First Impressions
Right off the bat, let me say I was wrong. Nearly everything I thought about China was based on silly ideas comparable to people who think of Texas and envision us riding to school on horses. China was lovely! I would recommend that everyone put a trip to China on their bucket list.
My time there was split between Beijing and Shanghai. They are 2 of the most populous cities in the world. I thought the cities would be very gross and dirty. I thought the food would be disgusting road
kill that induced daily, if not hourly, gastroenteritis. I was terrified when I heard of the existence
of squat toilets, but it was too late to cancel my ticket. (Really . . . who thought those would be a
good idea -- a basin in the floor that you hover over to relieve yourself?)
Interesting side note: The posted Official State levels of pollution were ALWAYS much lower than those posted by the US Embassy. You can get the daily readings on your phone -- there's an App for that!
The city streets were surprisingly clean. I did see one lady callously throw trash in
the street (when a garbage receptacle was not far away) and generally, hocking
and spitting was all-too common, but other than that it was as clean or cleaner
than downtown Houston.
The Reason I Went
To be perfectly honest, I might not have ever gone. I wanted to, but just could never make it happen. Then, my little brother (14 years younger) told us that his wife was expecting a baby. I knew that I had to go see my niece. She is beyond adorable and I'll always appreciate that little Jacquelyn Leigh helped me make up my mind!
She was born on February 13, 2015 and she was one month old when I arrived to see her. She was a precious baby who rarely cried. But, if you wanted to check her lungs, you only had to try to bathe her. They (the lungs) worked GREAT!
Above: Xian ("Xi" is pronounced "Sh" so her name roughly sounds like "Sheyn") James and Jackie Goode.
Right: Our mom, Carolyn and Xian's mom, Jing zi Zhang, who is only 10 years older than I am! She does not speak any English, so "Jame-sah" (as she called him) had to act as translator between his relatives. She was there to help with the baby as new moms in China do not leave the house for a month. She is very sweet and also a fabulous cook.
I was worried about being served dog meat or USA-determined-inedible-parts of animals. The second half of that thought came from an excursion to the 99 Ranch Market on Blalock at I-10 in Houston. They sell sheep ovaries, pork testicles, and beef pizzle (yeah, it’s what you think it is) so I assumed that those were standard fare. But, I never saw any of that on a menu in China. As to the dog meat, I guess that is more Korea or Vietnam or maybe very poor rural areas. There was always plenty of chicken, beef, pork and fish. And, although I’m pretty picky in America for selecting organic produce and grass-fed, pasture raised meats, I thought the fruit and veg were very fresh and all the meat tasted just like meat in the USA.
Everything I ate was WONDERFUL! I tried things I’ve never had before. Of note was the Beijing Duck. (see, right) Wow! I never eat poultry skin except on chicken wings because it's just impossible to remove from them. However, the duck had a very crispy outer skin. It was a delicacy. It was served with cucumber and green onion “sticks” and little paper-thin wraps with duck sauce. I only ate a little meat and instead gorged on duck skin wraps. I did pay for it later. It was very rich and fattier than my normal diet, so my stomach had a small rebellion. Totally worth it, though.
One surprise was the level of spice. In the US, I only select menu items that have a little pepper beside them, denoting "very spicy." In this part of China, the food was generally very mild. Only when I ordered Hot Pot from a Szechuan restaurant did I find spicy -- and it was hotter than almost anything I've had at home!
I also tried western Chinese food. It has an Indian influence and I really enjoyed it.
Below: Szechuan Hot Pot -- red side is spicy, white is bland. Place the thin, carpaccio-style beef and lamb, along with a selection of veggies, noodles, etc. in the hot broth and cook at the table. Delicious!
There were lots of dumplings and plenty of vegetables. I liked everything I ate in China. I generally ate one big lunch per day and fruit with nuts or yogurt for breakfast and a dinner-snack. Perfect!
If you go, just be sure to brush up on your chopstick skills. Or, learn how to ask for a fork in Chinese. I kept having to remind my mother that saying it louder -- "FORK!" or more slowly -- "FO-ARK" did not help non-English speakers understand her any better.
Another good tip for eating: using your hands is very frowned upon in China. Funny, because they don't mind everyone putting chopsticks that have previously been in one's mouth into the family-style serving platters to get more food. One time, my mom was brought a disposable food-service plastic glove when she tried to eat a small (half) ear of corn with her fingers. While perfectly acceptable in the US, they seemed kinda horrified by it.
So, I spent 10 days without using a fork. I also realized that, while adept at using them, I do not use chopsticks like the Chinese do. The top ends of my sticks are farther apart, like a fulcrum. I noticed that Asians keep theirs close together at both ends. I will have to work on that . . .
I LOVE HOW THEY DRIVE IN CHINA!!! Honestly, I think they should start Chinese driving schools in the USA. Even in a 4 lane road, there are usually 6 cars abreast. There’s a lot of honking, but unlike NYC, it’s more of a courteous “here I come” than a rude “get out of my way.” Everyone takes turns politely. There’s a lot of people walking and a lot of cars driving and they make it work without being rude and pushy. (I talk more about taxis in later posts.) Just be careful crossing the street because people do not automatically have the right-of-way. Crossing is based on taking turns, both people and cars.
Right: Our mom, Carolyn and Xian's mom, Jing zi Zhang, who is only 10 years older than I am! She does not speak any English, so "Jame-sah" (as she called him) had to act as translator between his relatives. She was there to help with the baby as new moms in China do not leave the house for a month. She is very sweet and also a fabulous cook.
Oh, the food!
I was worried about being served dog meat or USA-determined-inedible-parts of animals. The second half of that thought came from an excursion to the 99 Ranch Market on Blalock at I-10 in Houston. They sell sheep ovaries, pork testicles, and beef pizzle (yeah, it’s what you think it is) so I assumed that those were standard fare. But, I never saw any of that on a menu in China. As to the dog meat, I guess that is more Korea or Vietnam or maybe very poor rural areas. There was always plenty of chicken, beef, pork and fish. And, although I’m pretty picky in America for selecting organic produce and grass-fed, pasture raised meats, I thought the fruit and veg were very fresh and all the meat tasted just like meat in the USA.
Everything I ate was WONDERFUL! I tried things I’ve never had before. Of note was the Beijing Duck. (see, right) Wow! I never eat poultry skin except on chicken wings because it's just impossible to remove from them. However, the duck had a very crispy outer skin. It was a delicacy. It was served with cucumber and green onion “sticks” and little paper-thin wraps with duck sauce. I only ate a little meat and instead gorged on duck skin wraps. I did pay for it later. It was very rich and fattier than my normal diet, so my stomach had a small rebellion. Totally worth it, though.
One surprise was the level of spice. In the US, I only select menu items that have a little pepper beside them, denoting "very spicy." In this part of China, the food was generally very mild. Only when I ordered Hot Pot from a Szechuan restaurant did I find spicy -- and it was hotter than almost anything I've had at home!
I also tried western Chinese food. It has an Indian influence and I really enjoyed it.
Below: Szechuan Hot Pot -- red side is spicy, white is bland. Place the thin, carpaccio-style beef and lamb, along with a selection of veggies, noodles, etc. in the hot broth and cook at the table. Delicious!
There were lots of dumplings and plenty of vegetables. I liked everything I ate in China. I generally ate one big lunch per day and fruit with nuts or yogurt for breakfast and a dinner-snack. Perfect!If you go, just be sure to brush up on your chopstick skills. Or, learn how to ask for a fork in Chinese. I kept having to remind my mother that saying it louder -- "FORK!" or more slowly -- "FO-ARK" did not help non-English speakers understand her any better.
Another good tip for eating: using your hands is very frowned upon in China. Funny, because they don't mind everyone putting chopsticks that have previously been in one's mouth into the family-style serving platters to get more food. One time, my mom was brought a disposable food-service plastic glove when she tried to eat a small (half) ear of corn with her fingers. While perfectly acceptable in the US, they seemed kinda horrified by it.
So, I spent 10 days without using a fork. I also realized that, while adept at using them, I do not use chopsticks like the Chinese do. The top ends of my sticks are farther apart, like a fulcrum. I noticed that Asians keep theirs close together at both ends. I will have to work on that . . .
Another thing I found amusing: So many KFCs, Pizza Huts and Burger Kings!
I don't know who that lady is. She stopped and posed as if I had asked her to be in the photo.
Getting Around
Speaking of rude and pushy . . . I realized how in America we deserve the term “perpetually offended.” I admit, I get mad when I’m just walking down the sidewalk or in a mall and someone bumps me. In China, the thought is, “it is crowded, you’re going to get bumped, get over it.” Honestly, the bumping isn’t done aggressively. People are just making their way. They don’t say “excuse me” for every little accidental contact. Otherwise, they might spend half their day saying it. And, if you use the subway, be prepared to feel like a sardine at some point!
There are more tourists in the Beijing area than Shanghai. Honestly, most people going to China will not go to Shanghai. But, if you do, just know that sometimes Chinese people will shout out "HI!" to you because they want to practice their English. In one restaurant -- where we were the only white people in the entire mall -- a little boy came to our table several times and just stared at us. On one subway ride, a college student struck up a conversation to practice her English. When she heard we were from Texas, she was star struck and asked to take a photo with us!
The people are generally very polite and I never felt unsafe.
There are more tourists in the Beijing area than Shanghai. Honestly, most people going to China will not go to Shanghai. But, if you do, just know that sometimes Chinese people will shout out "HI!" to you because they want to practice their English. In one restaurant -- where we were the only white people in the entire mall -- a little boy came to our table several times and just stared at us. On one subway ride, a college student struck up a conversation to practice her English. When she heard we were from Texas, she was star struck and asked to take a photo with us!
The people are generally very polite and I never felt unsafe.
