Food, glorious food!

April 16, 2014

A friend asked me to talk about some of the food I eat here in China.  As I eat something different everyday (I love eating at the college cafeteria and at home) I can’t really give a deep explanation or description for everything.  What I will do today is tell you about the single most expensive meal I have eaten on campus.  It cost a whopping ¥8.5, which is equal to about…$1.35.  Yup, so expensive!  Usually, I can eat lunch AND breakfast there for about ¥10 to ¥12, so about $1.59 to $1.90.  Let’s not talk about the buffet I went to with fellow English teachers last night that cost…¥65!  That’s about $10.32.  I’m disgusted.  But the company was good.

So, today for lunch I ate my ¥8.5 meal.  It was served on a small metal tray, about 9” by 5”.  On the tray, they served rice (filling about 2/3 of the tray) with some vegetables (I think stir fried).  On top of the rice, there was a square of tofu (it was shaped like a big ravioli, but had no filling), a boiled egg (I think it was soaked in soy sauce), and a duck leg!  Yes, I ate duck for the first time (I think…).  It wasn’t bad, either.  Oh, and I ate all the meat with chopsticks!  I learned that in China if you have good manners you touch your food with your fingers as little as possible.  For example, if you eat a burger, you keep the wrapper between your hands and the food.

Returning to the dish, the vegetables had a light broth that soaked the bottom of the tray, including the rice. There were a variety of vegetables including bean sprouts, cucumber, a summer squash (it looks like a mix between Italian squash and yellow squash), and some shredded vegetables, which I think included carrot.  Overall, the vegetable had an orange-ish yellow coloring, with green and red highlights.  The duck leg had a layer of fat over most of the surface.  The meat was tender and salty; it came off the bone easily and melted in my mouth.  The egg, soaked in soy sauce, was salty, too, but not too salty.  The tofu was firm and mild.

We also drank a green bean smoothie (I think soy based).  My two lunch buddies, 李豪 and 薛正正, two university students, have introduced me to the 豆浆, or “bean milk,” which is served hot.  It’s an enjoyable addition to our meals.  While today we drank green bean milk, 绿豆豆浆, there is also red, 红豆豆浆, and yellow, 黄豆豆浆.  I actually haven’t tried the yellow yet, but I like both the red and green.  The flavor is mild and slightly sweet.

I’m not sure if it’s the quantity or quality of food that I have been eating here, but I think I have lost weight!  And with how much I enjoy my meals (and look forward to the next), it isn’t because I haven’t been eating…though I do find myself hungry lately.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about me disliking meat, I don’t plan to change my ways when I come home.  The way Americans eat meat just seems so different.  Meat seems to be the motive for the meal.  In China, meat seems to be a feature, but not the focus.  It’s a lot easier for me to eat.  (Honestly, “American” cuisine tends to be my least favorite when meat is involved.  I enjoy Mexican meat dishes more than Euro-American any day.)

Well, that’s enough about food, today.  Maybe I’ll feature my favorite breakfast dish at the cafeteria, soon.