The chestnuts are here!

Winter time in China and Hong Kong are famous for roasted chestnuts. Even in a little town in Portugal, my friend Jess and I came across a little stand serving piping hot chestnuts in hastily folded newspaper cones. There's nothing like holding the little warm pebbles on a cold windy day. After Sunday's rain, Tianjin has suddenly gone cold. While it's still not really cold, there's been a 20 degree drop from mid-80s temperature to low 60s (yes, I'm still thinking in Fahrenheit). The last couple of days have been cold enough to require a light jacket when going outside. With the temperature change has come the chestnut peddlers with their roasting carts and stands.

Today, I went to one of the larger stands run by a big store/pastry place Daqiaodao 大桥道. The chestnuts are much smaller than the ones I've had in the U.S. and Portugal. These are half the size of the American ones. But what's really cool is that they give you a little plastic rake to pry the chestnuts from their shell. It's a really nifty little tool that helps you get the chestnut out whole, unbroken.

The smell of the chestnuts is amazing, like caramelized sugar with a smoky undertone. I kept sniffing the bag on the way back.