OrthodoxEaster wrote:gonzochicago wrote:Guobaorou (锅包肉)Seems to be the ancestor of the American Chinese takeout staple sweet and sour pork, only... delicious-looking! I've had the famous Beijing-style chops in NYC, but they tend to be larger and w/o those nice julienned vegetables (or pickles) from your pic. That looks damn good.The bao in that photo look proper and fluffy, as well. You probably know this, but the Fujianese also combine the pleasures of thicker, more bread-like steamed buns w/a meatball surrounded by soupy, almost xiaolongbao-style filling. So delicious.Also lusting after the shots of Indonesian steam table food (there's a great place for this in Philly called Hardena, located in an old couple's house) and Sichuan hot pot (which is all over NYC and, especially, Taiwan) in your link. So cool that you get to try this stuff at the source: no doubt revelatory! Will read and peep more if work is slow or later on the weekend. Thanks for posting!Exactly.I have not have Fujian style Baozi!!!! Want to... so, so much variety here. Everywhere is different.That Indonesia trek was a trip and a half....personally, I think everyone should go there. Tour there. Just go drink coffee and talk to children. Whatever. The joy and learning it brings...tough to describe.I'm amazed at how much original cuisine is leaking out into America now that people's tastes are evolving. It's great to see!Alright, I'll let you all chew on this. I did all of that in like...20 minutes, so I should be able to bang out the remaining 50 or so posts in mere days, because I'm a piece of shit.Cheers.

Hey.If you're not keeping track, I live in Northeast China now. I've been here since, well, after the PRF BBQ in 2015. I did a 3 month stint in Indonesia, filming their underground scene, wrapped some b-roll for my second film in Korea and Japan, and moved here afterwards.I'm teaching English here. Actually, my boss is from the old Green Bay punk rock scene, and we were at the same shows at Andy Junk's \_\_\_\_\_ Haus and Concert Cafe, 17 years ago. We never really talked back then, from what my PBR addled brain could probably never remember anyway.So, yeah. This is a weird ass city, Harbin, in Heilongjiang province. It's negative 30 degrees all winter, basically, polluted as fuck, and brutal over-all. Basically, Siberia. Summer's are dry and hot, and nice. However, there's not much going on as far as music, aside from a few classical concerts, lots of beer, and street food. There are many reasons for a city of 10 million to not have a music scene. Mostly, China. However, it's so far up to the Northeast, almost in Russia, that tours don't get up here nearly as much as the south. It's just...not a thing. I'll spare all the details for now.I wander the streets taking photos, and exploring this strange city. This will be a long over-due home for food photos, stories, and weirdness from up here. I'll be here until June 2018. That's the plan at least, and then I will dive deep into something else in Asia that I'll discuss later. This dive, it was supposed to happen this December, but I need to stick here a bit long to be responsible.Anyways...after about 8 months of nothing happening, we decided to push hard and book a few shows. The first fell into our lap. We finally got a bar on the main bar street of the city that understood what we were about, and they agreed to have shows. Perfect. So it went. The second was all local with Shaun's band, and a Russian band. The third...well, we booked it at said bar street, and China intervened in a way China often does. The show was cancelled.One day later, we got a message saying we should try this on-again, off-again space that nobody goes to (per one of the partners.) We decided, fuck it, and went for it.001 by John Yingling, on FlickrP.R.C.M (中國絞肉機) a few nights ago, in Harbin. Moving shows can be a disaster. I am AMAZED at how this went down. Six acts performed in just over three hours. Artists from Yunnan province, Changchun, Switzerland. Live visuals. A kraut rock band. A lot of people showed up. They actually put money in the donation hat. I have seen hundreds of rooms totally clear out for more tame things than much of last night, but everybody stuck right where they were, all the way until the end. I can't begin to describe how happy it all made me. It really meant a lot.So, I'll try to add this to my long list of things to update when I have something I feel is worth saying.I have taken a few trips for pure noise-seeking purposes. One was to Chengdu, Sichuan province. The other was to Indonesia and Malaysia, a second time. They were both amazing. You can read about those trips in detail here : http://www.theworldunderground.com/blogMy Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are where I do many of the posts I will go back and re-do here, over time, and going forward, so you won't see those past music related posts in the link above, though I highly recommend you peruse that. Backlogged food photos and stories to come.Cheers.- Yingling

OrthodoxEaster wrote:gonzochicago wrote:This is a weird ass city, Harbin, in Heilongjiang province. It's negative 30 degrees all winter, basically, polluted as fuck, and brutal over-all. Basically, Siberia. Summer's are dry and hot, and nice.A cousin of mine studied there in the early '90s and basically had as much to say, albeit in a more diplomatic way. I'm sure the pollution is much worse now. Please do post some food pics and info. I like what Dongbei-style dishes I've tried, but most of that has consisted of lamb dumplings, German-influenced charcuterie from the former colonies, and almost Korean-leaning pickles.Wow!!! Cool! I cannot imagine how much is different now. Even just a few years is night and day in China. My boss has been here since 2009 and he says the difference is staggering. As for pollution, it has gotten better, so they say.Thanks for the interest, folks.I edited my first post to say this, but : I have taken a few trips for pure noise-seeking purposes. One was to Chengdu, Sichuan province. The other was to Indonesia and Malaysia, a second time. They were both amazing. You can read about those trips in detail here : http://www.theworldunderground.com/blogMy Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are where I do many of the posts I will go back and re-do here, over time, so you won't see those music related posts in the link above.However, I highly recommend you peruse that as well.Shit...I guess I'll go way back and start posting my stories from the beginning. If it's all too much I will cherry pick my favorites, and continue from there.Cheers!

Alright. Let's start at the beginning.The first dish I ordered when I got here, was one of my favorite things I found on my very first time in China. It just so happened to originate in this very province.November, 2015 : 002 by John Yingling, on FlickrGuobaorou (锅包肉) - One particularly late night, a few years back in Beijing, Brad M. Seippel brought me out for dinner and suggested this. My eyes glazed over at the first bite, and I was hooked. Guobaorou is similar to your American style sweet and sour / orange chicken except with pork, and not super shitty. Think little pork chops, breaded, and covered in sauce. What's great for me, is that this dish actually originated where I am now, Dongbei. Some come with a honey like sauce, some more sweet, sour, spicy. I've barely scratched the surface on any other regional specialties here.(My...how things have changed since then.)

December, 2015 : 003 by John Yingling, on FlickrAh, the small noodle shop. 6 menu items. 6 tables. The owners are super nice, giving me an excited greeting in English when I go. I've had their whole menu, and this is my favorite one by far. The English translation says hot and sour noodle. Suan (sour) La (hot) Dao Xiao (sliced) Mian (noodle). No idea on the specifics of it. The broth is as the name suggests. Hot, but not too bad despite quite a few chilis. Sour, but I'm not sure from what. Can't be all vinegar. I'd rather remain blissfully unaware on that. Noodles are ran through a whirring slicer for every order. They're thick, which gives them a good chew. Some pickled vegetables. Greens. Peanuts. Unidentifiable bits of dried jerky-like meats. Really nice. Glad this is a skip across the street from me. Total cost : 9 ¥ (or about $1.30 USD)

December 2016 : 004 by John Yingling, on FlickrThe Baozi lady.005 by John Yingling, on FlickrI'd probably have never stepped foot inside this place if it weren't for a teaching assistant telling me I could find Xiaolongbao, the intensely delicious, steamed, soup-filled bun. If you look from the tiny door outside, you see a wall, and a gas tank. However, once you step in, there's 8 seats off to the left. These are not Xiaolongbao, the impossibly thin, bag-like, god-like Shanghai style soup dumplings. They're buns with fillings. This particular kind are not nearly as thick as normal Baozi I have had, though they have some of the chew. Like half-way between the two. Either way, when I asked for them, I got these. Delicious as hell. Pic your poison. Pork, Veggie and Egg. Whatever, they are all good. Going to make it a priority to dive into more unassuming places this year. Sometimes you never know until you poke your head inside. Total cost : $1.20.

006 by John Yingling, on FlickrMy old apartment's door in winter. Fuck winter here.February 2016 : 007 by John Yingling, on FlickrThe Ice Festival.It's also Lantern Festival, which marks the end of the New Year's festivities. As I type, fireworks are still going off. It reminds me of the 4th of July in Chicago, where your amusement fades, but a lot longer, and with a hell of a lot more firecrackers. The Ice Festival was neat, but man, it bears repeating, this city is damn-hell-ass-cold. We even went on, what I'm told, was a historically mild day for it. Even so I still found myself bewildered by my frozen feet. Surely could have dressed better. Summer should be really nice here, and I'm looking forward to it. Onward and upward, 2016. (ha.)

008 by John Yingling, on FlickrOfferings to the spirit world. Happy Chinese New Year. Fires are out in full force in Harbin. I've never been in China to experience it. I love how it just spills out onto the sidewalks and street corners, ash blowing everywhere. We stocked up on a few things, but even though many places will shut down or keep shorter hours, it seems it will be business as usual for a few of my favorite places. We're not going anywhere this time around, as prices to get out jump to insane levels. After seeing some of the photos friends posted, I'm happy to bunker in. Hope you're all well. Cheers to you in the Year of the Monkey.009 by John Yingling, on FlickrWho needs blinds anyway...

Chinese New Years, February 2016 : 010 by John Yingling, on FlickrMy boss and friend, Shaun, had us over to his in-laws house for the New Year. Beautiful home. Great food. Really nice time. After 8PM, people start going off with fireworks. We jumped outside and lit a few off ourselves, watched as others bounced shells off cars, windows. Hopped in and out of the CCTV NYE gala special. The parents watched as they made dumplings on their bed for midnight. Shaun's wife drove us around, past the cold unlucky who waited for taxi's that would no doubt take forever to come, or even be going their way. She stuck her head out of the window and flagged one down for us, and off we went. We have the rest of the week off, so we're rolling ahead on all the other cylinders. A great couple of days. Thanks for having us, Shaun. Cheers.April, 2016 : 011 by John Yingling, on FlickrSigns of summer... (finally)012 by John Yingling, on FlickrBoat docks off the middle Songhua River. Inches from the famous walking street everyone loves in this city. I like to visit this area every few weeks, as it's a slap in the face reminder that this is a big city. This area is teeming with people, on a Monday afternoon. Almost 3.5 million people live here, a mere blip on China's radar. So, sure, no music scene, but turning that into a positive has been good. It'll force me to visit neighboring Changchun and Dalian. There's a whole spectrum of shit going on here that I have no idea about. It's been fun poking my head above water, finally. Will keep exploring. Cheers. May 2016 : 013 by John Yingling, on Flickréº»è¾ åˆ å‰Šé¢ - Numbing Hot Knife Cut Noodles. From what I know, this began as a Sichuan thing. Preservation, back in the day. (Má, or literally, hemp, or pins and needles) You mix the giant glob of chilis on the left, and it seeps into the broth giving the whole thing multiple layers. I really wanted to find out if this noodle shop was a chain, as the provinces were all over the place. I asked a worker what she was eating, if it was on the menu, and she said it was. I pointed to each thing and gave a good guess as to the province. She nodded. Out came the translator, and I asked about their locations. I can never tell with some signage. She shook her head. All their own recipes. Their only location. This is a pretty ubiquitous noodle dish, but I still really like it. I will be back. Nice people! Support your local noodle shop.Spring : 014 by John Yingling, on FlickrAdventures in BBQ. China has a large population of Uighur Muslim people. It's filled with tension. Another thing I know very little about. I can recall my first trip to China, reading some official piece on how their BBQ stands were causing the pollution in Beijing. Right... I believe, Beijing officially still has a summer outdoor grilling ban in place, but it's mostly been business as usual when I've been there. They'll round up and destroy some of their carts in the night, and from what I've seen, that's about it. This was right before the rather vicious 2014 knife attacks, for which they were also blamed. I'll be posting a few more photos from this night in the next few weeks.015 by John Yingling, on Flickr

Man I do love Chinese food. I have never made it very far away from Beijing and Shanghai but my Beijing-living friend is married to a lady with a granny in Harbin, my girlfriend's granny visited Harbin for the ice festival a few years ago (her granny is Western but spent a lot of time in the Middle and Far East due to her husband working for HSBC) and even my dad has been to Harbin on business. I've always been a bit fascinated by it but thought it sounded a very tough place to live. Those Uyghur laghman noodles are the business - you can get a pretty good rendition of them in north London, directly opposite Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. Amazing food pics.