Admitting that she doesn't like something does wonders for Amy's credibility. It gives me faith in her opinions and judgements. Far too many food vloggers act like every dish is great and, as a result, they shouldn't be taken seriously. I've been to China many times, most recently to Xi'an and Harbin. I've eaten at places she's enjoyed and can say she's a reliable source when it comes to where to go and what to order.
One of my favorite things about Amy, is her ability to completely ignore all the people staring at her, with that WTF is that lady doing look on their faces.
Funny enough, according to the autobiography of the last emperor, he described the imperial cuisine tasted awful. He said it is because: 1 the chefs need to offer the food whenever the emperor want to eat. So the chefs would cook the next meal right after the last meal, and kept warming the food. So all the food when serving was cook too long, which made them taste awful. 2 All the chefs are inherit the job from their ancestors, they don't like there job, and they are not afraid being fired, so they just finish the job, and they don't love cooking. 3 all the cuisines are focus on looking good, and with special meaning, not focus on taste good. The last emperor wrote, when there was a chance to eat the outside restaurant food. He felt like those food tasted wonderful.
Amy, I might sound like a broken record here, but aside from your openness to new foods, experiences and strangers, your palpable passion for travel and food, exceptional clarity of narration and vulnerability with your viewers, the thing I love most about you and your content is arguably your honesty with us. No fakery typical of some food influencers. When it is bad or a challenging food to swallow, you say it as it is so that we know better, although I must say that the fish platter looks really well presented. Being genuine builds trust with your audience. Incidentally, I really like the short advertisement you did for the Insta 360! Really demonstrated what it could do.
As they say: You can't buy taste. Among the royal families of Europe garlic used to be regarded as food for the poor. So I'm with you Amy, I would be a terrible royal. Give me peasant food all day, every day.
As a Cantonese who traveled all around China, I love Dou Zhi Er so much when I tried it for the first time. Every time I went to beijing, I would have at least two bowls of Dou Zhi Er first, and then Lu Zhu. Dou Zhi Er, Shaoxing 蒸双臭、Hangzhou臭豆腐炒虾皮、and Yangzhou 臭大元肥肠煲 are the best and most delicious stinky foods in China
I’m from Beijing (born and raised) and I wouldn’t touch dou zhi er with an 8 foot pole, nor would I ever order lu zhu. However I’d jump a wall to get zha Jiang mian, Jiang bing guo zi, lan long etc
Agreed! TBH I don’t see a lot of people of my age really enjoyed Douzhi😂 I’ve only had it once in my whole life, and I’m glad it only happened once lol. But 肉龙 on the other hand is definitely one of the best memories of my childhood!
Interesting! As a fellow Beijinger, I’ve got no bone to pick with either of those dishes you mentioned. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Lu Zhu might just be one of my all-time favorite Beijing snacks. I guess taste is a journey, and everyone’s palate tells a different story.
I was also born in Beijing and grew up in Australia. Always wonderful to see Amy exploring her “第二故乡” (second hometown) 🤩😍. One small suggestion, this is especially the case when chatting with 长辈们 (elders) in Beijing, always use the honorific “您” when addressing them, eg. 谢谢您，麻烦您了 etc. You’ll sound more local and less 别扭 (direct translation: doesn’t sit well) to the 长辈们. Keep up the great adventures! 👍😄
12:47 Wow the shots inside Beihai Park are magical Now definitely looks like one of the best time of the year to visit. The autumn leaves etc are so colorful
The Red bean bun in the north is called 豆包, which is different from the sweet red bean paste bun 豆沙包. Red bean buns are one of those foods that probably people started eating a long, long time ago, you would be difficult to find its history since it is just a simple formula that the peasants have easy access to. In its raw form, think of it like a slightly fancier version of the normal bread buns.
As someone who has family all living in beijing (mom and dad) whenever there is a family reunion there is always 2 pots of steaming hot luzhu. even better is they show you the pig that they take the intestines and heart from, making it the freshest meat i have ever eaten in my life. I also actually went to the exact same restaurant in beihai in 2019 in the winter, and the food there was so good and has a really historic feel to it.
Well, THIS is a hit of nostalgia-- I used to live in Fensiting Hutong. I taught at a local high school for six years. I really miss Beijing. Best years of my life over the past twenty or thirty years.
During imperial time, Peking was not known for its commercial establishments and activities. Its main residents were the imperial court, aristocracy and people serving them. For the ones to be served, they retained good chefs to work in their private kitchens and entertained in their own residences. They did not have the custom of going out to eat.
If you liked everything, we would just think, “Well, she likes everything, who can trust whether it’s actually good or not?” So it’s good that you admit to not liking some of your dishes in Beijing. It doesn’t mean your view of Chinese food in general is any lower.
I am Chinese and I can say I agree with Amy. The traditional Beijing food is so out of fashion and it never got regarded seriously as a formal cuisine. People from other province in China even Beijing people think the Beijing food is bad. There were several incredible things like Beijing Duck, but over all, bad.
@@jasonwang482 Would you say the same thing about Tianjin? I may have a chance to move there but I'm worried that the food there isn't as good as other places in China.
@@margiedenavarre7919 Tianjin used to be famous for its steet food but it is a long time haven't updated menus. Tianjin cuisine is a bit old fashion as well, locals and senior generation may love it. In my view the good food cities are Guangzhou(cantonese), Chengdu(spicy),Shanghai(diversity)
There's this saying among the youngsters in Beijing: the best place in Beijing to get good food is the Daxing airport cuz from there you can get to Guangzhou as soon as possible.
Despite having Peking duck, beijing is famous for being a 'gourmet desert'😂 As a local, probably the only traditional local food I prefer is Lu Zhu, especially in winter.
Lu Zhu is very popular in Thailand! As a Thai person, we have our own rendition called "Pa Lo" which includes boiled eggs w/ the pork! The broth is super hardy and rich which goes perfectly w/ jasmine rice!
It is popular in Malaysia and Singapore too. Usually offered as a dish alongside others in Mixed Rice stalls. Braising pork belly, eggs, tofu all in that brown aromatic soya sauce simmering away with Chinese spices. We also have a hawker favourite - Lor Mee which is just a bowl of noodles served that braising sauce thickened and added with a dash of Zhenjiang vinegar and all the braised meats in it.
I'm quite certain that the Southeast Asian dish Pa Lo is not equivalent to Chinese lu zhu; its closer counterpart in Chinese cuisine would probably be hong shao rou (braised pork belly). Lu zhu uses a seasoning pack (fennel seeds, angelica, amomum, cardamom, Sichuan peppercorns, dried tangerine peel, nutmeg, star anise, cinnamon), along with ginger, scallions, garlic, cooking wine, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, yellow soybean paste, sesame paste, fermented bean curd sauce, leek flower sauce, fried tofu cubes, sugar, and chicken bouillon, among others. This creates a very rich and complex broth designed specifically for simmering offal. That said, I believe great food transcends cultures, and it's completely normal to find dishes similar to lu zhu in other cuisines. If I ever get the chance to visit Southeast Asian countries, I'd love to try them all
The wedding photos you added into the video are so cute! Thank you for showing us parts of the world that we may not have had the opportunity to visit 🙂
You can’t get pork lung in the US due to health concerns. We sub pork tripe or liver. Although you see Cantonese restaurants do a version with just pork belly and daikon. Pork belly is super cheap here and it’s available in wholesale sizes.
I lived in China for 7 years , in Guangxi, actually, and traveled the country from east to west and north to south extensively and miss it terribly. Your experiences mirror my own closely, and the skill with which you brought the essence of that amazing place for others to see through your eyes does a great service to those who may benefit greatly for a more global and historically appreciative context when forming their opinions about other people, places and cultures. Well done.
If I'm not wrong, the "one fish cooked 4 ways" represents 4 major cuisines: Lu (the steamed part), Chuan (I guess the squirrel fish part), Yue (the stir-fried part) and Su/Huaiyang (the deep-fried part) in order to present all flavors of China as a whole to the imperial palace members. There used to be 4 in the old times, now it expanded to 8
I think your videos do capture the real essence of Beijing which comes from an open curious mind and passion for the city, its people and culture. Despite the cold, it’s always sunny and I totally get your love for the city. There’s nothing quite like Beijing.
Most of Beijing's cuisine originates from Shandong, but those aristocrats were always trying to distinguish themselves from common peasants so they made the dishes way too sweet intentionally. While the old generation in Beijing passed on this kind of flavor, the classical Shandong tastes are more popular now. As you might have noticed, people having meals in 仿膳 and 致美楼 were always tourists, and that might be a piece of evidence that those old restaurants are getting abandoned by the residents in Beijing. In fact, 仿膳 is now famous in Chinese social media for its pricey but terrible cooking (except for 豌豆黄🤣). Same goes for 致美楼. I'm sad to see they screwed up 糟熘鱼片(Fish pieces in rice wine), which is one of my favorites and one of the most classic Beijing/Shandong dishes. Maybe you can try it next time in 丰泽园 or 同和居. Hope they could make a much better impression on you❣
As a native Beijinger who has lived abroad for more than 15 years, I had never tried 卤煮 before (Shamely). My dad is a huge fan, but it never really appealed to me. That said, what you had there looks amazing, and I'm definitely going to try it the next time I visit!
I was really surprised! I liked it a lot! The portion is just maybe a bit too big for me haha, maybe next time I ask for a half portion or go with friends
Great video Amy...you are more adventurous than I will ever be in trying new dishes....glad you at least tried an 100+ yo restaurants dishes, even though it wasn't what you expected...❤😊
Hi friend in my head, Amy! Is it ever awkward or uncomfortable when you clearly do not enjoy a dish as you are eating alone and can't offer it to your dining companion to finish? I remember in my times to Beijing as I flight attendant, it was that fear of not wanting to offend that held me back from diving into unfamiliair options ... not comparing myself to you AT ALL as you are our Chinese food adventurer x infinity!
I would only eat donkey burgers, doorknob dumplings, guotie, Qianlong cabbage, and Peking duck in Beijing. All of these are food items I've learned about from Blondie's other videos 😊 lol. I already know to avoid douzhi fermented bean juice and that mushy bean cake wandou thing
I love how a random grandma just casually encouraged Amy to day drink. XD 🍶 Suffice it to say, Insta360 is very happy they chose to sponsor Amy. Best brand ambassador ever. 📷 If there's anything I learned from watching this, it's that the Chinese dynasty could've benefited from modern dentistry so that they wouldn't have to resort to eating kidney bean/pea paste. 🦷 "...past the Forbidden City back entrance, if you know what I'm saying..." Even emperors enjoy entering through the back door sometimes. 🚪 How do we know the chef didn't overdose the fish head with sugar to appease a foreigner's taste buds? Lol 👅
yes, red bean bread was a bit of a shock to me coming from Australia. i am so use to red beans being savory, however i have taken a liking to the sweet red beans now.
I enjoy the broth, glutinous bread and the intestine in the Luzhu, I give the rest to my father 😂 Douzhi is a special thing, Its really pungent and I can’t finish it but I’ll always order it with that crispy circle that I can’t rmbr the name of!! It’s like a staple 😂
Oh Amy, thank you so much for this vlog. I've been in Beihai on January 2nd this year, and ive also vsited this restaurant. Didn't eat there(I'm a student after all) but the restaurant was really cool, reminded of Kung-fu panda for some reason hahah. Thank you for bringing up memories from my exchange trip, the best time of my life❤
click like first, then start to watch. Hi Amy, when will you do a math vlog with your dear dad together again? Your math vlog is just as same good as your food vlog. haha..
I wonder how the rou mo hou shao would have been with the addition of tomato/onion/pickle, mustard and ketchup? 😂 The huo yu si chi looked like it had been thickened with cornstarch. It's interesting that atop the four plates was a bowl of salt. Maybe that was intended to counteract the overwhelming sweetness? Anyway, thanks for another great episode, and a fascinating look at imperial cuisine!
Happy to see some of the foods from the past. I will still try some, but thanks to you I'm definitely more in the know about what to expect! Thank you for my weekly dose of serotonin, you are a star ❤
For the Fangshan inside Beihai park, I personally ate there once. In additional to the place Amy was recording, there are also many private rooms. So I was in one of the private rooms with two servers completely dressed up like the Qing dynasty court lady. It's a place with exotic but expensive dishes if you reserve. I think bearpaw and shark fin are both banned though.
That first dish called LuZhu? It looks like Kway Chap to us from SEA. Instead of bread, we would have Kway which is something like big flat rice noodles soaked in the broth. If its strong tasting, it would likely be the intestines if they were not cleaned properly. I remembered it was alot of work cleaning those intestines. Nowadays with industrial farming, the pigs would not smell so much.
The red bean bao perfect as it should be; It's not too sweet that's a good bao. During my stay at Australia, I find myself really dislike cake and cookies that is served during the morning or evening tea break, it is just so overly SWEET like Gulab Jamun....I had to scrape all those cake/cookies icing/sugar/sprinkle away.
Overly sweet only appeals to children and those who are still mentally children. I’ve noticed that it’s a really strong indicator for people with too much petulance.
I visited China almost 10 years ago, I didn't have a smartphone at the time. The translated version of luzhu on the menu was "all in the aubergine", so I ordered it thinking it was some eggplant based dish... I recall it also had some chilli and thick squares of dough, perhaps it's a different version.
Hi Amy! I was looking for a 'Blondie vid' and you just posted a new one ! Yey!! But i need to say "I don't always get your notifications'. Greetz from the Netherlands, Vinnie..
I just cant get over the fact I was in Beijing early November and stayed right at Beihai, at a hutong hotel and I went o Beihai park, right at that entrance and walked exactly where you were on a Monday too!! Omg and last year in Beijing at the Summer Palace I had just left and saw on IG that Aleese was there too. Why do I always miss you guys XD
Omg! I went to the same luzhu restaurant when I visited Beijing!!! It was also my favorite thing I ate while I was there, and I have definitely considered going back just to have that breakfast again. 😍😍😍
Beijing local here. Was surprised when u went to Fang Shan cuz it has gotten so much hate from chefs as it’s so bad. The Beijing specialty dishes except Beijing duck I would say is the cuisine of the working class in the past, and people back them will find any ways possible to be not hungry, so yea not surprised u didn’t like some of them haha
I wonder if {that "peasant" food tend to be more delicious than royalty food} is because "peasant" food is commonly eaten and they are constantly improving, or just adapting to people's palette that is changing over time. The royalty food, especially served in traditionally branded restaurants, is probably more resistant to change/improvement since tradition and authenticity is part of the selling point.
Amy, at certain points, I do not see you holding your 360 degree camera, even though there is a shadow on the ground, with your hands in your pockets, or both hands holding onto the bicycle 🚲 handle bar. So how do you take 360 degrees videos?
I love that your recent content is literally meant for "grab snacks and enjoy" kind of a content. I highly appreciate it and have been enjoying it a lot. Thanks, Amy!
i'm not surprised that you didn't like the food. i don't think you'd like the british / australian / US food from 100 years ago. our paletes have changed a lot. also, back then, there was no MSG or other forms of flavor enhancers so the food back then was kinda boring and not tasty to us. this could explain why the fish was so sweet, they only had sugar, salt or chilli pepper that are strong in flavor.
Traditional Doushabao from Beijing was my childhood trauma… Imagine being a 6 yr old kid in a boarding school and you are given this giant bun filled with red bean paste that has no or bare minimum seasoning. You have to finish this bun that had absolutely no flavor or you get scolded publicly by your Banzhuren and scho president… I can never enjoy this thing.
Admitting that she doesn't like something does wonders for Amy's credibility. It gives me faith in her opinions and judgements. Far too many food vloggers act like every dish is great and, as a result, they shouldn't be taken seriously. I've been to China many times, most recently to Xi'an and Harbin. I've eaten at places she's enjoyed and can say she's a reliable source when it comes to where to go and what to order.
One of my favorite things about Amy, is her ability to completely ignore all the people staring at her, with that WTF is that lady doing look on their faces.
stardom lol
😂😂😂😂😂
She did not ignore. She loves the attention. LOL
Why is that a big deal? I mean, yeah, I went to China and people noticed I was a foreigner. It's understandable
@@gejost it's a hardcore blondie fan ! lol
Funny enough, according to the autobiography of the last emperor, he described the imperial cuisine tasted awful. He said it is because: 1 the chefs need to offer the food whenever the emperor want to eat. So the chefs would cook the next meal right after the last meal, and kept warming the food. So all the food when serving was cook too long, which made them taste awful. 2 All the chefs are inherit the job from their ancestors, they don't like there job, and they are not afraid being fired, so they just finish the job, and they don't love cooking. 3 all the cuisines are focus on looking good, and with special meaning, not focus on taste good.
The last emperor wrote, when there was a chance to eat the outside restaurant food. He felt like those food tasted wonderful.
Amy, I might sound like a broken record here, but aside from your openness to new foods, experiences and strangers, your palpable passion for travel and food, exceptional clarity of narration and vulnerability with your viewers, the thing I love most about you and your content is arguably your honesty with us. No fakery typical of some food influencers. When it is bad or a challenging food to swallow, you say it as it is so that we know better, although I must say that the fish platter looks really well presented. Being genuine builds trust with your audience. Incidentally, I really like the short advertisement you did for the Insta 360! Really demonstrated what it could do.
Thank you so much, your words mean the world!!
她最不喜欢吃的这道菜名字是糟溜鱼片，是用中国人酿制黄酒用的江米酒糟制作而成，江米酒糟在发酵时变得非常甜，而且还有浓郁的黄酒味道。第一次吃这道菜的人会不习惯。但是中国江浙沪一带的人与老北京人都很喜欢这道菜
@@lanmaodoudou 哇，听你描述都让我垂涎三尺了！我好喜欢黄酒鸡，所以若有机会到北京，一听会去尝试 ‘糟溜鱼片’。Amy 似乎不喜欢打得太稠的芡，但我可不同了哈哈
She’s incredible so genuine and engaging ❤
Amy is such a likable person, popular wherever she goes.
She can speak Mandarin with minimal accent.
I find her exhausting and fake.
@@julienfroidevaux1143 and no one asked for your opinion
Aww that is so sweet of you to say!
@@lzasnw Some one asked for the ops opinion ?
Stop $imping girls who don't know U .
As they say: You can't buy taste. Among the royal families of Europe garlic used to be regarded as food for the poor. So I'm with you Amy, I would be a terrible royal. Give me peasant food all day, every day.
As a Cantonese who traveled all around China, I love Dou Zhi Er so much when I tried it for the first time. Every time I went to beijing, I would have at least two bowls of Dou Zhi Er first, and then Lu Zhu. Dou Zhi Er, Shaoxing 蒸双臭、Hangzhou臭豆腐炒虾皮、and Yangzhou 臭大元肥肠煲 are the best and most delicious stinky foods in China
I’m from Beijing (born and raised) and I wouldn’t touch dou zhi er with an 8 foot pole, nor would I ever order lu zhu. However I’d jump a wall to get zha Jiang mian, Jiang bing guo zi, lan long etc
还挺意外的，我觉得卤煮看起来还是比较好接受的，如果是爱吃内脏的比较重口味的人，挑战这道小吃应该没啥难度吧
Agreed! TBH I don’t see a lot of people of my age really enjoyed Douzhi😂 I’ve only had it once in my whole life, and I’m glad it only happened once lol. But 肉龙 on the other hand is definitely one of the best memories of my childhood!
Beijing local as well! My grandpa and I: super love豆汁! My dad: can’t even smell it 😂
@@beccas9783drink more! I couldn’t endure it when I was in primary school….then in middle school, fell in love with it
Interesting! As a fellow Beijinger, I’ve got no bone to pick with either of those dishes you mentioned. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Lu Zhu might just be one of my all-time favorite Beijing snacks. I guess taste is a journey, and everyone’s palate tells a different story.
I was also born in Beijing and grew up in Australia. Always wonderful to see Amy exploring her “第二故乡” (second hometown) 🤩😍. One small suggestion, this is especially the case when chatting with 长辈们 (elders) in Beijing, always use the honorific “您” when addressing them, eg. 谢谢您，麻烦您了 etc. You’ll sound more local and less 别扭 (direct translation: doesn’t sit well) to the 长辈们. Keep up the great adventures! 👍😄
Born and Raised in Beijing, living in Australia now. To be honest, a lot of things said in the video I did not know as a local. Thanks for sharing.
12:47 Wow the shots inside Beihai Park are magical
Now definitely looks like one of the best time of the year to visit. The autumn leaves etc are so colorful
Just came back from Beijing and yes absolutely!
The Red bean bun in the north is called 豆包, which is different from the sweet red bean paste bun 豆沙包. Red bean buns are one of those foods that probably people started eating a long, long time ago, you would be difficult to find its history since it is just a simple formula that the peasants have easy access to. In its raw form, think of it like a slightly fancier version of the normal bread buns.
I think an appreciation for something so simple is an acquired taste, just like foods with strong flavors.
北方人不喜吃甜食 ，所以豆包，粘豆包的豆馅都是不放糖的
I'd love to visit China, because of you Amy!
As someone who has family all living in beijing (mom and dad) whenever there is a family reunion there is always 2 pots of steaming hot luzhu. even better is they show you the pig that they take the intestines and heart from, making it the freshest meat i have ever eaten in my life.
I also actually went to the exact same restaurant in beihai in 2019 in the winter, and the food there was so good and has a really historic feel to it.
Well, THIS is a hit of nostalgia-- I used to live in Fensiting Hutong. I taught at a local high school for six years. I really miss Beijing. Best years of my life over the past twenty or thirty years.
During imperial time, Peking was not known for its commercial establishments and activities. Its main residents were the imperial court, aristocracy and people serving them. For the ones to be served, they retained good chefs to work in their private kitchens and entertained in their own residences. They did not have the custom of going out to eat.
If you liked everything, we would just think, “Well, she likes everything, who can trust whether it’s actually good or not?” So it’s good that you admit to not liking some of your dishes in Beijing. It doesn’t mean your view of Chinese food in general is any lower.
I am Chinese and I can say I agree with Amy. The traditional Beijing food is so out of fashion and it never got regarded seriously as a formal cuisine. People from other province in China even Beijing people think the Beijing food is bad. There were several incredible things like Beijing Duck, but over all, bad.
@@jasonwang482 Would you say the same thing about Tianjin? I may have a chance to move there but I'm worried that the food there isn't as good as other places in China.
@@margiedenavarre7919 Tianjin used to be famous for its steet food but it is a long time haven't updated menus. Tianjin cuisine is a bit old fashion as well, locals and senior generation may love it. In my view the good food cities are Guangzhou(cantonese), Chengdu(spicy),Shanghai(diversity)
There's this saying among the youngsters in Beijing: the best place in Beijing to get good food is the Daxing airport cuz from there you can get to Guangzhou as soon as possible.
Despite having Peking duck, beijing is famous for being a 'gourmet desert'😂 As a local, probably the only traditional local food I prefer is Lu Zhu, especially in winter.
"Morally sound piece of bread" 🤣
If you get a Beijing grandma in broad daylight to offer you baijiu from a flask, you're Beijing winning. Good on you, Amy.
Lu Zhu is very popular in Thailand! As a Thai person, we have our own rendition called "Pa Lo" which includes boiled eggs w/ the pork!
The broth is super hardy and rich which goes perfectly w/ jasmine rice!
It is popular in Malaysia and Singapore too. Usually offered as a dish alongside others in Mixed Rice stalls. Braising pork belly, eggs, tofu all in that brown aromatic soya sauce simmering away with Chinese spices. We also have a hawker favourite - Lor Mee which is just a bowl of noodles served that braising sauce thickened and added with a dash of Zhenjiang vinegar and all the braised meats in it.
omg I NEED to try Thailand's version of Luzhu. Who would be interested in a Thailand food adventure one day?? Like this comment if so!
I'm quite certain that the Southeast Asian dish Pa Lo is not equivalent to Chinese lu zhu; its closer counterpart in Chinese cuisine would probably be hong shao rou (braised pork belly). Lu zhu uses a seasoning pack (fennel seeds, angelica, amomum, cardamom, Sichuan peppercorns, dried tangerine peel, nutmeg, star anise, cinnamon), along with ginger, scallions, garlic, cooking wine, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, yellow soybean paste, sesame paste, fermented bean curd sauce, leek flower sauce, fried tofu cubes, sugar, and chicken bouillon, among others. This creates a very rich and complex broth designed specifically for simmering offal.
That said, I believe great food transcends cultures, and it's completely normal to find dishes similar to lu zhu in other cuisines. If I ever get the chance to visit Southeast Asian countries, I'd love to try them all
It’s nice to know that China’s Empress Dowager liked a good Sloppy Joe sandwich occasionally too! 😂
The wedding photos you added into the video are so cute! Thank you for showing us parts of the world that we may not have had the opportunity to visit 🙂
You can’t get pork lung in the US due to health concerns. We sub pork tripe or liver. Although you see Cantonese restaurants do a version with just pork belly and daikon. Pork belly is super cheap here and it’s available in wholesale sizes.
Welcome to Beijing, it's snowing today!~~
Maybe you should say Beijing welcomes you or you're welcome to Beijing, if people are not in there currently.
I lived in China for 7 years , in Guangxi, actually, and traveled the country from east to west and north to south extensively and miss it terribly. Your experiences mirror my own closely, and the skill with which you brought the essence of that amazing place for others to see through your eyes does a great service to those who may benefit greatly for a more global and historically appreciative context when forming their opinions about other people, places and cultures. Well done.
If I'm not wrong, the "one fish cooked 4 ways" represents 4 major cuisines: Lu (the steamed part), Chuan (I guess the squirrel fish part), Yue (the stir-fried part) and Su/Huaiyang (the deep-fried part) in order to present all flavors of China as a whole to the imperial palace members. There used to be 4 in the old times, now it expanded to 8
That's interesting! I've never heard it put that way before-learned something new.
I think your videos do capture the real essence of Beijing which comes from an open curious mind and passion for the city, its people and culture. Despite the cold, it’s always sunny and I totally get your love for the city. There’s nothing quite like Beijing.
Very rare to see you not properly fed in a video. But I think those dishes must still have fans to sustain their longevity! :D
Most of Beijing's cuisine originates from Shandong, but those aristocrats were always trying to distinguish themselves from common peasants so they made the dishes way too sweet intentionally. While the old generation in Beijing passed on this kind of flavor, the classical Shandong tastes are more popular now. As you might have noticed, people having meals in 仿膳 and 致美楼 were always tourists, and that might be a piece of evidence that those old restaurants are getting abandoned by the residents in Beijing. In fact, 仿膳 is now famous in Chinese social media for its pricey but terrible cooking (except for 豌豆黄🤣). Same goes for 致美楼. I'm sad to see they screwed up 糟熘鱼片(Fish pieces in rice wine), which is one of my favorites and one of the most classic Beijing/Shandong dishes. Maybe you can try it next time in 丰泽园 or 同和居. Hope they could make a much better impression on you❣
As a native Beijinger who has lived abroad for more than 15 years, I had never tried 卤煮 before (Shamely). My dad is a huge fan, but it never really appealed to me. That said, what you had there looks amazing, and I'm definitely going to try it the next time I visit!
I was really surprised! I liked it a lot! The portion is just maybe a bit too big for me haha, maybe next time I ask for a half portion or go with friends
Thank you for sharing those meals, there were certainly some interesting items.
You always make me so happy!!! I always have a smile on my face after one of your great videos!!! ❤❤❤
Awww!! That is the best compliment I could receive!! Thanks for watching xoxoxo
I wholeheartedly endorse that sentiment ricky 😁
Great video Amy...you are more adventurous than I will ever be in trying new dishes....glad you at least tried an 100+ yo restaurants dishes, even though it wasn't what you expected...❤😊
Hi friend in my head, Amy! Is it ever awkward or uncomfortable when you clearly do not enjoy a dish as you are eating alone and can't offer it to your dining companion to finish? I remember in my times to Beijing as I flight attendant, it was that fear of not wanting to offend that held me back from diving into unfamiliair options ... not comparing myself to you AT ALL as you are our Chinese food adventurer x infinity!
I would only eat donkey burgers, doorknob dumplings, guotie, Qianlong cabbage, and Peking duck in Beijing. All of these are food items I've learned about from Blondie's other videos 😊 lol. I already know to avoid douzhi fermented bean juice and that mushy bean cake wandou thing
I miss Beijing in Autumn so much! Great video as always. Thank you Amy!
Thanks for sharing! Autumn in Beijing is the most beautiful.
I love how a random grandma just casually encouraged Amy to day drink. XD 🍶
Suffice it to say, Insta360 is very happy they chose to sponsor Amy. Best brand ambassador ever. 📷
If there's anything I learned from watching this, it's that the Chinese dynasty could've benefited from modern dentistry so that they wouldn't have to resort to eating kidney bean/pea paste. 🦷
"...past the Forbidden City back entrance, if you know what I'm saying..." Even emperors enjoy entering through the back door sometimes. 🚪
How do we know the chef didn't overdose the fish head with sugar to appease a foreigner's taste buds? Lol 👅
Day drinking with grandma hits different 😂
yes, red bean bread was a bit of a shock to me coming from Australia. i am so use to red beans being savory, however i have taken a liking to the sweet red beans now.
Yo Amy. Your blog has a delightful mix of Family, hubby, friends, foodies, and just You! jimmy
I enjoy the broth, glutinous bread and the intestine in the Luzhu, I give the rest to my father 😂 Douzhi is a special thing, Its really pungent and I can’t finish it but I’ll always order it with that crispy circle that I can’t rmbr the name of!! It’s like a staple 😂
I admire your courage lol. grew up and lived there for more than 20 years and I have never tried these dishes
Excellent video! Thanks for posting!
Oh Amy, thank you so much for this vlog. I've been in Beihai on January 2nd this year, and ive also vsited this restaurant. Didn't eat there(I'm a student after all) but the restaurant was really cool, reminded of Kung-fu panda for some reason hahah. Thank you for bringing up memories from my exchange trip, the best time of my life❤
click like first, then start to watch. Hi Amy, when will you do a math vlog with your dear dad together again? Your math vlog is just as same good as your food vlog. haha..
Hahahah hoping to get dad over to China ASAP! More father daughter food adventures coming soon!
@@BlondieinChinaand MUM TOO PLS 😊
The air looks quite clean! Cool descriptions of the food. :)
I wonder how the rou mo hou shao would have been with the addition of tomato/onion/pickle, mustard and ketchup? 😂 The huo yu si chi looked like it had been thickened with cornstarch. It's interesting that atop the four plates was a bowl of salt. Maybe that was intended to counteract the overwhelming sweetness? Anyway, thanks for another great episode, and a fascinating look at imperial cuisine!
Happy to see some of the foods from the past. I will still try some, but thanks to you I'm definitely more in the know about what to expect!
Thank you for my weekly dose of serotonin, you are a star ❤
If I ever mustered up the courage to share food content online, this channel is definitely an example I would look towards
AMY!!! OMG.. 20.04 i didnt even notice till you mentioned it.. and i am laughing soo hard. lol
Great video Amy brings back memories of the times I worked in Beijing ❤❤❤
That first dish looks so good omg I am still kinda sus of the bread but that broth and pork intestine looks incredible
For the Fangshan inside Beihai park, I personally ate there once. In additional to the place Amy was recording, there are also many private rooms. So I was in one of the private rooms with two servers completely dressed up like the Qing dynasty court lady. It's a place with exotic but expensive dishes if you reserve. I think bearpaw and shark fin are both banned though.
We also have an entire set of these Yellow chinaware porcelain dating back 100 years ago.
Not so sweet is the best compliment you can say about Asian desserts!😂
卤煮 is actually one of my favorite foods. Something ancient in my genes, I think, attracts me to that flavor.
You are so interesting to watch, I love you brightness 🌞
You are not alone, even many Chinese ppl outside of Beijing dont find these especially appealing. Breakfast is very much tailored to local palette.
That first dish called LuZhu? It looks like Kway Chap to us from SEA. Instead of bread, we would have Kway which is something like big flat rice noodles soaked in the broth. If its strong tasting, it would likely be the intestines if they were not cleaned properly. I remembered it was alot of work cleaning those intestines. Nowadays with industrial farming, the pigs would not smell so much.
It's my home town. So nice to see the street and people there
The red bean bao perfect as it should be; It's not too sweet that's a good bao.
During my stay at Australia, I find myself really dislike cake and cookies that is served during the morning or evening tea break,
it is just so overly SWEET like Gulab Jamun....I had to scrape all those cake/cookies icing/sugar/sprinkle away.
Overly sweet only appeals to children and those who are still mentally children. I’ve noticed that it’s a really strong indicator for people with too much petulance.
Well, y'gotta love the old couple with their flask. Party on!
Such a fascinating place. Thanks for sharing.
I don't like eating Marjong tiles either... the red bean bao i grew up with is sweet... the red bean pancake is even better.
You may have not loved it but the content was even better! Want more restaurant history dishes. Can you do anything on the Silk Road?
I’ve only been to Beijing once, but it’s a really lovely city. More people should visit.
My old 'backyard'! (20:33) Used to live so close by!
Looks so amazing hope to see more of such video, be it in china or anywhere else. :)
Good honest reviews.
I visited China almost 10 years ago, I didn't have a smartphone at the time. The translated version of luzhu on the menu was "all in the aubergine", so I ordered it thinking it was some eggplant based dish... I recall it also had some chilli and thick squares of dough, perhaps it's a different version.
Hi Amy! I was looking for a 'Blondie vid' and you just posted a new one ! Yey!! But i need to say "I don't always get your notifications'. Greetz from the Netherlands, Vinnie..
Shenwumen is definitely a HUGE backdoor, although it's very hard to get in back then.
10:54 you dropped the paste! Sinful! (Doge😂
I just cant get over the fact I was in Beijing early November and stayed right at Beihai, at a hutong hotel and I went o Beihai park, right at that entrance and walked exactly where you were on a Monday too!! Omg and last year in Beijing at the Summer Palace I had just left and saw on IG that Aleese was there too. Why do I always miss you guys XD
'If I squint my eyes, I could kind of be the empress right now.' 😂 classic
Omg! I went to the same luzhu restaurant when I visited Beijing!!! It was also my favorite thing I ate while I was there, and I have definitely considered going back just to have that breakfast again. 😍😍😍
I have always wondered whether there is someone who is taking the camera but this is very clever and appreciate your suggestions for places to eat.
The ‘blue’ sky is incredibly suspect in some shots
bro too used to hollywood beijing filter
因为我们一般不喜欢吃太甜的食物 所以带一点点甜味被认为是做的最好吃的
Ooh that luzhu looks delicious
Beijing local here. Was surprised when u went to Fang Shan cuz it has gotten so much hate from chefs as it’s so bad. The Beijing specialty dishes except Beijing duck I would say is the cuisine of the working class in the past, and people back them will find any ways possible to be not hungry, so yea not surprised u didn’t like some of them haha
I wonder if {that "peasant" food tend to be more delicious than royalty food} is because "peasant" food is commonly eaten and they are constantly improving, or just adapting to people's palette that is changing over time. The royalty food, especially served in traditionally branded restaurants, is probably more resistant to change/improvement since tradition and authenticity is part of the selling point.
I just finished watching Royal feast so this is good timing 😍❤️🤤 I am dying to try some of these dishes
秋天的银杏树，是最美的风景🎉🎉🎉美食，美景，美人，真是绝配，太喜欢了🎉🎉🎉🎉
Amy, at certain points, I do not see you holding your 360 degree camera, even though there is a shadow on the ground, with your hands in your pockets, or both hands holding onto the bicycle 🚲 handle bar. So how do you take 360 degrees videos?
Because the camera is 360 degrees it can make the selfie stick invisible! One of the coolest things about it
Ooo, I've never been to one of your videos so early!
I love that your recent content is literally meant for "grab snacks and enjoy" kind of a content. I highly appreciate it and have been enjoying it a lot. Thanks, Amy!
hiiii Amyyyyy. i loveeeee ur videoooosss. ❤
The 360 degree camera is cool
Back in Beijing!
You have to try 豆汁for breakfast! People called it the “nuclear weapon of food”! LOL
lmao at 20:01 “past the Forbidden City back entrance if you know what I’m saying… why did that come out sexual ? … uhm yeah 😶”
Oh Amy 😂😂😂
I'd love to join your food tour group someday 🎉
Welcome!!!
i'm not surprised that you didn't like the food. i don't think you'd like the british / australian / US food from 100 years ago. our paletes have changed a lot. also, back then, there was no MSG or other forms of flavor enhancers so the food back then was kinda boring and not tasty to us. this could explain why the fish was so sweet, they only had sugar, salt or chilli pepper that are strong in flavor.
save this girl, 乐山 🥺
Might give it ago when I’m in Beijing 😂
found u by watching orenental pearl and u r just a qt and so amazing :)
Traditional Doushabao from Beijing was my childhood trauma… Imagine being a 6 yr old kid in a boarding school and you are given this giant bun filled with red bean paste that has no or bare minimum seasoning. You have to finish this bun that had absolutely no flavor or you get scolded publicly by your Banzhuren and scho president… I can never enjoy this thing.