Adventures in Eating Chinese Food

By Bettina Stephenson

July 18 2008

If you are a picky eater, I can see where eating out in China can sometimes be an unpleasant experience. Even though I definitely fall into that category, I'm surprised to say that I have rarely had an unpleasant meal here. I always try everything that's offered to me, and only a couple times have I tried something that I would never want to eat again.

My best Chinese food experience so far in Beijing was found by going down a dirt alley and walking into a random restaurant. It was interesting to see that most of the restaurants prepped and cooked the food outside since they are so small and don't have space for a full kitchen. When I sat down at the restaurant I was presented with the Chinese menu, but ended up ignoring it since I couldn't read it and ordered my meal by pointing at dishes on other tables and pictures of food displayed on the wall. What I ate, I don't really know, but it was delicious!

I have come to rely on the pointing method to order food at restaurants and so far it's worked out well. The photo I uploaded documents the one time that this method was not so successful. It was taken at one of the upscale restaurants located on the CUC campus. From that particular dining experience, I learned that many Chinese foods are served "complete." Chickens will have the head, beak and feet still attached. Fish heads and tails are not removed.

By Bettina Stephenson on July 19, 2008 1:58 AM | Permalink