Fun Stuff!

I've been really busy lately, but here's some random stuff about eating and restaurants:

There are a total of nine Muslims in town. They're all Hui. It's impolite to say words for pork or pig around them. Their Imam runs a delicious local restaurant, and they go through an entire cow every three days. (if I remember correctly, a cow is about $450. a donkey is about $300.)

When eating, it's polite to toss bones (and other uneaten portions) on the table or on the floor.

Most restaurants have tables, but they tend to be below knee height, and have short benches or stools around them. Full sized tables are common, but tend to be reserved for the nicer places.

There isn't a single restaurant in town with a menu. To order, you look at a large fridge with a glass door and choose which veggies and meat you want cooked and how you want them cooked. It's hard for foreigners (even Chinese people) because outsiders don't necessarily know local dishes or vegetables.

Some of the best food is Chinese barbecue, and there's a couple do it yourself places in town. You sit around a table where there's a grate under which are hot coals (which is awesome because it's freezing) and cook meat, veggies, and (because it's a night-time thing you) drink baijiu.