A Steady Diet of MSG 10

                             Baozi in the Muslim Quarter, Xi'an

         Baozi is essentially steamed dumplings containing ground meat(usually pork) or vegetables.  You dip them in a vinegar/  la jao sauce that is very spicy.  They're served on the  wicker baskets that they were steamed on.  This was perhaps my favorite Chinese snack.   Cheap, tasty and filling, they were the perfect complement to nights of swilling cheap 3.2 beers outside on a street corner, watching groups of men play dice games and shout things I didn't understand while dogs ran around looking for scraps to eat.

                                                                                                                                          
                                                   Hashbrowns at the  Market in Lijiang