Andrew and Maddi Menich discovered Jianbing during a trip to China and fell in love with the crunchy and soft burrito-like breakfast meal that could be eaten without utensils.

Jianbing is a Chinese street food that they discovered on a trip to Beijing while visiting a friend in 2016.

“Every morning we would go out, and there are tons of food trucks around the city, but we went to this one and we got it every day,” Andrew said. “It was super cheap, probably less than a dollar. It was really flavorful and it was just really fun.

“I think most American tourists would go to Starbucks, but because we were with someone who really knew the city he took us to smaller places,” hesaid. “They loved it because they don’t get a lot of tourists coming to their shop. It was just a really cool experience. They took pictures of us and we took pictures of them.”

The flavor of the Jianbing was unexpected.

“You commonly associate cilantro and green onions with Mexican food, but this flavor combination kind of blew my mind. You can find a vendor that will put meat in it, but at least at the place we went to, they didn’t do that,” Andrew said.

To duplicate the recipe Andrew did research online. They also ate at the same place several times and he took notes.

There was a lot of experimentation.

“In China, Jianbing is strictly a street food and is almost never made at home, as it requires specialty equipment to make in the traditional way,” Andrew said.

He has been honing his method for years. For example, he spreads some of the ingredients with silicone brushes, instead of a standard paintbrush. A crepe spreader found in Switzerland substitutes for the tool he saw in China. The pan griddle combination used at the restaurant would spin, almost like a motorized potter’s wheel, which Andrew has not yet duplicated.

“They would use their fingers to spread the sauce, but somehow never burned themselves,” Maddi said.

“It’s really cool to watch them make it,” Andrew said.

Not all the ingredients have to be purchased from the import sections of the grocery stores, but he did recommend a few items: Sambal Oelek Ground Fresh Chili Paste, Frieda’s Wonton Wrappers and Assi Brand Mung Bean Starch.

The wonton wrappers can usually be found in the frozen food section of Chinese markets and locally in the refrigerated section of Walmart.

Mung bean flour is the traditional flour used to make the crepe, but it can be difficult to find.

“Omitting it will yield a slightly different texture, but the end result will still be delicious,” Andrew said.

He has also found that black bean garlic sauce can be used instead of bean paste, and it’s carried in the international foods aisle at the Bowling Green Meijer.

While on the China trip, the Menichs took in a lot of the common tourist sights: the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, the Olympic Bubble.

Because of the low cost of food, they really immersed themselves in the local neighborhood food culture.

Their friend spoke Chinese, but they could get around a bit on their own because Andrew had spent a couple years studying Chinese in high school and college.

Maddi and Andrew said that everyone was appreciative of their attempts to speak the language.

“Our favorite thing was immersing ourselves into daily life and going to places tourists don’t really go to,” Andrew said. “The people were very gracious. It was one of the most welcoming countries we have been in.”

At times, the attention they received was surprising. They have a photo, taken by their friend, where a crowd of at least 50 people had spontaneously formed, taking photos of the couple.

“People thought we were celebrities. They had never seen anyone like us, with our skin tone and hair. They were just fascinated with us. They thought we were famous or something,” Maddi said.

He explained that the Chinese people had never seen white people, except through the media.

The restaurant was next to a small park where they would watch people of all ages walking or exercising.

“It was definitely in an older section of town, it was a little grungy, but great,” Maddi said. “I would love to go back to China.”

The couple live in Bowling Green with their dog, an Australian cow dog and border collie mix.

“That’s the most energy you can place in one dog, but he’s great,” Maddi said.

Andrew is a web developer for Good Work, a small company based in Texas. She is a program manager at the Center for Regional Development at Bowling Green State University.