Chinese Food

Photos by Debbie Stock

Our first meal in China the day we arrived was a preview of things to come—and the reason many Americans begin looking for and begging to stop at McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut and yes, even Sizzler!

Every meal consisted of dishes with bean sprouts cooked in oil, cabbage fried in oil, meat in brown sauce cooked in oil and rice. The oil (grease) left a pool or residue on plates. When asked why everything is so oily, one Chinese resident explained that it's believed people outside China would not purchase the food without so much oil. They would think Chinese foods taste bad due to the powerful fermented sauces used in cooking. Its odorous taste and smell is easily disguised through use of peanut, soy or vegetable oil.

Several hotels we stayed in served American-style breakfast with eggs & sausage, pancakes, cereal, toast and croissants to the delight of travelers. Breakfast meals were extremely popular with  people who clamored for comfort foods from home.

All I wanted was extra time in the morning in my hotel room with a strong cup of espresso with whole milk. My calls for room service and the service delivery were hilarious! I received several return phone calls asking for clarification of what I ordered.  Amazingly, I did manage to receive some tasty coffee, making the communication snags worth the effort to receive delicious coffee in a teapot!

At Yuyuan Bazaar in Shanghai we were tasked with rounding up travel companions so we could head back to the hotel for the night. We eventually found them looking ever so satisfied eating chicken nuggets and Haagen Dazs ice cream at a McDonald's. The nuggets were described as "different" with the unusual meat possibly not chicken. (McDonald's has over 3,800 restaurants in China.)

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