Have a Taste of Hot and Spicy Crayfish in Beijing

Over the past few years, China has found itself in the grip – or should that be the claws – of a new food fad: the crayfish. Have you ever eaten spicy crayfish? Let’s count the expats eating hot and spicy crayfish at Guijie, a famous street full of delicious food in Beijing.

In ancient China, “Gui” referred to a food container with a wide, rounded shape from the side and usually two handles. A street named after this container, Guijie is undoubtedly a paradise for gourmets from both home and abroad. When night falls, red lanterns light up the street extending west from the Dongzhimen Overpass to Jiaodaokou East Street. Every restaurant there serves hot and spicy crayfish. Some joke that the best way for foreigners to get close to locals is to share hot and spicy crayfish in Guijie. Many foreign embassies are near Guijie, so the area is usually teeming with foreigners working in Beijing. A bowl of hot and spicy crayfish encapsulates the prosperity of China and works wonders for depression.

Crayfish is a savory snack as well as a nice dinner. There are a wide variety of crayfish flavor choices in China, including spicy flavor, mixed flavor with 13 condiments, beer flavor, garlic flavor, curry flavor and braised flavor. For around 15 $ per person, you can enjoy it with a couple of friends in a restaurant, or just pick up your phone and ask for some takeaway to gobble through while watching South Korean soap opera.

Copyright: SKETCHES OF CLASSIC BEIJING, China Pictorial Press

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