So much tasty, so little stomach

Weary from yet another so-what tramp about one of Beijing's vast tourist traps, we found ourselves in a dumpling shop. Now here's something worth shouting about. The rest of Beijng may be smog filled, loud, huge, footsore, and tiring, but slip into a dumpling restaurant and you can, at least, taste heaven.

This delicious snack is available about a buck a half dozen and offers mouth-sized bursts of flavor. Succulent duck, pork mingled with pungent spring onions, shrimp mixed with ginger and garlic, all dunked in soy sauce and red pepper—does this sentence need a subject and verb? The best dumpling restaurant we've found makes them to order, and nothing in any Chinatown compares.

Then there's streetfood. This is what the Beijing-ers eat. And no one said they were fools. Most of it is half cooked and then finished in front of you. There are seemingly endless varieties—at first. Soon, you eat most of them. Our favorites are potstickers, spicy noodles, fried potatoes and eggs, baked dog (just kidding), and kebabs. A good dinner for a couple of dollars.

Third, last and most importantly. Peking Duck. Even if you've never liked duck, or duck skin, or duck fat, you can't say you won't like Peking Duck along with its skin, meat, and fat. You eat it with little pancakes, sugar, scallions and plum sauce. It's a little more pricey, but much more yummy.

Of course, there is one caveat about Beijing dining. If you're one of those people who prefers to eat his chicken feet, beef intestines, pork liver, and lamb stomach packaged as "cotto salami," "chicken apple sausage," or "hotdogs," fine. You may not like the food in Beijing. But remember, if you ever look at the steaks and chops at the butcher counter and wonder where the rest of the cow, pig, chicken, and sheep is, turn around and look at the deli counter. That is where they have magically transformed the feet, lips, hooves, ears, and assholes of those animals into cylinders of "baked ham," "bologna," and "chicken roll." Here, they just eat 'em. Without apology.