Pick Up Sticks: Who Says You’re Too Old to Play With Your Food?

Kirsten Harrington | Feb 17, 2021 2:30 pm | Add a comment | 200 reads

From meaty, cumin-scented lamb skewers to sweet, candied hawthorns, Beijing is filled with food on a stick. These fork-free dishes are perfect for strolling, sharing, dipping, or indulging. If you’ve ever cooked over a campfire or savored a popsicle, then you’ll know that hand-held food is fun for all ages.

For those of us staying in town for the break, why not take a stroll and see what you can find? You might discover a new favorite that we missed. And in any case, food might just be the excuse you need to get kids out of the house.

Local Flavors

Head to Qianmen or Nanluoguxiang to start, and grab some lamb skewers, “whirlwind” potatoes, squid, or sausages on a stick. For the truly adventurous, there are scorpions, silkworm larvae, and tarantulas, perhaps best left for capturing with your camera and not your tastebuds.

For an experience that’s a little more off the beaten path, head to Xinmin market (subway stop Guloudajie) and spend the morning exploring the produce, spices, and wet market. When hunger strikes, look for the mala ang stand selling a variety of skewers including mushroom bundles, quail eggs, meatballs, broccoli, lettuce, noodles, and much more. Don’t worry – there’s no menu to decipher; just point to a skewer that looks good and give it a try. For just a few RMB a skewer, it’s a fun, affordable outing. Stroll the streets around the market and you’ll find skewer (aka chuan’r) restaurants and traditional snack shops.

Travel the Globe

Don’t limit yourself to Chinese food. There’s a whole world just waiting for you to try. Grab a map and start checking off your destinations. At Athena Greek restaurant, the chicken souvlaki comes on a suspended skewer. Nearby Alameen offers a platter of mixed Lebanese kebabs, and a taste of Turkey is only a hop, skip, and a jump away at Turkish Feast.

Branch out from curries at your favorite Indian restaurant with a skewer of cheese-like paneer or head to NomNom in Haidian District for Indonesian mutton or beef satay with a side of sambal kecap, sweet soy sauce mixed with chilies and shallots. And of course, don’t forget to stop by Thailand for some peanut-y Chicken satay.

Sweet Endings

Winter is the season for tanghulu, those shiny, sugary fruit sticks decorating the city like ornaments. Round red hawthorns are the most popular, but you’ll also find grapes, kiwi slices, and Chinese yams. There are even some themed ones with marshmallows and strawberries.

Keep an eye out for purple sticky rice dipped in sugar or waffles on a stick that spell “I Love Beijing” in Chinese characters. Find your zodiac sign fashioned in sugar candy or grab a stick full of sweet-and-sour 山楂 shānzhā (dried hawthorn). The golden yellow hue of floral osmathus cake beckons, drizzled with sweet syrup made from osmanthus flowers.

For a more interactive experience, head to Qianmen Kitchen by BSK to make some s’mores. Roast American marshmallows over your own charcoal brazier, add some Lindt chocolate and sandwich it all between Biscoff cookies and digestive biscuits.

Lastly, don’t rule out ice cream just because it’s winter. Beautiful rose-shaped ice cream and vibrant fruity popsicles (at Nanluoguxiang) will make you forget how cold it is outside, even if just for a moment.