Breakfast – Dalian, China

You never fully understand the variety that Chinese cuisine can offer until you try breakfast. Perhaps it’s because in China, no meals are mutually exclusive. There are baked goods, there are sweets. There are savory dishes on the side, and there are rices and porridges and pickles galore. The classic fried dough and soy milk combination is hard to find after 10 AM, but there are at least a hundred variations on the theme.

I’ve already covered the exalted fried dough and soy milk, so I’ll start with some other carb-y choices. There are endless options for pastries and bread. For example, the same locally-loved fried dough stall makes these oily mochi-cakes. The outside is a golden crunch, and the inside has a texture like mochi, complete with a center of sugary red bean. It’s like mochi tempura, but a thousand times better.

I don’t know how to describe this one so I’ll call it deep-fried Twisty Dough. Literally just a honey-sweetened pastry-type dough fried to a golden, milk-chocolate brown. When they’re fresh out of the fryer, they are the best breakfast/lunch/afterschoolsnack/dessert you’ve ever had.

There’s a stall that’s famous for this bread/Pancake. I can’t even begin to name it, but it’s a similar dough to that used in scallion pancake. It’s crispy on the outside with tons of doughy-soft layers underneath. It goes soft if it’s in the bag for too long, but it’s the same fresh, perfect dough with a chewy, al-dente-like texture.

They twist the dough into an elaborate knot, and they throw it into a vat of oil. They make it look so easy, but I'm pretty sure mine wouldn't taste like this.

I’m perfectly happy with just bread, but there are also some salty or pickled sides to keep you from getting bored with your pastries and porridge. Pickled mustard and kimchee are the most common, but these garlicky strips of Pork Skin are my absolute fave.

In the US, I like my eggs scrambled or over easy, Benedict when I’m feeling fancy. In China, I don’t care what eggs I get, as long as I get them salted. The market is full of Salted Duck Eggs, and my family marinates their own when they’re feeling motivated. The whites can be painfully salty, but the yolk turn into an oily crumble, a glorious morsel between bites of rice and bread.

This isn’t your typical Jimmy Dean. This is local, homemade Sausage. We had two types this time, a savory one and a softer, sweeter iteration as well. The plate behind it is Pig Head meat. It’s firm fat, the most supple part of the pig.

This is just breakfast. Some of these items may reappear for lunch, but they taste the best when they’re fresh out of the fryer. Everything is made very recently, and everything is made practically to order. Most things are organic because local farmers don’t have access to fancy fertilizer, and every bite is something special. Of every awesome meal I’ve ever had in China, I think I still like breakfast best.