It's been over a year since I've eaten any meat at all -- I think you'd call me a pescetarian since I continue to eat fish and seafood in addition to the usual vegetables and fruits.
But this being the Lenten season, it's that time of the year when I morph into a lacto-ovo vegetarian, eschewing all except dairy products (cheeses and butter), eggs and plant derivatives.
This seasonal diet coincided with the company outing to Beijing.
But no worries, vegetarianism is an ancient tradition in China.
Proof of this was the wide variety of vegetable dishes that came with every meal.
I loved this very spicy string bean and chopped chili dish. Quick-fried, the string beans were still crunchy and every mouthful was hot, hot, hot!
Tofu is part and parcel of chinese cuisine. Again, quite spicy (it was winter and spicy food helps keep the body warm) and a bit more fermented and pungent than the usual -- but still very good!
The familiar mushrooms and broccoli with oyster sauce was a fixture on the lunch and dinner menus.
This soup was very flavorful, with large slices of fresh abalone and oyster mushrooms,
it was a filling and satisfying starter.
I also enjoyed this egg drop soup, with fresh tomatoes and slivers of green onion.
Comfort food for a cold day!
Each meal featured one or two egg dishes -- this scrambled egg dish was more like scrambled tomatoes but the simplicity belied its delicious taste.
Here's my favorite vegetable dish among all that I had that week-end in Beijing -- a simple stir fry of chives and bean sprouts. Served with triangles of thin pancakes, I made myself little pockets of healthy goodness.
Hen hao chi!
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