Would You Do Flips for This Roujiamo?

Woosh … woosh … klomp! Upon entering the Shoupiaoyuan Park (售票员公园, "ticket seller park") the first thing you’re likely to see is an 80-year-old Chinese man doing gymnastic flips on government provided parallel bars. Looming in the center of the park is a giant statue of a woman ticket-taker from the Beijing Bus system; it’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen. At the southern tip of the park, past the games of mahjong, Chinese chess, and chain smoking, you can smell it – that distinct scent of fermented yeast from fresh bread and a salty, savory stew that gets your salivary glands tingling with anticipation. Only then do you see it’s coming from an unassuming stand with an old umbrella and twin tiebans with simmering pots. 

Roujiamo (肉夹馍) is a Shaanxi specialty that you can find on the street all throughout Beijing, but in my experience, nowhere else hones the craft of slow-cooked pork and flakey flavorful buns, as much as this humble establishment. The meat is slow stewed for almost an entire day and infused with over 20 different kinds of spices. The meat doesn’t just fall off the bone, the bones run away from the meat – literally separating themselves and yielding silky marrow to the dark soy cooking broth.  

Each roujiamo is made to order – the meat is taken straight from the pot and set onto a round wooden board where it is chopped with a fresh jianjiao pepper, splashed with precious cooking liquid and pressed firmly into a toasted crispy sesame roll. Paired with a Beibinyang (北冰洋) the only beverage that should accompany this hearty treat, it’s truly the lunch worthy of elderly athletic champions and you. Just don’t try to compete with the older generation on the gymnastics bars – it will not end in your favor.  

Roujiamo Stand
Sanlihe lu (三里河路) and Xizhimenwai Nanjie (西直们外南街)
Southwest of Beijing Zoo Station (Line 4)

Photos: Marissa Kennedy