The Foreigners Dilemma

Many people have been asking me - how are you handling Chinese food, Jenn? Those who know me well, know that I love to eat healthy and rarely eat meat. So, how have I been faring with the local cuisine? Much better than I imagined actually.

One of the first things I did once I arrived in China was have a friend write down "I am a vegetarian but will eat egg" in Chinese. While this may solve one problem, Jim and I are faced with another issue; finding a way to politely eat enough of the five course meal brought to our table. Since then we've learned to be a little more specific when ordering. Surprisingly, these multi-course meals have only cost around six U.S. dollars.

Another tactic that's been helpful is walking into restaurants with picture menus or pictures on the wall. However, this trick backfired at the Wangfujing Snack Shop in Beijing. This outdoor night market sells anything you could think of on a stick: scorpions, starfish, lamb, candied apples, etc. We passed a few pretty horrible smells, so I played it safe and ordered tofu. What would you know, I ordered the one item in the whole market that gave off that rancid smell. I took one bite - and quickly spit it out. I later learned I ordered "stinky tofu," made from fermented milk and one of the most adventurous items at the snack shop. Go figure.   

Some of the best meals we've eaten have resulted in us going into a crowded restaurant with hotpots and asking for the most popular dish. We discovered a kind of spicy that actually makes your whole mouth tingle, and water only makes it hotter. We're looking forward to trying more spicy food in the Schezuan district when we head to Chengdu tomorrow.  

I will happily say that the food here in China is much better than most Chinese I've had in the states. Jim and I have been eating out for either lunch or dinner, and eating fruit or noodle cups bought at grocery stores for the other two meals each day. Other than the "tofu incident" every meal has been great and the service friendly. Tonight the owner of the restaurant sang the star spangled banner to us and shook our hands. How awesome is that?

Bon appitite!
-Jenn : )