Local Food
Food and Drink in China
There’s an enormous variety of food in China and you should relax your inhibitions and try some of the local cuisine. Do take care to ensure the hygiene of the food though. Raw meat and seafood should be avoided and it would be wise to check the contents of the dishes before ordering or you may accidently order dog meat. Generally rice is the main ingredient in the south and noodles are the main fare in the north. Famous cuisines include Peking Duck, Dim Sum, Fish Hot Pot, Dumplings and Steamed Buns. Fast food in China provides cheap, quick and tasty meals and is available from portable vendors and most convenience stores. Fast food chains such as McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut are also readily available in the major cities.
The Chinese love to have a drink and equally love to toast although this usually only involves two people instead of the entire group. Bear in mind that when you are offered to toast you are required to swig the entire glass rather than just a sip. The visitor is often expected to drink one glass with each person present so it is advised to exercise caution. Thankfully the glasses are usually small and Chinese beer is generally around 3% alcohol, however Chinese liquor is about 65% alcohol.
The most common alcoholic drinks in China are beer, red wine, Baijiu, Maotai and Chinese Brandy. Beer is available everywhere the most famous being Tsingtao, other brands are generally light beers or lager style. Red wine is also very common and usually quite cheap and not of good quality - in bars it is usually served on ice and mixed with lemonade! Baijiu is distilled liquor which is extremely potent and is usually referred to as white wine. Maotai is China’s national liquor and is quite sweet in taste and again is high in alcohol (56%-65%). Chinese brandy is very cheap and quite good tasting compared to other far more expensive cognacs.
Tea is common in China and the more popular varieties are Green tea, Jasmine tea and oolong tea. They are available in nearly all shops with most tea shops allowing you to sample the different varieties. Normal Chinese teas are drunk neat without the added sugar and milk. Coffee is becoming more popular but you may have trouble finding it in smaller towns. There are several familiar coffee shop chains in China such as Starbucks but coffee can also be found at KFC and McDonald’s. Many drinks are served at room temperature with water usually served hot. Cold drinks are available at grocery stores and restaurants but remember ice may have been made from tap water so should be avoided.
