Islam: I could be in it for the food.

Sunday, we made our way to the Xi'an Great Mosque, a lesser-visited attraction in Xi'an, but one of the largest mosques in China. (Other more popular sights include Big Wild Goose Pagoda, City Walls, and the Forest of Steles Museum.) I'm so glad I chose this as my one Xi'an city site, as it was totally beautiful, a peaceful respite from the obnoxious honking and shouting from outside the mosque walls. The architecture was distinctly Chinese, but with Islamic influence. There was a gorgeous garden in several sections, a minaret:

Beautiful carvings everywhere:

And a grand worship hall that gave me a great sense of reverence:

Afterwards we wound our way through market stalls selling local (and maybe not so local) handicrafts. I dropped $20 on two pairs of intricately cut-out shadow puppets, and then another $30 on two beautiful Vermeer-esque oil paintings, portraits of Chinese minority-tribe women. There was something haunting and gorgeous about the paintings, and I knew if I didn't buy at least one, I wouldn't be able to think of anything else.

We then wandered down the Muslim Quarter, this bustling place filled to the gills with street food vendors, handicrafts stores, and a lot of hustle and bustle.

It was here that I cemented my everlasting love of Chinese Muslim food. I could eat it every day: sizzling lamb skewers, hand-pulled or knife-cut noodles, beautiful and tasty breads, and much more.

One dish to note is a local favorite called yangrou paomo, involving a savory lamb broth over which you break little shreds (or in my case, cubes) of bread, garnished with clear noodles and wood-ear fungus.

Also delicious hand-pulled noodles:

Upstairs, after we went to the bathroom, we discovered a small back storage room claimed as home by a gigantic macaw parrot! She was a very good parrot, who didn't squawk much but kept gnawing on the door:

We bought lots of edible goodies, including fried dried persimmons, dragon-beard candy with peanuts and walnuts, and lots of delicious fried things stuffed with savory meats and veggies. Oh, it was glorious.