Radio86 journalists Asa Butcher and Iona Orbinski-Vonk are travelling in China for the first time in their lives. Their destination is the fascinating Sichuan province - the home of panda bears. In this blog, Asa tells our readers how an Englishman is faring in the Middle Kingdom.

Click here to read Day Two...

Day three's blog is brought to you by Radio86, in association with Tsingtao Beer, or at least a few bottles of the brew that are merrily dancing their way around my bloodstream. Drink, or rather alcohol, has been strangely absent from my life for the past few days but tonight that was remedied, albeit courtesy of an... ahem... Irish bar.

However, do not fear my obviously devoted readers because I have been indulging in the curious culinary delights of Chengdu. Yes, I have have consumed some shameful, shameful items. I will begin my admitting, with my head held in abject shame, that I will never be able to look Mr Donald Duck, esq. in the eye ever again.

Tonight I discovered that I had been crunching upon the neck of a duck for a few minutes, blissfully unaware it may be a distant relation of Disney's pantless sailor-outfitted mallard. To my credit it wasn't to my taste and ended up in a napkin, but I damned well had a duck's neck in my mouth. How many of you can hold your hand up to that?

I have been well-informed that when it comes to ducks, chickens and pigs there is very little of the creature that is not considered edible in China, although some do draw the line at their collective anuses – is there a collective noun for anus? Anyway, even the anus is actually eaten by some but then we don't want to start promoting American fast food chains here, do we.

I have experienced the fiery intensity of the Chengdu hotpot, I have braved a street snack bar selling glorious beef noodles and eaten them with chopsticks, although the cream trousers were a bad choice this morning. I have slurped from a cup of funghi and pear juice, while other cuisines championed by Chengdu's citizens have been chomped, chewed and (ch)enjoyed by yours truly.

I hold my hands up that some of the slimier, sloppy meals on offer have not been to my personal taste, but I have tried all I can. It seems that tofu and I are yet to make friends but I simply put that down to the fact I am, and forever will be, a Butcher.

Click here to read Day Four...

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