Food in China Part 3, part A:

Ok, besides all the scary pictures and disgusting stories, how about some realistic expectation what’s good to eat and what’s bad to eat?

I am the bad news first person, so I’d like to prepare you for the worst before presenting any of the good stuff. But, I don’t really think people need help spotting something they like, and recommendations are hard to give due to personal palettes can be so different.

Anyway, here goes:

1. Avoid the Street Stall foods like a plague. Fruit on a stick, fruits, sausage, egg rolls, spring rolls, Chinese pancakes, grilled meat on a stick, roasted yams in drums, meat and veggies dipped in hot broth and etc. You will see this all over the place in China. They are cheap and plentiful, so, good eats, right? WRONG! Chinese news reports (whenever it’s not political, they have no problem reporting idiots) have found people spray painting (industrial paint) their fruits to make it look better and shinier. The tin/steel drums they roast yams with are usually pilfered off industrial waste sites that were used to contain industrial solvents, glues and really nasty chemicals. What about stuff made on the spot? Have you ever paid any attention why something is so cheap, how they make a profit and where they get their ingredients? Home made sausages made using meat scraps recycled from farms and butchers. Recycle the sticks they cook BBQ meats or Mai La Ton with.

Some might argue that millions of Chinese eat/buy this without problems. But you as a new comer don’t really have the skills and literally don’t have the stomach to actually deal with problems should they arise. I don’t know how skilled you are at picking grocery at home, but you ain’t prepare for what’s here. And should you fail in your choosing, your body will not be ready to deal with the disaster.

2. You will get sick/stomach pains at the beginning. Deal with it. I go through this almost every year. No matter how careful you are, you are bound to find that one rotten apple and eat it without realizing until it’s too late. Just remember to keep hydrated and plenty of rest. As a new comer, you will eventually get bowel pains. That means your body is adjusting to the food here. A doctor once told me that most westerners just don’t have the enough E Coli in their bodies to digest the food in China, therefore, they need to go through that first 2 weeks to get more.

3. Picking restaurants is an Art. China has 8 big regional cuisine influences. i won’t go into what they are. The Chinese idea of “western” food usually leaves a lot to be desired. Combine this with the difficulty of finding good staff and lack of decent local produce, you have an extremely competitive industry running in its hamster wheels. A lot of media sources would like you to believe that there are a lot of hip and happening restaurants that are just like home in Beijing or Shanghai. Take that with the same attitude that you take everything that comes out of this country, with a salt lake. So how do you find a good restaurant that suits your delicate taste buds? Make some expat friends that speaks fluent Chinese. There are very few decent media sources that are trust worthy (most of them start with good intentions but usually ends up being a advertising platform). Quite a few expats have gone through what you are experiencing, and most of them usually have an unpublished mental list of decent restaurants, Western or Chinese.

Outside of that, here are some ground rules:

A. Is it busy? MOST of the time, this rule, well…, rules! The Chinese logic is thus: If a place is busy, that means some of the food is decent, and since they are churning out lots of dishes, most of the stuff is fresh. I’ll be frank, this rule HAS failed me before, and a touristy place with lots of tourists usually doesn’t a great restaurant make. You might want to watch the demographic that walks in, and judge for yourself.

B. Is it a Chain? Chain style restaurants, despite the bad press they get at home, are usually held to a higher standard in China. After all, they are trying to make or sustain a brand in a very competitive industry. They usually face greater scrutiny in terms of food safety and health inspections. My black Chinese joke goes like this: If there is something wrong, I can scream murder and claim in western media that they are trying to poison a westerner. Then I’ll sue them. *wink* By the way, a lot of Chains that you are used to may not be the same as back home due to Chinese ownership laws. Starbucks is an notorious example of not holding up their image and service in Beijing compared to home. Pizza Hut is a interesting example of turning a humble pie into an high class restaurant and succeeding.

C. Is it brightly lit, clean, and do the waiters waitresses look like they will have a job tomorrow? This is self explanatory.

D. How long has it been in business? Longer doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better . (ouch, I made a funny) But if the place has survived for at least 1-2 years, that means it has something going for it.

4. Know your palette. Most westerners(especially North Americans) are used to westernized Chinese food.

Sorry to cut this short, but there are more fires to put out, so I’ll be back to finish this.

I am going to update this section with a new post to avoid confusion.