二。Taste real China
If you think you love Chinese food now, then wait until you get to China and taste real authentic Chinese food. Everyone's got their own favourite local Chinese takeaway. You might even know what numbers to call out over the phone when you order your usual favourites on a Friday night - but the 'delicious' guilty treat that comes in a plastic tupperware box with some complimentary prawn crackers is far from the real deal.
Hot pot set up (火锅）
As a foreigner in China, it's not hard to come across a 'western' restaurant to eat all the things you're used to. Even I was prone to going for pizza every now and then when I wanted to change things up but for the most part, I ate Chinese food so as to integrate myself into the culture as much as possible. Over the course of the year, I've managed to visit many Chinese cities and one of the main things I attempt to do is to try THE must-eat thing. Without this goal, I wouldn't have tried some of the best food I've ever tasted or developed new favourite things to eat. RouJiaMo (肉夹馍) in Xi'an is genuinely one of my favourite things ever and I'm certainly going to miss being able to get it from a street vendor if I get a craving.
RouJiaMo (肉夹馍) in Xi'an
One of the greatest things about Chinese cuisine is that it is so varied. Each province or city has their own speciality, and for the most popular types of food (noodles, dumplings, bao etc), there's still a lot of local variation. Take for example Tianjin, where I've been living for the past year. Tianjin specialises in 'snacks'; from fried dough twists to 'fried ear hole cakes'. The municipality is also famous across China for its 'Go Believe' baozi (a white bready bun, typically filled with meat). Tianjin also lays claim to a famous egg pancake based breakfast food called 'Jian Bing Guo Zi' (煎饼果子)- although I have come to find out that it's sold and eaten over much of China, but it does indeed taste a little different depending on where you are. But that's my point exactly. No matter where in China you are, you can be sure the typical cuisine has a local take on it, making it hard to resist sampling all food to discover its variation.
Sharing food with newly made friends
The food culture in China is also centred around sharing food. It is common for families or groups of friends to cook or order many dishes to be shared amongst the entire table. I'm used to this style of eating at home but I don't think I ever truly appreciated the sociability of this kind of food culture until I came to China. Not to mention the fact that you get to try so much more than if you simply order one thing for yourself. It's a complete win-win situation for all!
Yak, mushroom and mint in Yunnan Province
Provincially, each place also has its own 'thing'. Whether it's the spiciness of Sichuan, the Peking duck of Beijing, the dim sum or morning tea of Guangdong or the yak based meals in Yunnan - there is simply so much to try and it's all delicious in its own way. For the more adventurous, China also serves some of the strangest foods I never thought I'd become so fond of. Personally, I've taken quite a liking to spicy duck neck but it does get even more odd with the likes of snake or the stomach of various other animals appearing on menus.
Fried scorpion on sticks found in the snack streets of Beijing
All I know is my eyes have been opened to so much more in terms of Chinese food. I've always appreciated it. In fact, my Dad is a chef so the food I eat at home has always been top quality Chinese food but it has to be said, my Dad has to step up to the plate now I've discovered so much more about the taste of China. It's not all sweet and sour chicken or egg fried rice - there's a whole lot more to explore and China is the place to do it if you want to do it right!
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