Regional Food Specialties & Western Options

With 33 provincial regions and 80 dialects and, it’s no wonder food choices will differ from city-to-city in Mainland China. It’s enjoyable experimenting with new cuisine, but what selections do westerners have to relish from home? In this discussion, Dietz & Bates will compare specialty dishes in Beijing and Chengdu as well as western food options.

Dietz: Beijing is a hotbed of culinary craziness. The city is home to a huge range of historically famous Beijing delicasies as well as a solid representation of virtually all types of Chinese regional food. While Peking Duck is the first thing that comes to mind, North Eastern Chinese food has a wide range of flavors and ingredients. My favorite food tends to be the street snacks available on nearly every corner. Fried dumplings, egg pancakes, and vegetable pockets comprise the vast majority of my meals, all of which are under a $1.

Bates: The most famous of all dishes in Chengdu is Hot Pot (Huo Guo). Virtually, every food item is used such as vegetables, meats, pig brain; the list goes on. It consists of a large communal boiling pot of extremely spicy broth that makes the mouth numb. However, it’s not only the food items that make the dish famous, it’s also the process. Grab your friends, throw in your favorite vegetable or meat to cook and enjoy good food with good friends. Other specialties are chao shou (dumplings) and fei pian (cows’ lung).

Dietz: Aside from the common western restaurants such as McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Subway there are many western cafes and restaurants in Beijing. However, they are the last place I will typically eat. The biggest stomach problems I have had here are from Western restaurants, not Chinese. This could be a result of a lack of familiarity with cooking thick pieces of meat, however I have had difficult experiences at Western Steakhouses in Beijing. For me, eating imitations of food from back home here just makes me miss it even more, so I stick with the cheaper, better, and healthier Chinese alternatives.

Bates: Although Chengdu lags behind Beijing, the number of western restaurants is growing steadily. The most famous western restaurant is Grandma’s Kitchen. Here, one will find hamburgers, steaks, pancakes, bacon and eggs which tantalizes your mouth if it has been awhile. Another famous restaurant is Peter’s Tex-Mex which specializes in burritos and fajitas. The burritos in Peter’s are amazing and taste much like the burritos found at home. Other restaurants include Shamrock Bar & Restaurant, and BBQ.

Dietz: One of the benefits of living here is the food. You can eat out very frequently and not break the bank. Also, the sheer number of restaurants in Beijing gives one a host of opportunities for trying anything and everything. You can eat out for every meal of the day for a few weeks and not frequent the same place twice, in your own neighborhood. While, on occasion, I do need a Subway fix or whatnot, every time I return to the States after a stint in China, I've lost 10 pounds and my blood pressure is lower. I chalk that up to the frequent use of fruits and vegetables in everyday foods.

Bates: For a quick fix, I often hit the local Metro or Carrefour (western supermarkets). Cheese, bread, are always on my shopping list and I often experiment with Chinese wine. Since Starbucks is so far away, I have since adopted a new drink called Coffee Cola (Kafei Kele), it's a version of coke black that tastes more like cola than coffee. Not bad, but not great either.

Dietz: I broke down and bought a drip coffee maker from a specialty store. That is one thing I cannot live without.

Some say that the best part of living in another country is the food. You get to experience tastes, smells, and flavors that you have never encountered. On the other hand, you're deprived of your comfort foods that you have grown to love your entire life, which makes them so much sweeter when you return back home. For those who have been here, this country can be a gastrointestinal nightmare for some, an absolute dreamland for others.