Wangfujing

When our fun stroll through Olympic Park was completed, Melissa, Sara, Hannah, Tess, and I loaded into our two taxis again and headed down to Wangfujing Street, the sight of Beijing's famous night market. I had
seen this market advertised in many travel guides and heard it spoken of from other visitors and guests at Shepherd's Field, and was sufficiently intrigued to plan an outing there before heading home. We arrived at the market just as the crowds were accumulating all along the row of red-canopied food stalls and prepared to squeeze our way through the herd to sample some of Beijing's (and quite possibly the world's!) most unusual, exotic food. The draw of Wangfujing is purely for bragging rights; people want to eat squid or termites or frog legs not because they are delicious or in any way represent what Ch1nese people eat on a daily basis, but simply for the reaction they will get from their friends upon telling their survival tales back home.

Bent on trying as many weird foods as possible for our "dinner" that night, we hopped from booth to booth giving our orders and getting sufficiently grossed out in the process. I saw enough raw animal parts to last me a lifetime, I think! It was by no means the most delicious or healthful or satisfying meal I've ever consumed, but definitely one of the most memorable!

 Squid, lobster-like creatures, and other unidentifiable delicacies of oceanic origin

 Don't ask....because I don't know. :)

 Anyone for a bit of starfish and snake? I actually did want to try the starfish, but wasn't willing to spend the money when I would probably waste more than half of it!

 And now for an entrée of centipede and cocoons...(I hear you all licking your chops!)

 Ah! A taste of home! Pretty sad that our primary claim to fame is grease balls and fat skewers.

Caramelized fruit kabobs. The couple inches of hard sugar at the top should have been a telling sign that this wasn't so good for me....good thing I have a pretty tough stomach! :) The fruit I tried was Hawthorn...something I've found only in China so far. Kind of like mini apples but with mushier fruit and lots of little pits inside. 

 Bubble tea! It actually bubbled violently inside the cups (which my camera wasn't so good at capturing), and Melissa and Hannah said it tasted different (but good!) from what's sold back home.

 All meats and veggies and stuff were displayed raw and then cooked to order.

I wanted to try these adorable little bowls of jelly and fruit, but alas, there is only so much room in one's stomach. :)

 These shrimp cakes looked way better than they tasted! The whole thing was soft and doughy with seafood "mush" inside. Still...the appearances were impressive!

 Unknown bugs-on-stick. There were lots of these offerings.

 Scorpions! They were fried, salted, and found (see below) to taste remarkably like potato chips (no, really!).

 First bite of my scorpion...not bad!

 I love how the English labels all run together so you're not exactly sure *what* you're getting...

Fish!

 Hannah and I sharing a kabob of chicken heart. Quite possibly the *sickest* thing I have ever tasted...

 Pineapple rice! It was too sweet for Sara, but this American liked it. :)

 Garlic shellfish (I can't remember what kind). It turned out to be at least ninety percent garlic and while I like such taste in moderation, this dish was quickly deemed consumable only for Sara and her super spice-loving taste buds...

 Coconut milk! They poked two straws into a fresh coconut and Hannah and I sipped away to our hearts' content. Yummy!

 Wangfujing Street...you have left me with many out-of-the-ordinary stories to tell!