Beijing Spicy Duck.

Since I'm not much of an Olympics fan, the closest I'm getting to thinking about the Chinese capital is in my adoration of the above dish: Beijing spicy duck. Known in the west more commonly as Peking Duck, establishments that specialize in this dish are instantly recognizable by the rows of deep red ducks hanging in their window.

Upon ordering, they deftly slice thin cuts of duck meat, arrange it neatly on a plate, and wrap it in plastic. The rest of the duck is chopped roughly with a cleaver, tossed into a sizzling wok, and fried with basil and chili sauce. All of this is tossed in a plastic bag, along with a stack of thin pancakes, a packet of green onions, and some tiny bags of hoisin sauce. Though sold at simple street-side stands, it's not street-food in the classic sense in that you can't pick it up and eat it as you stroll away. Instead, you take everything with you to assemble the meal at home. You wrap the sliced duck, rich dark sauce, and scallions in a thin pancake, and enjoy. The stir-fried duck and basil is a little too bony to wrap with- but it's delicious eaten on its own.