Hot and Sweet!

In China, to purchase and eat a hot, baked, sweet potato is much like having dessert! For 1 RMB or less (12 cents) you can enjoy this delicious snack on a cold, wintry day such as this one in Beijing. These "portable vendors" can be anywhere; on neighborhood streets, or just outside a fancy office building. This one was very near Chairman Mao Memorial Hall at Tianamen Square. Although I didn't notice it at the time, it looks like these potatoes are sold by weight. Liyin enjoyed it very much. Me, the picky American eater, thought, "Huh? A baked potato without salt and butter?" Luckily, Liyin shared hers with me and I must say it was steaming, sweet and exceptionally delicious. We attracted quite the crowd when we purchased the potato. Apparently, American tourists don't normally buy food like this off the street. So about 10-15 Chinese folks watched intently as I bit into the portion of the potato that Liyin broke off for me and they all laughed when I said, in Mandarin, "very good, very good." And I did mean it. It was very, very good. :)