I'm on the road right now, and as soon as I get ahold of a fast internet connection I'll post some pictures of my culinary adventures in Shandong. Until I have that opportunity, I'll share with you some observations.

The seafood here is fresher and more varied than what I found in Ningbo. But the best things I've tried were at the Qingdao Restaurant, and they didn't swim. Crisp zucchini blossoms deep-fried and served with a stinging side of vinegar and garlic; garlic so sharp that it was actually spicy. That, and a classic five-spiced braise of pork chops, with little bits of tender meat clinging to the bone. I washed all this down with a surprisingly good Huadong Riesling. The wine was floral and fruity on the nose and, while thin and rather short-lived on the palate, it was about as good a dry white wine as I’ve tried in China. And, at RMB 78, it’s a steal. I’ll be visiting the vineyard tomorrow and will certainly have more to share (I’m here on an assignment, writing about Chinese wineries).

Last evening, as myself and my girlfriend strolled around Qingdao’s de facto Korea town, I stumbled upon a place I simply had to try. It was a divey joint where graffiti covered the walls, and young Korean kids were drinking sochu and beer and digging into some delicious looking noodles and other barfood (Qingdao, I’m told, has an estimated 100,000 Korean expats). No one spoke Chinese or English, and the menus were indecipherable, so I tried the point and shoot method of ordering with the help of some fairly inebriated but very friendly patrons. And this is what I got: A plate of nachos, topped with kimchi (much better than you might think), a plate of chicken nuggets made in the McDonald’s style, and three fried eggs on an iron grill. Certainly not what I had expected, but a fairly logical spread if, like my friends, you’d been slamming ‘Korean whiskey’ well into the wee hours.

Note: ‘Korean whiskey,’ as it was cheekily explained to me, is a bit like a sake bomb. Take a shot of sweet sochu, pour it into a glass, fill with beer, cover with napkin, smack on table, and quickly consume. Not for the faint of heart (or a couple on a quiet night out, as it were) but certainly better than a shot of baijiu.