
Here is the FIFTH of the;
'Uncle Shane Do You Eat Pigs Eyes, Chicken Feet & Bat Wings for Snax' entries.
 
Besides eating Insects, Dogs, Cats, Rats, Bats and anything else that once moved I sometimes manage to squeeze in some normalish snacks when I'm feeling a tad peckish.
 
Almost all of them are found on the typical Chinese three wheeler portable snack shop or eatery. For those who have never been any where in Asia this simply means a three wheeled bike that has been modified into some type of 'portable eatery'. Some can be found grouped together on the same corner most days and/or nights and others travel around the place from hour to hour to find where the hungriest crowds are.    
 
Those who have been to China will understand when I say that food and eating is pretty much a HUGE part of the Chinese life style. For those who haven't visited China then there really isn't much I can say as unless you have been here it really is too hard to comprehend
 
What I mean by this is, I know you think you know how much they can eat!
But the fact is you really don't have any idea!
 
They spend hours preparing it and they then spend hours eating it.
What they do during the in between hours is the reason for this and the following blogs.
 
The Chinese simply snack!
 
Snacks are on every street corner of every city, town and village and don't even get me started on what can be found near bus or train stations and market places. After a huge meal that consists of about twenty courses and a billion bottles of beer, before heading to the next destination my friends will usually head for the nearest corner for snacks!
 
I can't do anything but simply shake my head in disbelief...it's all about SNAX!
 
TODAY
 
Today's menu of snax begins with a very tasty and refreshing treat on a steaming hot and humid summers' night. Most nights it seems like half the city is feasting upon a small bowl full of ice, fruit and the flavour of your choice. Add some crunchy nuts and you have a wonderfully refreshing snack for Joyce and me to sit and watch and listen to the cities Music Fountain.
 
I'm serious, the large Peoples Square during summer turns into a huge ice snackery.
Eatery after eatery line the square and they all offer exactly the same thing!
Delicious ice and fruit snacks!
 
Next is one of my favourites to feast upon when I'm walking along the big Market Road. I sit and watch them being rolled I then buy the freshest straight from the little round oven.
 
They are spicy and full of sea-weed and they are a delicious bread snack!
 
The third snack for today is called Zong Zi and they are the traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival. I've found a lady who enjoys them so much she makes them all year round so when I've finished my Pagoda Hill walk/run and have found myself across the river for some delicious dumplings I usually drop in to this little eatery for one or two Sticky Rice and Pork filled snacks. A small soup usually comes with it and if I'm felling peckish I grab a small bread snack as well.
 
But believe me, once you eat two of these you really don't want to eat much more!
 
Next is another sticky rice snack that is usually hard to find on a street walk. Usually it is found at a big dinner but as with the Zong Zi I have also found a lady who makes it as a street snack. It is sticky and after a slice of this baby you are set for the next few hours. You can either eat the entire slice or eat it slice by slice as it is actually made of thin layers.
 
WALK-ABOUT PHOTOS
 
The walk/ride about photos for this entry are some of my favourites. The ride is exceptionally green and beautiful. Out there it is so quiet and it sometimes feels like I'm the only one alive until a farmer hidden beneath the green canopy of tobacco or rice pops his or head up and yells HELLOWW!
 
The school photos are just that, my grade 6's having their school photos taken. That was an exciting experience. A lot of pushing and shoving and trying not to smile which was a bit hard with me acting like a chicken in the background.
 
We had a lot of fun!
 
The rest were taken during a lunch time walk or two through another of my favourite parts of the city. This section is known as the 'Old River Quarter' and it was one of the first parts of the city to be settled 'way back when'. The cobble stones are smooth and worn and if they could talk I'm sure there would be many awesome tales to be told.
 
But for now I will just let the photos speak for themselves.
Beers N Noodles full of freaky snax toya.....shane
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The soundtrack to this peckish entry was by the lovely Lita Ford
The album was the sexy 'Stiletto'
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