November 30th, 2009 
Sheila Simkin Food Street (Donghuamen Night Market)…View image… first made an appearance in Beijing around 1984 and has been attracting locals and tourists who come to gawk at the very unusual snacks since then. Vendors and servers begin setting up their carts around 5:00 p.m. every night dressed in identical uniforms of white shirts and red aprons. Food Street stretches for 1km/.6mi, beginning at busy Wafujing Street and goes on until the wee hours.
We always visit to see what new critters and beasties are on the menu, making our way through huge crowds of Chinese who are also working their way past the line of stalls, looking, photographing and buying. Standing around gnawing on gigantic lamb bones…View image. Brandishing skewers of meat, kidneys, lamb, shellfish, silkworms, bean curd and carmelized (candied) fruits…View image… that glistened in the sun.
There are platefuls of unusual good items such as goat testicles, innards, tripe (section of a stomach), snake…View image, star fish, sheep penis, dog, crickets and other insects. Just look at one of the menus posted over each stand along with the price and you may want to hold your nose while passing some of the more odoriferous stands.
Most of the food items are either deep-fried or barbequed and some already cooked plates actually looked tasty. I’m talking about the steamed buns, fried rice…View image, oysters…View image, and other items that were recognizable….not the octopus/squid with its tentacles hanging down.
It just isn’t a trip to Beijing unless you make your way down Food Street and if this unusual street isn’t enough, walk down Wafujing a few blocks south and there is another street, on your right, selling the ordinary and exotics. Smaller and even more crowded if that’s possible. Let me know if you are brave enough to sample, how it tastes and Bon Appetit!
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