Sugarcane and able.

Funny how you can shop in a city for near 4 years and still be surprised from someone's recommendation as to where to try.

Step forward Joe, one of my colleagues from work, who mentioned about a small Chinese shop/stall/hut/thing in the Green Market in the centre of Newcastle.

Went there this afternoon after work for a little look-see and will be going back tomorrow cash-in-hand to supplement my kitchen as there's some serious stuff to be tried. Spices, drinks, snacks, sauces and something resembling baby octopus tentacles. Guess which one in that list I'll not be buying. It's a wonderful little gold mine of odds and ends and it's about time things like seven spice found their way back into my cooking.

It being a hot day my slightly unhinged ability to grab random things I've never heard of (because I'm basically stupid) took over when I hit the drinks fridge. A random glass bottle was chosen - a green one because, well, green is good, right ?

(Click for even more green)

Turns out I'd picked up some "Sugarcane Juice" from Hung Fook Tong which, I now find out, promises 'promoting fluid generation' and to 'regulate function of stomach'. That last bit is just as well - my stomach has been far too rowdy of late.

I have absolutely no idea of how to describe it. You can tell it's fruity and it's obvious that it's basically a natural sugar but that's where my ability to put the flavour into words ends. The smell, taste and aftertaste are all entirely different and I'm not sure whether each sip makes me want to vomit or dive straight back in for another slug of it. This is exceedingly odd.

As you'll see from this traders page it's just one of their range and I'm now dying to try the 'Common selfheal fruit-spike' to see if it does 'Quench fire in the liver' and 'clear internal pathogenic heat'. Expect that on my list for tomorrow.

Not the tentacles though - I'm not that adventurous.