When the Mongols, who eat anything, refer to a place as a “Hungry Desert,” you had better assume it’s for good reason. There’s nothing in the Gobi to consume but brackish water drawn from sandy wells and whatever livestock you’ve brought along. But the rigors of the passage are not without their cultural attractions. Have your sketchbook handy when the drivers from the camel train prepare their dinner by slicing open the skin of a living sheep and reaching between its ribs to squeeze the life from its beating heart. In this bloodless slaughter, the nourishing juices from the animal’s vital fluids keep the flesh moist and succulent.

Before dressing and cleaning the carcass, the grill master will first carve out the raw brisket, skin and all, to fling upon the coals. Thanks to the quality of the meat and the method of butchery, you won’t need seasoning to appreciate this quick-fix steak, but do make sure to scrape off the singed wool before tucking into your rustic fireside dinner.

Eating in the Empire of the Great Qing

The view from a distance of the Great Wall snaking across the far ridge line will be a welcome sight after the rigors of the desert crossing, for here is the gateway to the sumptuous bounty of China. Having the rare distinction of admittance to the realm of the Great Qing, you’ll begin to enjoy the flip side of the arduous entry process: You are one of very few international tourists in a place where a host spares absolutely no expense to entertain a guest. So save space in your camel train to transport the countless fruit baskets you’ll receive at every village from here to Peking: watermelons and walnuts, sweet and bitter oranges, peaches and apples, chestnuts and muskmelons.

Local notables will throw daily banquets in your honor. A typical North China banquet includes several varieties of tea and a smorgasbord of meats: roast pig, mutton, poultry and venison. Servants carve the roasts into bite-sized portions for the guests. The tables are set with napkins, not of old laundered cloth but luxurious paper squares, and little saucers of pickles and bitter herbs, and bowls filled with broth, or heaped with noodles, or piled with steamed mantou. For dessert, expect a spread of fruits and cakes. The host may hire an opera company or jugglers or circus acrobats to perform at designated intervals, or host an exhibition of quail-fighting, which scholarly types consider a more refined pastime than the vulgar sport of cock-fighting.