Xi’an

The smoke from a hundred grills hangs thick in the air. Skewers of lamb sizzle over charcoal, their fat dripping onto red-hot coals and sending up bursts of cumin-scented flame. Vendors shout prices in Mandarin while their hands move in a blur—stretching noodles, flipping pancakes, ladling stew. The narrow alley is so packed you have […]