I miss cheese too/two

Day 19 - Xi'an - 6862km travelled

We've cracked. We were trying to stay strong until Beijing, but the cravings for western food were too great. What I want most is beans on toast, with a little bit of cheddar cheese and a splash of Lea and Perrin's, but the chicken burger and fries we're currently munching are a good alternative.

Not that our culinary experiences haven't continued to be good, it's just there are only so many noodles you can eat in a week. On our last night in Jiuzhaigou we found real Gong Bao Ji Ding, and felt pretty smug because we both thought it needed to be a bit spicier. "What's all the fuss about Sichuan food being spicy?" was what I'd started to think to myself...

That was until last night when we tried 'hot pot'. We had the good sense to choose the medium spice level, and good job because it was very much like the name suggests - HOT!

It was basically a pan of chilli oil with extra chillies, a chicken (including the feet) and potatoes. It's served with a bowl of spring onions and you'll never guess, more chillies (see photo below - and don't be thinking we were drinking giant beers, they serve beers with the tiniest glasses/cups). It was only halfway through Julian pointed out it probably wasn't the smartest meal to eat before a 12-hour bus journey. But we made it to Xi'an without any mishaps, and now we've had a fix of western food are looking forward to sampling what culinary delights Shaanxi province has to offer.