"I
managed to swallow the first bite with difficulty. As I felt it burning its way
down my throat, my heart began to do flip flops in my ribcage. The morsel of
food hit my stomach like a glob of lava in a lava lamp."
When I decided to set my latest story in the People's Republic of China, a whole world of mouth watering possibilities opened up. The narrator, Nike, is an American engineer who has been sent to China to work for several months. His adventures exploring the country not only include the magnificent sights and the curious culture of the nation of China, but also lead him mouth-first into some stomach-churning encounters.
Nike learns about some of the food eaten during the Chinese New Year by making and eating dumplings called "jiaozi", as their shape resembles gold ingots. Dumplings are thought to bring wealth to those who eat them and are also a symbol of renewal. Later on, he eats at a local restaurant famous for their bird nest soup. The chief ingredient in bird’s nest soup is the nest of the swiftlet, a tiny bird that lives in caves in Southeast Asia. Instead of twigs and straw, the swiftlet makes a nest from its own saliva – the only bird in the world to do so. Nike's food forays vary from exotic to downright unusual, eventually culminating in a showdown with a bowl of dog penis soup!
But humans aren't the only ones who have to eat. Nike visits a nature preserve in the city of Harbin where live animals are fed to the endangered Siberian tiger (for an exuberant price, of course). There's never a shortage of mind-blowing culture shock as Nike stumbles from one comedic episode to the next.
Check out Nike's Chinese New Year: http://amzn.com/1468027530
When I decided to set my latest story in the People's Republic of China, a whole world of mouth watering possibilities opened up. The narrator, Nike, is an American engineer who has been sent to China to work for several months. His adventures exploring the country not only include the magnificent sights and the curious culture of the nation of China, but also lead him mouth-first into some stomach-churning encounters.
Nike learns about some of the food eaten during the Chinese New Year by making and eating dumplings called "jiaozi", as their shape resembles gold ingots. Dumplings are thought to bring wealth to those who eat them and are also a symbol of renewal. Later on, he eats at a local restaurant famous for their bird nest soup. The chief ingredient in bird’s nest soup is the nest of the swiftlet, a tiny bird that lives in caves in Southeast Asia. Instead of twigs and straw, the swiftlet makes a nest from its own saliva – the only bird in the world to do so. Nike's food forays vary from exotic to downright unusual, eventually culminating in a showdown with a bowl of dog penis soup!
But humans aren't the only ones who have to eat. Nike visits a nature preserve in the city of Harbin where live animals are fed to the endangered Siberian tiger (for an exuberant price, of course). There's never a shortage of mind-blowing culture shock as Nike stumbles from one comedic episode to the next.
Check out Nike's Chinese New Year: http://amzn.com/1468027530
Thanks for sharing your food for thought, Nick!
You can find Nick here:
Congratulations Shelley! You’ve been nominated for a Beautiful Blogger Award! Click here for more info: http://acostaeveli.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity! Please let me know if anyone has any questions or wants to know more.
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