I loved Chinese food, even before I came to China. Then I had to realize: it is something totally different to get it here than back home. There are so many more things to choose between, and also the same things taste different. Every city has their specialties and every region has a different cuisine.
I will not pretend I am an expert, because I’m not – I just really enjoyed it: Peking duck in the capital, the muslim food in Xi’an, a variety of local dishes in Yangshuo, the vegetarian buffet at a buddhist monastery, hotpot in Kunming, and the juicy dumplings that you can get anywhere, at any time of the day. And then there is street food. Probably not prepared in the most hygenic environment it is absolutely delicious. And very affordable, once you know how much things are supposed to cost here! I also very much liked the night markets. The first one I went to was in Beijing, just off Wang Fu Jing street, clearly set up for tourists. Thus it looked more “Chinese” than the other ones I saw later on my travels. I tried some of the “freaky” things (which most locals I asked have never tried!): snake, frog, scorpion; and others. They all did not taste as bad as they sounds – with the right seasoning they actually make for a good (although expensive – and inhumane) snack. There was also deep-fried meat, supposedly dog and cat, but it could have been anything, really… The only problem with Chinese food: it’s the same for every meal: If you are OK with rice or noodles for breakfast – great. But if you prefer muesli, bread or dairy products I can garantee you a hard time looking for anything adequate; my personal success rate was very low. Eventually I realized that I had to change my habits, I was in China after all. So noodle soup, fried rice and dumplings it was…
