Black sugar cane

The black sugar cane is everywhere. It seems this delicacy, delivered on tricycles is most popular. The cane is peeled - often in the streets leaving a pile of shredded black "skin" on the pavement. The cane is then chopped into pieces abut 12 inches long, and handed to the customer in a plastic bag, which is used as a "handle" to hold it.

The customer chews off a chunk, chews and chews until the 'goodness' is gone and then the shreds of unwanted cane are spat out onto the road. So small piles of while shredded fibre appear all along the roadway, adding to the pollution.

It is a very popular delicacy. (not for me though!)

Big Umbrella on bike.

I thought I was imagining things as this tricycle passed by. A huge umbrella, fully open, protected the driver and his "wares" from the rain. He was selling roasted sweet potato which was cooking on a contraption on the tray of his vehicle. To see him riding with the umbrella fully open was quite a sight on quite a busy roadway. Other small vehicles would have just had to "duck" and weave past him.

Holding the tyre on!

This bicycle was in one of the side streets in central Shaoxing. It appears that the tyre is being held on by some rag. It may well be that the rag is to hold the rather balding tyres to the icy road early in the morning.

The cart is actually a rubbish cart - possibly one of the Shaoxing council vehicles, though I'm not sure. Rather amusing.

Meat Delivery

Chinese food handling laws and procedures are different to those in the west. Do you believe me?

Would you like your butcher to deliver meat like this?

The meat is transported from the market on a tray on wheels - no wrapping, just sitting on the wooden tray.

Then, with no gloves, the meat is picked up and put into the back of a tricycle for delivery, along with other items for delivery. No covering. The weather is very cold, but still I would have expected some different treatment of the meat