Dinning in China
Apr 20th, 2006 by Yue
Baby Squid
One of my favorite things when visiting China is the food. Chinese food in China is nothing like what is served in most Chinese restaurants in the US. There are number of regional Chinesse cuisines, so everytime I go out with friends we first have to decide what cuisine we want to eat.
One of key things to understand about dining in China is that customers demand fresh ingredients. Whether its poultry, seafood or some sort of reptile, your waiter or waitress will often bring your perfectly live “dinner” into the dining room for your inspection. Once you give your approval, the “dinner” will be sent back to the kitchen and be prepared according to the menu. Most westerners find this gesture inhumane, and I have to admit I do also.
Anyway, its common for one section of a restaurant to look like a small farm or aquarium. Above are some pictures I took during my last trip to China from a seafood restaurant in the port city of Dalian (its east of Beijing).
Another surprise for westeners is that snake is considered a great delicacy. Once one of my customers offered me a huge snake for dinner. The waiter brought it over for my inspection - at that point I lost my entire appetite. Obviously I’ve lived in the US too long…
