Peking Duck

This past week in Beijing has been amazing. I never thought I would eat so many different parts of a duck. Chinese cuisine has continued to stretch and surprise me.

While in Beijing I wanted to have Peking duck. Along with the roast duck which is served with scallions and a sauce in a thin pancake, we had duck feet, which were rubbery though tasty, but the large serving of mustard that went with them made my nose feel like it was on fire; duck intestines, which I was hesitant to try, but ended up being my favourite; and a duck broth, which was incredibly rich.

Also on the menu, but didn't get a chance to try, were duck liver, heart, neck, and head. I guess there only so many parts you can have at one time.

I did try duck tongue, when my travel companion wanted to grab some snacks one afternoon. When I heard snacks, my mind didn't immediately go to duck tongue, but I gave them a shot and ended up eating a few.

There was a psychological barrier I had to get over before biting into it, I usually like to get to know someone before I allow their tongue in my mouth. They were spicy and savoury, but a bit of chore to eat with some inedible cartilage.

I'm starting to remove any limitations on the type of food and how it is prepared that I may have had in Canada. It has opened up a world of flavours, and I'm starting to understand how little I knew about Chinese food before I came to China.