Bbq: bite by bite 1

Apparently I can only send a limited amount of photos in an email submitted post. So this post is going to have to be in two parts. (I can't upload photos directly using proxy servers.) Joy!
 

I confess, I am completely addicted to Chinese bbq. And, like all addicts, I want companionship in my obsession. So here is a bite by bite description of the delicious bbq feast I enjoyed with one of my good friends earlier in the week. We sat outside, enjoying a beautiful balmy evening and devoured the following treats.

 

Soy beans. I wasn't very keen on this cold snack, an essential for any self respecting bbq eater, at first but now I'm quite the fan. Bland but strangely satisfying, they are great for pecking at before and after the rest of the food, and are the perfect companion for beer. Not to mention the bubblewrap-popping-ish pleasure of podding the beans.

 

Cold fungus, onion and chilli salad: don't be put off by the name it's absolutely toothsome. The fungus, which literally translates into English as 'wood ear', has a subtle, earthy flavour that is released as you chew the springy morsels. I can't believe how many times I rejected dishes in Chinese restaurants at home because 'eww, yuck, what the hell is fungus and why would anyone eat it?'

 

Tendon skewers. I admit, I'd rather have a regular mutton skewer, my main complaint being that they are too chewy and bland, but are still more edible than I would have credited