Because many of my friends back home and I share a passion for cooking (and eating) interesting foods, I thought I'd compile all of the photos of the (sometimes very...er...strange) foods that I've eaten in China.  Well, to be fair, I have not eaten ALL of the foods pictured here.  Some things (like duck heads and dog) are better left undone.

Hot pot in Shanghai

My bowl of huo guo

Fruit section of Trust Mart (Wal-Mart).  Pretty typical.

Our local fruit market on our street in Shanghai.  Three to four bags of fruit usually = about 20 - 27 kuai ($3-$4).

Passion fruit.  This was a gift from the bus driver on our trip from Yangshuo to Guilin on October break because he liked that we tried to speak Chinese with him.

Adam's and my first meal in Guilin.  We went to a restaurant with no English and no pictures and pointed at the menu.  What came out was actually quite delicious, save for the octopus tentacles.

My personal portion of the above meal in Guilin.

This guy was juicing sugar cane (we think) on the side of the road.  It was green and sweet and grassy.

And here are some chicken (or duck) heads at the night market in Guilin.  Usually these night markets sell things like snakes and scorpions, but these heads were the freakiest things we saw.  Actually, they are quite common; you can see them in Shanghai as well.  No, I did not eat this!

More chicken/duck heads.

Here you can fill a (semi-clean) basket with skewered goodies and have them grilled for you.  There is an assortment of meats, feets, and innards.  Oh, and some snails and whole fish with the heads and bones and everything.

Another view.  The ladies who work here did not seem too happy that we were taking photos of their food but not buying any.

I'm really not sure what kind of bird these are.  I can't look at them for too long.  I suppose that you eat the whole thing, although it sure seems like more work than it's worth.  And a little too carnal for me thankyouverymuch.

Hanging dried chicken carcasses in the Wal-Mart in Shanghai

Fish balls on a street in Yangshuo.  Basically they pour some batter into each hole, then fill it with onions, ginger, and herbs, and follow with more batter.  Then, they top it with sauce and fish flakes.  Pretty good, although I did not realize they were fish balls when I bought them.  Only 5 yuan!

Super duper DELICIOUS American Chinese food in Yangshuo.  Well, the dumplings and cucumbers are traditional dishes, but the sweet and sour chicken with no bones is a rarity in China.  No General Tso chicken for us!

So there it is.  This is just a sampling of the foods we've eaten since we got here.  Not pictured, but often enjoyed are the breakfast crepe from Baise Lu (the road we live on), which is a crepe with an egg, garlic, ginger, cilantro, spicy sauce, and a crunchy thing in the middle.  Also not pictured is my absolute FAVORITE: xiaolongbao (shaou-long-bow).  It a dumpling filled with a small amount of pork and deliciously flavorful soup.  You bite a small hole into the dough and suck the broth out.  Then dip it into Chinese vinegar and red pepper oil and enjoy!  They also have the yummiest broth soup in all of Shanghai.  We go there once or twice a week because we've been trying to cut back!

Happy travels (and culinary adventuring) everyone!