The Chinese "Pyramids" (小窝头)

Pollenta Bun， 宫廷式窝头, originally uploaded by myviaggi.

Wo Tou － Polenta Bun， these days are like sand turned to gold.

Back in the old days, when flour was not sufficiently supplied, corn flour was considered as a replacement. It was cooked exactly the same way as flour was. It can be steamed, baked, roasted, fried or used as a wrapping for dumplings. The poor days were often referred to as 'Wo Tou's Days'. Some people from the baby boomer generation simply do not want to hear this name again. At one point, when life was improving, these golden pyramid shaped buns were forgotten.

However, Wo Tou even in the old days were not only for poor people - during the Qing Dynasty, the royal family had quite a different way of appreciating them. Made from chestnut flour, the buns almost looked the same, except they were in miniature size and served only as a snack.

Then, at one point in the 90's, people were reminded that not only did this grain save the Chinese in the past but when consumed the same way as refined flour, it contains much more vitamin, mineral, protein and fiber. Eating Wo Tou then became fashionable again.

Today royal recipes are widely available and the royal delicacies have become a Beijing retro lifestyle. I just had some Wo Tou in a Beijing cuisine restaurant where Beijing snacks are the specialities.

The little buns are so delicately made there. Each is about the size of a thumb, the flour is a mixture of chestnut and corn flour, and a tiny pitted date is hidden at the bottom of the pyramid. The sweet osmanthus syrup dip is also an option. We had so much fun tasting those!

Beijing Traditional Snacks 1

Prince Gong's Garden, Beijing, 北京恭王府花园, originally uploaded by myviaggi.

Harsh sun pushed the temperature up to 35 degrees over the last weekend. But I didn't care. It was one of the only weekends for my dad and I to have some quality private time together. And what did we do? Among the favourite of the Imperial Resorts to visit, we picked Prince Gong's Mansion. The Imperial remnants are the biggest tourist attraction besides the Great Walls. Dad and I never forget to treat ourselves whenever we get a chance.

Prince Gong's residence is one of the most famous and well constructed private residences, where lived two of the most influential politicians in The Qing Dynasty. One is Emperor Qianlong's adviser, Mr. He Shen. Later, it became the residence of The Emperor Daoguang's sixth son, Prince Gong. The garden, said to be the best presenting Chinese garden design, is now open to the public.

After the visit, it was already early afternoon. Some Beijing traditional snacks seemed to be the best thing to have. So we stopped at a snack dinner, which offers nothing else but Beijing traditional fare. We chose Green Bean Soup and some Sweet Butter Puffs with tea afterwards.

Green Bean Soup

Many people don't like this. The soup looks greyish green and is sour tasting. But it is something you should not miss because it is available nowhere else but in Beijing. Made of ground green bean paste mixed with water, it is full of vitamins. The soup is served with a pastry ring and some pickles.

Butter Puffs

If I must give up fried food, I still have to eat this. It is my guilty pleasure since I was little. The puff dough is made of flour, butter, herbs and a little bit of sugar. The flour is mixed with boiling water so it is sticky inside after it's fried. The puff itself isn't sweet and needs to be dipped in sugar before eaten.

Egg Crepe

Egg Crepe, originally uploaded by myviaggi.

I am often amazed how easily we can adapt to a new life-style: cars, coffee, pizza, music and Hollywood. The new airport terminal in Beijing just wowed me again yesterday. Are we getting so spoiled with all the latest and greatest these days? Not all! It is certainly frustrating to me whenever my niece cries on the floor asking for McDonalds or KFC.

Gladly, I have found that our breakfast has not changed much. At least not this one - the Egg Crepe. It is my favourite and a Beijng and Tianjing local delicacy.

From the picture you can see how many ingredients are on added to this crepe: eggs, spring onion, coriander, and sesame. Actually more than these... The base is a mixture of flour and green bean flour with a raw egg spread on top. When the crepe and egg are almost cooked, the above ingredients are sprinkled over it. Then, the large round crepe is flipped over for sauces such as sweet soybean paste, or chili. Finally, a very thin, fried, crispy pastry is placed on the crepe. I say very thin because when touched the crispy pasty easily breaks into pieces. It needs to be carefully placed on the crepe before wrapped by the crepe. The entire wrap is then folded into a hand-sized shape.

The mouthful of flavours might be a bit too much for a breakfast and I wonder why I like it so much. I think I know: it is not the food but the retrospect of the making. Generation after generation, kids stand in front of the venders watching the crepe being made, rolling their eyes when a spoonful of thick liquid turned into a thin round-shaped pancake, being amused by every ingredient added at each step, and feeling desperate for a bite of the multiple layers of tastes wrapped in this hot, flimsy and filling little pancake. It is a sophisticated fast food that is irreplaceable by McDonalds.