Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya
 
Here is the SIXTH 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 delicious bowl of beef noodles. Yes I eat so many noodles I even have them for a snack. Joyce and I headed to the latest noodle bar called 'American Noodles' and the beef noodles were awesome!
 
Highly recommend 'American Noodles'.
They can be found in many cities and usually near the train or bus stations.
 
The next taste sensation is what is known as Baozi (say Boutsa - close enough!). They are steamed buns of all shapes and sizes. Some are plain, some sweet and others a filled all types of surprises such as meat and vegetables. The Chinese eat these by the tray full and have done so for uncountable years. They can be purchased almost anywhere. Portable Bike Eateries can be found on most corners and along many streets or lane ways you will find a small 'Bread Type Eatery' tucked away beside the worn cobblestones.
 
And of course the one you've all been waiting for!
Hidden amongst the Snax Photos had to be found The Chicken Feet Snax!
 
I'm not usually a Chicken Feet Snax type of guy but I have been found several times pecking away at a foot or two. These ones were actually rather tasty. They had been marinated in a garlic sauce. Usually they have been soaking in a chili sauce for several days and are much too hot for my liking.
 
So yeah, chicken feet!
If you find yourself in China sometime, at least give them a try!
 
Your next dish is green dumplings soaked in a soy type soup and a very tender piece of pork on top. Very tasty and very filling and very needed after a long walk or ride. Once again these can be found either on street corners or slowly passing you by.
 
Simply whistle and they will stop and set up a little road side eatery just for you!
 
The fifth dish in today's banquet is one that I love but sadly for me I can rarely ever find. It is a sticky rice hamburger type thing. As it sounds, the bun is made from two balls of sticky rice that are flattened out and inside you can find taro, cabbage, nuts and pieces of a Chinese bread stick.  
 
It's no Whopper but it does the job just fine!
 
Last of all, how many people can actually say they've eaten a spring roll in China!
I can and I can top that by having eaten Mongolian Hot Pot in Mongolia!
Small claim to fame I know!
 
So there they are spring rolls, a must for anyone with two legs out on a walk. It seems that even if you're not hungry these guys will find their own way into you stomach. Countless times I've been out walking and as soon as I see the Eatery within seconds I'm standing before it feeling like I haven't eaten in a week.
 
They were a childhood favourite and the happy fact is they still are!
 
WALK-ABOUT PHOTOS
 
The walk about photos for this entry are a small selection of random shots from around the area. The photos of the water fountain are actually the cities Peoples Square Music Fountain. Most Chinese cities will have one of these and Shaowu boasts the largest on in the area.  Of course it is nothing compared to the one in Xi'an which is truly amazing in size.  The Xi'an music fountain is found in the north square of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It covers an area of 110,000 square meters and cost something like 500 million Yuan to create. It is the largest music fountain square in Asia.
 
From Wikipedia the free Encyclopedia
 
These fountains, also generally called musical fountains, appear to respond to music but have been programmed beforehand. The earliest of these were played manually by a live operator, who usually controlled pumps or valves and sometimes lights by way of switches on a control panel. Music was almost always live. Later, choreography could be prerecorded on a punched paper card which was scanned by a computer; and even later, it could be recorded on magnetic tape or, in the most modern shows, on a CD along with the music. Even so, the choreography must still be painstakingly programmed by hand, some types of shows being played live from a control console and connected to a computer that records the operator's actions for later automatic playback.
 
Beers N Noodles full of freaky snax toya.....shane
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The soundtrack to this peckish entry was by Billy Joel
The album was 'Greatest Hits'
Awesome indeed!
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