Foodie Experience #1

Everyone warned me that I may starve when I come to China because the food is "terrible". Believe me, easily shedding a few pounds because of bad tasting food was something I was secretly looking forward to. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.

Urumqi, China has some of the best food in China, according not only to my taste buds, but many other people's opinions. The Xinjiang province is known for having the best fruits in all of China. Because of the cold weather now, the seasons for fruit has passed but there are still many options to choose from. The Chinese markets are filled with fresh and dried fruits and many locals pick these for their number one snack; I think this is why all of them are so skinny! The worst fruit they have, and many Chinese will agree, is called Durian. It is a spiky fruit on the outside and a white, almost peach-like texture, on the inside. You only eat the inside part of the fruit and when you bite it, it is actually very pasty. The worst part about the fruit is the smell, it is so foul. Many hotels and grocery stores won't sell the fruit because the smell is so overwhelming. I couldn't get myself to even take a bite since my sense of smell is so strong but Curtis took a nibble and said it was probably the most disgusting thing he has ever eaten.

Another local favorite is meat, specifically lamb. They cook it in multiple ways - skewers (kabobs), polo (fried rice with carrots), and soups (with many herbs and veggies). I think the soups or stew is my favorite. The meat just falls right off of the bone and the broth and herbs add amazing flavor! Once you are done ravaging the meat, you simply place the bones on the table. Table manners are pretty minimal, to our standards, in China. The louder you slurp your soup or noodle dish is how you inform the chef the food is very delicious. You place your bones on the table or in mini trash cans, if they have them available. It is also rare that you find napkins on your table, sometimes they charge you 5RMB for a pack of napkins. Elbows on the table are common and it is okay to eat off of others plates; obviously this is something I need to adjust to because my table manners are so exceptional!

One type of food that is famous in all of China is called "Hot Pot". You are given either a large pot, or your own individual pot, filled with the broth of your choice. You boil the broth and add meats, vegetables, tofu, seaweed, noodles, and anything else that may suit your pallet. The broth flavors your food while it cooks. You may make your own dipping sauce to dip before eating which adds even more flavor. So far, this is one of my favorite things to eat in China. It is also a great social dinner to have because it lasts for hours and you can drink while waiting for your food to cook. You will leave with very full and satisfied bellies! The weirdest thing I have eaten at a hot pot, or in general, was cow stomach. It was black and bumpy but the taste wasn't too bad.

Yesterday I went to a Pot Luck lunch with my school. Everyone brought their favorite food for everyone to try. I was limited to what I could bring but I found some Kraft macaroni and cheese so I made a large portion for everyone to taste. It was pretty funny seeing the table filled with authentic Chinese dishes and then a large dish of dry mac n' cheese. Ronald brought a fish, a LIVE fish, that he had to kill and cook. It was served with the head and all!! They had spicy chicken, cooked with red chilies - spicy and delicious! They had tofu rolls, black rice noodles, sweet sticky rice with raisins and walnuts, and of course fruit!

In China everything you drink is either room temperature or hot. You cannot drink the water in China so a lot of the water is boiled before serving so drinking hot water is very common. Because of all of the meats and carbs eaten in Xinjiang, they drink certain teas that will help regulate your digestive tract. The tea tastes great and definitely works. Beer is usually served room temperature, unless you ask them otherwise. Another famous alcoholic beverage is the rice wine, which I spoke about in my Gainbei post. I finally tried it and it will definitely put some hair on your chest! It is super strong and taste a lot like black licorice.

So far I have had very tasty food here in China. I hope to learn some of the recipes so I can cook for some of you when I get back. Until then you will have to live vicariously through my words and imagine the taste. Bon' Appetite!

Pictures shown above (top to bottom):

Hot Pot with spicy and mushroom broth.

Muslim New Year lunch with lamb soup at the bottom of the picture and lamb in the center with onions and yellow carrots.

Durian, the stinky fruit.

Fruit cart in the outside market.