Other than Kung Pao chicken, there’s a definite disconnect between Chinese food in China and in America...don’t bother waiting around for a fortune cookie either. The one similarity is that dining is a group event - plates are meant to be shared - so if you are dining alone the portions will be relatively large. Outside of Beijing the food was rarely outstanding (compared to India, South Korea, SE Asia, and Japan) but was usually at least an entertaining experience figuring out what to order and then guessing what you were eating. Dining in China is much more about the variety and the experience. If you really want good Chinese food visit Hong Kong and I can point you in the direction of some really good restaurants but in mainland China it is much more of a hit and miss experience.
Other than researching Peking duck restaurants in Beijing I chose where to eat by walking around. If a place is busy, particularly in a high traffic area that doesn’t singularly guarantee a good meal - the place could be packed with Chinese tourists with limited awareness of whats good in the area. I thought it was important to not just research specific restaurant but also be aware of local specialties and regional cuisine. Just as places in the U.S. are known for a specific dish - Philadelphia Cheese Steak - cities in China have the same level of specialty.
When you decide on a restaurant most, if not all, of the time the menu will be in Chinese. In these situations I thought it was useful to walk around the restaurant and hand gesture (not point) at a meal instead of guessing what a picture of the food may actually represent. Most Chinese are good natured enough to understand the humor of a Westerner walking around the restaurant and "pointing" at food rather than being able to verbally communicate an order.
The Primary Food Category is "Things on Sticks". I noticed that the Chinese had a certain affinity for food with a stick placed through it, such as meat, fish, or potatoes, and then either grilled or fried. There were massive lines for street food of this variety. The Chinese also seemed drawn to any sort of manual presentation particularly around the creation of candy and other sweets.
There are two national beer brands: Harbin and Tsingtao. When you reach the cities of Haerbin and Qingdao, where each of these beers are brewed, you'll notice a much higher consumption of alcohol. Otherwise beer is very much regionalized - i.e. in Guangzhou I had this amazing beer called Pearl River Delta (named after the region) but I wasn't able to find this beer anywhere else in the country, even in nearby Hong Kong.
There are also two brands of ice tea I could not drink enough of. The first is a red can with yellow lettering and has advertisements throughout China. It's a bit sweet compared to another brand that is in a rectangular plastic bottle. I liked this brand better and the only distinguishing market I can tell you is that there's an image of a bad ass, red horse with a braided mane, on the bottle. Unfortunately this ice tea is not available in Hong Kong either.
Other than researching Peking duck restaurants in Beijing I chose where to eat by walking around. If a place is busy, particularly in a high traffic area that doesn’t singularly guarantee a good meal - the place could be packed with Chinese tourists with limited awareness of whats good in the area. I thought it was important to not just research specific restaurant but also be aware of local specialties and regional cuisine. Just as places in the U.S. are known for a specific dish - Philadelphia Cheese Steak - cities in China have the same level of specialty.
When you decide on a restaurant most, if not all, of the time the menu will be in Chinese. In these situations I thought it was useful to walk around the restaurant and hand gesture (not point) at a meal instead of guessing what a picture of the food may actually represent. Most Chinese are good natured enough to understand the humor of a Westerner walking around the restaurant and "pointing" at food rather than being able to verbally communicate an order.
The Primary Food Category is "Things on Sticks". I noticed that the Chinese had a certain affinity for food with a stick placed through it, such as meat, fish, or potatoes, and then either grilled or fried. There were massive lines for street food of this variety. The Chinese also seemed drawn to any sort of manual presentation particularly around the creation of candy and other sweets.
There are two national beer brands: Harbin and Tsingtao. When you reach the cities of Haerbin and Qingdao, where each of these beers are brewed, you'll notice a much higher consumption of alcohol. Otherwise beer is very much regionalized - i.e. in Guangzhou I had this amazing beer called Pearl River Delta (named after the region) but I wasn't able to find this beer anywhere else in the country, even in nearby Hong Kong.
There are also two brands of ice tea I could not drink enough of. The first is a red can with yellow lettering and has advertisements throughout China. It's a bit sweet compared to another brand that is in a rectangular plastic bottle. I liked this brand better and the only distinguishing market I can tell you is that there's an image of a bad ass, red horse with a braided mane, on the bottle. Unfortunately this ice tea is not available in Hong Kong either.