For his second contribution to this column, he shares a recipe for deep-fried pancakes with a warm cream and raspberry maple syrup.

WSJ: Martin Picard's Fried Pancakes With Warm Maple Cream Syrup | Slow Food Fast

Once the pancakes are fried and the syrup is ready, dig in.

WSJ: Martin Picard's Fried Pancakes With Warm Maple Cream Syrup | Slow Food Fast

The air is filled with the calls of the stallholders offering everything from the ubiquitous noodles to spicy Sichuan soup and Shangdong-style pancakes, deep-fried crickets and scorpions.

BBC: A Beijing state of mind