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Blondie in China takes her parents to the Inner Mongolian grasslands. Breakfast is salty milk tea with meat in it, handmade cheese and 'handheld meat'. They light a fire with cow poo, drive the Dada Xian highway with its rainbow center line, visit a volcano and listen to traditional throat singing. By the end of the day they agree that the region's well-known mutton hotpot and barbecue rank among the best in China. The trip is rough in places and often funny, and it's clear how much her parents enjoy it.
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Breakfast in a grassland yurt
Blondie in China brings her parents to the Xilingol grasslands in Inner Mongolia, where they stay with a local family in a simple yurt and sleep on the famously hard mattresses. Their first local breakfast is a mix they didn't expect: boiled mutton, milk tofu, toasted millet, and butter stirred straight into salty milk tea. The family is used to trying new food, but the strong mutton flavor is hard going for them. The cheese, on the other hand, goes down well.
The Dada Xian highway and Gezi Shan
After breakfast their guide, Jack, surprises them with lattes made from the milk of the cows outside. They drive the Dada Xian highway, known for the rainbow-colored line down its center, and pull off onto a quiet patch of the grassland to take photos away from other tourists. The green goes on in every direction, the air smells of cow poo, and the drone almost knocks dad's hat off. Next they visit Gezi Shan, an ancient volcano, and the view from the crater is spectacular.
Instant boiled mutton over a cow-poo fire
Lunch is instant boiled mutton hotpot. With no trees on the grassland, the family uses dried cow poo as fuel to heat the copper pot. The dish goes back to the time of Kublai Khan: the mutton is sliced so thin it cooks in seconds. Even as someone who knows China travel well, Blondie is amazed by the quality of the meat, and the dipping sauce of thick sesame and chive flower suits it perfectly.
Lamb barbecue and throat singing
The feast goes on with lamb barbecue cooked until it's almost caramelized. All through the day, Jack breaks into throat singing. The episode ends with her parents still working on the hotpot and a promise of a whole roasted Mongolian lamb in the next one. It's an honest and often funny look at real Inner Mongolian food and hospitality.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: Were sweet potato noodles part of the meal?
- A: Not in this episode. The milk tofu was the big hit instead: squeaky, a bit like halloumi, and the family loved it.
- Q: What surprised the family most?
- A: Probably using dried cow poo to light the fire for the hotpot. It has no smell and burns just like wood.
- Q: What does milk tea with meat taste like?
- A: Very salty and unusual, with a strong mutton flavor. It takes some getting used to, but they were glad they tried it and found it a great experience.
- Q: Is Inner Mongolian mutton really the best in China?
- A: It was very tender and tasty. The meat was so fresh it practically melted in the mouth, and the sesame dipping sauce went with it perfectly.
- Q: Why are the beds in rural China so hard?
- A: Locals believe hard mattresses are good for spinal alignment. Bring a topper if you prefer something softer.
