China - Hawthorne Berry Sticks

When an apple and a cranberry really love each other, you get cranberry-apples 9 months later. When an apple, a cranberry, and a crabapple have a threesome, you get hawthorn berries, a crabapple-sized berry the color of a Red Delicious apple, with the crisp, juicy texture of a Granny Smith apple and the sharp tartness of a cranberry.

After hearing my description of the hawthorn triple threat, you're probably asking, "What could possibly be better than biting into a hawthorn berry?" The answer is the BingTangHuLu, or hawthorn berries on stick dipped into molten rock candy. These sticks are a solid street food all winter, and they disappear when the weather gets warm. Northern China may be miserable in winter, but I'll go back every few years just to feel that sugar crunch when I bite into one of these sticks.