Shopping at San Yuan Li

I love shopping at San Yuan Li. It has the freshest veggies and fruits in all of Beijing. Plus it has a great selection. Rumor has it that most of the fancy restaurants get there produce from here. I believe it. I can always find fresh basil and other herbs.

I also love it because even though it has lots of foreign ingredients, it has a distinctly Chinese feel. It's in an old building with vendors occupying small spaces. They jam as much as they can in their few square feet. You never know what you'll find.

I always come in on the side of the building because there are always the same beggars in front. But that's another post. Entering from the side means that I hit the veggie stands first. Here are some of the scenes that greet me.

This is a woman in her vegetable stall. Can you see the herbs in the plastic at the top of the stall? I use the basil to make pizza and pesto. The produce is top quality.
Below, a closeup of the goodness.

The vendors are all lined up side by side in their stalls.

And, just in case you're in the market for seaweed, here's a stand just for you!

And here's a stand for mushrooms. China has amazing mushrooms!

I come to the meat next. Not my favorite part. It smells like raw meat and, as you can see, there's a fairly reasonable explanation: it's everywhere.

And, with the intent of full disclosure, I have to admit that I am a raw meat germophobe! I have never liked it, but I deal with it. When I was pregnant with Sam, it would make me sick. I would go grocery shopping and every time I passed the meat aisle, I would have to exit to throw up. Ick. Matt ended up going shopping with me. He would get the meat and I would get the veggies. I loved it cooked, but couldn't stand it raw.

So, now I come to China and I have to buy meat in these open air markets. Even in the big chain stores like Carrefour and Walmart, people pick through the raw meat with their bare hands. It has taken me a long time to get over that. I'm still not really o.k. with it, but I try. Because San Yuan Li is a little far from my house, I usually get my meat from an open air market closer to where I live. Before I go, I make sure to have an extra bag, exact change, and hand sanitizer. I buy the meat with exact change, put it in my new bag (preferably without touching the slimy bag they put the meat in) and then sanitize. I take it home and wash the meat and freeze it and bleach the kitchen like crazy. Hanying thinks I'm nuts, and maybe I am. But raw meat is not for me.

It is, however, for these people.

I must admit that they have good seafood at San Yuan Li. I have schlepped their salmon all the way across the city (over an hour) on the subway and in taxis just so I could have it. It's pretty good, even if I find the buying part of the process repulsive.

And, speaking of repulsive:

Pigs ear, tongue, entrails, heart, feet, and other unidentified mushy stuff.

But did I mention the good seafood? Like lobster?!

And, if truth be told, here is the real reason I shop at Sanyuanli market:

cheese and dairy products

non-Chinese spices


pasta

oh, and a little more cheese.