Breakfast in a Rural Chinese Village — Everyday Life

for lunch. Rong: She eats here twice a day? Vendor: Whenever she comes to the market, she eats here for breakfast and comes back again for lunch. Vendor : If it wasn't good, she wouldn't keep coming back like that, right? Rong: That's true. JJ : Oh, you haven't had breakfast yet? Vendor: Not yet. I've been busy the whole time. Only now do I finally have time to eat. JJ: I see. JJ : Someone who's been making this for over 50 years and basically just cooks this dish every day… How could it not be good? Rong: Haha, right. The skill must be perfected by

now. JJ: Okay,try it out. JJ: Do you know what makes this really stand out? Rong: Hmm? JJ: The bean sprouts are incredibly crunchy. You can only get that texture with really high heat. And the shredded flatbread have great flavor too... JJ & Rong: Thank you so much! JJ: This gentleman is really kind. He must have thought we needed a bowl of hot soup. JJ: On a cold winter morning like this, a bowl of hot soup is just perfect. JJ : Ah… that feels so good. JJ: The noodles that gentleman was just eating are a local specialty. Rong: Let's go try that later

too. In some small counties across Hebei province, there's a humble local dish that generations of people have grown up with — buckwheat noodles. Unlike the wheat noodles most people know these noodles are made from buckwheat. But what really makes them different is how they're made. Instead of being pulled or cut, the dough is pressed through a special tool, shaping the noodles one strand at a time. Rong : Can I film a video? Vendor: Sure, go ahead. Rong: Wow, a lot of customers just came in. Vendor: You brought them all to me. You're my lucky star

today! Haha. Rong: Yes, haha! Customers can even press their own noodles. Press down hard on the lever one time, and out comes just enough noodles for a single bowl. JJ: Is this a common breakfast here? Vendor: Yes. It's a local specialty in this area. JJ: It's made from buckwheat, right? Vendor: Yes, and we also add bitter buckwheat. JJ: Does it taste bitter? Vendor: Just a little bit. JJ: Sometimes I drink bitter buckwheat tea. Vendor: Yes, bitter buckwheat tea is good for reducing internal heat. These noodles are also very healthy. Vendor : Yours is

ready. JJ: Okay, great. Vendor: These are the extras you asked for — braised tofu skin, and meatballs. JJ: Thank you. JJ: This kind of noodle is only eaten in a few places in China. It's made from bitter buckwheat. People say it has a slightly bitter taste, so if you're not from here, it might take some getting used to. Rong: Is it bitter? JJ: Surprisingly, the first thing I taste is actually a little spicy. Then the bitterness comes after that. Rong: That's a very unique flavor. JJ: It really is. JJ: Honestly, besides locals, not many people would

probably love these bitter noodles. I can't say I love them either, but I really enjoy trying unique local foods. Rong: That's definitely true. JJ: I was worried the noodles might not taste great, so I added some extra meatballs. Haha. JJ: This is braised tofu skin. JJ: Hmm…really good. Right now, the cook is making a large flatbread on a hot griddle — one of the most common staple foods in northern China. It may look plain, but this bread is surprisingly versatile. When it's sliced into thin strips and stir-fried with vegetables and sauce, it

becomes chao bing — the first dish you saw at the beginning of this video. but cut it into small chunks instead, then pour over a bowl of boiling beef broth and tender slices of braised beef... and the same humble flatbread transforms into another irresistible local favorite. JJ: When you pour the hot broth over the bread like that, is it to soften it? Cook: Yes, and also so the bread can absorb the flavor of the broth. JJ: How many times do you repeat that process? Cook: It depends on how much bread there is, but usually about four or five times. Once

it softens like this, it's ready. JJ: This beef-soaked flatbread reminds me of the lamb paomo we had in Xi'an. They're actually quite similar. Rong: Yeah, they are. JJ: The best way to eat it is like this — one piece of bread with a slice of beef. JJ: My mouth is already watering. Haha. The broth is slow-simmered beef soup, and the bread has soaked up all that rich flavor. It's honestly amazing. JJ: This is so good. The reason they don't just cook the bread directly in the soup is to keep some of that chewy texture. So instead, they pour the hot broth

over it several times. JJ: I really love this beef broth. And the best part is — you can actually get free refills. Rong: Thank you, sir! Owner: You're welcome. Take care. Rong & JJ: Bye! And we're not done with this flatbread just yet. Up next, it's cut into triangles, filled with meat, and rolled up to eat — turning the same humble bread into yet another quick street-side breakfast. JJ: Are there any vegetables you can add to this? Vendor: No. JJ: What kind of meat is that? Vendor: Braised pork belly. Vendor: Want a serving? JJ: Yeah. Vendor: Do

you prefer more lean or more fat? JJ: More lean, please. JJ: Oh, so it gets rolled up. Vendor: Yeah. JJ: Thanks. How much is it? Vendor: Eight yuan. JJ: We should find a bowl of soup to go with this. Rong: Let's go. JJ: I'll have one bowl with wontons and noodles mixed together. Vendor: Wonton noodle soup? JJ: Yes. 12 yuan? Vendor: That's right. Rong: The filling is lean pork, right? Cook: Yes, from the pork hind leg. Payment System: WeChat payment received — 20 yuan. Cook: This filling is shepherd's purse. Rong: So there's also some pork in that

filling? Cook: Yes, we add a bit of minced pork. JJ: Wow, those are pork hocks in the soup? Cook: Yes, the wonton broth is made from that pork stock. JJ: Thanks for helping us film. Rong: Haha, you're counting the wontons. Cook: Yeah, haha. JJ: Originally, I just wanted a simple soup to go with my wrap, but I ended up with a whole bowl of wonton noodle soup. JJ: This wrap is incredibly satisfying. It's a layer of flatbread with meat, then another layer of bread and meat again. Noodles don't taste as good if they sit too long, so I'll start with the

noodles first. JJ: This bowl actually has wontons in it too. JJ: Let me try a wonton first. When you eat wontons, it's best to take a spoonful of the broth with it — that's where the real flavor comes from. JJ: The wontons are really good. A lot of people in China love having wonton soup for breakfast. Vendor: What would you like? JJ: I'd like one fennel bun and a bowl of millet porridge. Vendor: The fennel bun will be ready in about four minutes. JJ: That's fine. We can wait. Smart cooks stick some vegetables on the bun's surface to show what filling

it has. If there are no veggies, it's a plain meat bun. JJ : Thank you! Vendor: You're welcome. JJ : Let's break it open first and take a look at the filling. I really love fennel buns. Rong: Wow, there's egg inside too. JJ: Fennel and egg, and chives with egg — these are two popular vegetarian bun fillings in northern China. Freshly steamed buns are incredibly soft. JJ: This is a very simple, light vegetarian breakfast, but the flavor is really great. Rong: Yeah. JJ: A good bowl of millet porridge should have a slightly thick, creamy texture. Rong:

That's a really healthy breakfast. JJ: Yeah, it feels very comforting to eat. This small shop is a local favorite. It has been run by the same family for two generations. In many small cities across China, you won't see many big restaurant chains. Instead, places like this are everywhere. Small family-run eateries. Short menus. And a few dishes they've been making for decades. In a moment, we'll be trying two of their longtime specialties: beef stuffed shaobing, and pan-fried beef pies. These are simple everyday foods. The kind of breakfast locals have

been eating here for years. JJ: The shaobing where I'm from is a bit different from yours. Cook: That's normal. Every place has its own way of making it. Cook : I'm a professional street caller, haha. Cook: Fresh sesame shaobing, just out of the oven! JJ: Wow, those shaobing look amazing. Cook: Fresh out of the oven is when they taste the best. JJ: Looks like you two work as a team — one cuts the bread, and the other adds the meat. Cook: Come over here and film from this side. It'll be easier for you. JJ: Oh, thank you so much. JJ: That's quite a lot

of meat inside the shaobing. Cook: Each one has about 50 grams of beef. Cook: The braised beef sells for 80 yuan per jin by itself. But this shaobing with 50 grams of beef is only 9 yuan — about $1.30. JJ: That's a great price. JJ: Wow… there's just so much good food here. Rong: Haha, which one are you going to try first? JJ: I'll start with the beef pie. I've been craving this one. JJ: Let me roll it up first. The beef inside is incredibly tender, and the crust has soaked up the flavor of the filling. Wow. Wow… this is amazing. JJ: So good, so

good. I need another bite. Rong: Go for it. JJ: This time I'm adding some chili. JJ: Now it's a spicy beef pie. Haha. Rong: You really know how to eat. JJ: The flatbread is wonderfully chewy, and the beef filling inside is juicy and tender. Rong: The craftsmanship is perfect. JJ: Next up is this combo — a beef shaobing with a bowl of tomato egg soup. The shaobing is stuffed with plenty of braised beef, and the outside is covered with toasted sesame seeds. JJ: I can't wait to try it. Rong: This shaobing is flavored with sesame paste. JJ: The first thing

you taste is the rich sesame aroma. Rong: They add a lot of sesame paste when making it. And the savory braised beef inside is really delicious too. The classic pairing for a beef shaobing is this bowl of tomato egg soup. The final breakfast in today's video is perhaps the most iconic food in Hebei Province — Donkey Burger. For many people outside this region, it's hard to imagine just how much locals love donkey meat. This part of China consumes an astonishing share of the world's donkey meat, and that demand has turned it into one of the most

expensive meats in the country. In fact, here in Hebei, donkey meat can cost nearly 10 times more than pork. But once you bite into a freshly made donkey burger — tender, slow-cooked meat tucked inside a crispy, flaky flatbread — you may start to understand why people here are so passionate about it. The background sounds are from the chef cooking while watching a video on their mobile device. Rong: What time do you open in the morning? Cook: We start at 5 a.m. Rong: That early? Cook: And by 5, everything is already ready to sell. Rong: Why do you

press the bun like that? Cook: Pressing it lets the steam out. Once it puffs up again, it means it's fully cooked. Cook: When the bun puffs up again, that means it's done. JJ: I'll take two with just donkey meat, and one with donkey meat and menzi mixed together. Cook: Sure. Eating here or taking it to go? JJ: We'll eat here. JJ: Wow, this burger is pretty small. Rong: Yeah. JJ: Let's take a bite. Rong: How is it? JJ: Wow… this is really good. JJ: Now I understand why locals insist the bun has to be freshly made. Only a hot, freshly baked bun can

really match the flavor of the donkey meat. JJ: It's amazing. Next time, we'll visit a breakfast market that has existed for hundreds of years. In this place breakfast is more than a meal — it's part of the culture, and part of daily life. See you in the next episode. Thanks for watching.