At a glance, Chinese pork strips look like bacon. Upon close examination they still look like bacon, albeit in long strips having an inch-square cross section. One difference is that they are very well cured, so well preserved that Asian markets may have a box of the strips left at room temperature like so much kindling. The flavor is distinct, with sweet spices along with allure of redundant pork fat. What more could a person want?

I noticed a package wrapped in white paper in the meat department of a Save Mart supermarket. What could be more mysterious in a meat product not wrapped in plastic? It turned out to be spiced pork double wrapped in heavy paper and tied with a string. The instructions were place the package in a 250 degree oven and cook for eight hours. Now there’s a recipe I can follow!