Spring came for a few days last week and hoards of people headed up to the Purple Mountain to see the plum blossom. Lynn and I decided to join the crowds but luckily she had her driver which saved a lot of logistical arrangements and walking.
Even though it was a week day there were still thousands of people there including Buddhist monks, families and lovers. And true to Chinese style, all were posing in the trees for photo after photo after photo. Even young children were practising their poses – a vital life skill for all Chinese.
We sat in the sun on a bench to have a picnic and were soon joined by a couple of Buddhist monks with a bunch of hangers on. One of them looked like a head monk and he was very friendly. another sat under a tree in prayer posing for photographers.
Lynn was particularly adventurous and a huge amount of respect has to go to her for this. She decided that she should try the special eggs on sale at one of the food booths. These are no normal egg – well they were normal at one time – but these took a different course.
These eggs were fertilised and were allowed to partially incubate and develop and then, at the point where it’s just about to become a chick, it’s boiled and stuck three at a time on a skewer. What you see is something which is not quite a chick and yet more than an egg. You can see in the photo that its head complete with beak is quite well developed. Feathers are also evident and the bones add a soft crunch.
According to Lynn it’s like eating chicken and egg.
Now which if those came first?
Apologies for the pics which were taken on my iPod.