Revisit the old city quarter in the morning to shop for souvenirs again and cover areas that I missed last evening.

Visited a small shrine that is typical in shantou. Broken pieces of porcelain is used for decorating the roof of the temple. Migrants here brought this skill to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Therefore, our Chinese temples share many similarities.

Opposite the temple is a store selling street snacks and I had the traditional rice dumplings. Rice and ingredients are wrapped in bamboo leaves and cooked. The fragrance of the leaves infused the rice and together with an assortment of ingredients created a memorable experience for me. That’s exactly how my grandmother made rice dumplings. A taste that was lost to me for 40 years.

In my last trip to Bangkok, I had oyster omelette and was impressed by their effort to follow the original recipe from shantou. Naturally, I made it a point to try the original version this time. Oyster omelette here is created with an abundance of fresh little oysters. Due to oyster farms just off the coast, oysters here are fresh and sweet, without any fishy smell. Crispy omelette with tender soft oyster creates a wonderful snack.

Today is another day of non stop dining. Dinner is the Shantou version of the famous Japanese Shabu Shabu.

Swish the beef in the boiling soup for 10 seconds and it’s good to eat. Remember to create you own sauce at the sauce counter to enjoy the meal. And this cost around USD 20.

Food is definitely a key attraction in Shantou, China.

May all be well and happy.