| Chinese Food and our Giant Panda Tour | ||
| The
8 Great Cuisines of China: Chuan Cai- Sichuan Cuisine Jing Cai- The food of Beijing Lu Cai- Shandong Cuisine Min Cai- Fukien Cuisine Su Cai- Jiangsu Cuisine Wan Cai- Anhui Cuisine Xiang Cai- Hunan Cuisine Yue Cai- Guangdong Cuisine The Chinese judge food according to three disctincive attributes: Se, Xiang and Wei. These three must be combined to create the necessary balance in a dish. The first Se refers to color or appearance. The second, Xiang, refers to fragrance and the third, Wei means flavor. Together, Se Xiang Wei, describe the components of fine food in their order of importance. For Chinese to appreciate food, it must first be pleasing to the eye, then pique the interest of the nose, and finally, arouse the palate. |
While on our China Giant Panda Tour we
will generally eat at nice restaurants. Our style of travel
is a bit different than many organized tours. I always opt
for local over "branded". This means that many of
the restaurants you might find mentioned in guide books about Beijing,
will not be on our planned schedule. This doesn't mean that
you will eat inferior quality food. I seek out those little
hideaways known to the locals for having great food, but not yet written
up and known around the world. The photo above shows beijing streetside food vendors. This scene reminds me of Fishermen's Wharf in San Francisco, only Chinese style. Many travel books tell you not to eat food offered by street vendors. I like to eat this food, but I'm very particular and look closely at the food itself and the way the food is prepared. I have always felt that the freshest food frequently comes from street vendors because they normally have no refrigeration and thus must get in new supplies daily. They shop early morning, prepare their food and then frequently must do more shopping for fresh ingredients at mid-day. |
The
best known dish from Beijing is Peking Duck. You will have the
opportunity to try authentic Peking Duck while in Beijing. In Chengdu, world famous for Sichuan Cuisine, we will test food prepared hotpot style.  |
 Chengdu spicy red peppers |
Travel
away from home disrupts your normal eating routine. For some
of us this causes no discomfort or digestive system problems.
For others, just the stress of traveling can result in stomach disorders. In China you will encounter more food choices than you ever have at home. Rich food, spicy food & too much food can all lead to diarrhea or other stomach discomfort. We urge everyone to be adventuresome in their food choices, but know your body and at any one sitting try to under eat, rather than over eat. We suggest keeping wrapped snacks or some fruit in your room and in for just this reason. |
Food and water safety: In China the tap water is not safe to drink. Drink only bottled water while there. Cooked food is normally 100% safe. Fresh vegetables and fruit should not be eaten, unless you peel them yourself. You should not eat green salads while in China, even when eating in a nice restaurant located within one of our 4 star hotels. Although Keith eats greens all the time in China without suffering any gastric problems. This cautionary note is here so that you can make informed choice about this point. |
| How
to use chopsticks 1) Place the lower chopstick in the V of your thumb and forefinger. Support the chopstick with the little finger and the ring finger. 2) Hold the upper chopstick like a pencil, between your index finger and your thumb. 3) Make sure the tips of the chopsticks are even. 4) When picking up food, the lower chopstick should remain still - only the upper chopstick should move. Why Chopsticks you ask? We can thank Confucius. He didn't believe in knives because he thought they were potential weapons that could cause danger and harm to others and thus had no place at the civilized dining table. Chopsticks no nos Don't dig in the food on the common plate but just get the piece which you want to get. Don't pick one piece then drop it back in the plate and change to another piece. Don't let your chopsticks be covered with food juice or residue. Don't use chopsticks to beat like a drum or to make any noise. Don't wave your chopsticks in the air. Don't use chopsticks as toothpicks. Don't stick your chopsticks upright in rice in a bowl, since it looks like the incense sticks for the dead |
  There are superstitions associated with chopsticks. If you are given an uneven pair it means you will miss a boat or plane. Dropping chopsticks will bring bad luck and so too will will laying them across each other. Crossed chopsticks are, however, permissible in a "dim sum" restaurant. Your waiter will cross them to show that your bill has been settled, or you can do the same to show the waiter that you have finished and are ready to pay the bill. |
Chinese
table manners: Using chopsticks to eat rice is difficult. The accepted method for eating rice is to bring your bowl close to your mouth and quickly scoop or shovel the rice into it with one's chopsticks. This is difficult for the foreigner and so simply lifting portions of rice to the mouth from the bowl held in the other hand is okay, but frustratingly slow. One chopstick craft which is difficult to do, is the deboning of a fish once the top half has been eaten, without turning it over. The careful separation of the fish skeleton from the lower half of the flesh will usually be performed by a waiter if you ask. One old Chinese fishermen's superstition attributes bad luck with the turning over of a half eaten fish. It was believed a fishing boat would capsize if the fish so handled. When ordering your meal an even number of dishes should be ordered. Odd numbers would be ordered only on sad occasions such as after a funeral.  |
 |
 |
 |
Gray whales, Tigers, Elephants,
Giant Panda Bears, Blue whales, Whale sharks, Narwhals China, Canada, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Philippine Islands, Mexico, Arctic Circle copyright 2007, Keith Jones No images may be used without written permission of copyright holder California registered seller of travel #2055660-50 Unique vacations normally involving animals, culture and adventure keith@greywhale.com or rowman1998@yahoo.com |
||
| Main gray whale watching page More whale shark info Blue whales of Loreto Gray whales of Baja Humpbacks of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Narwhals of Baffin Island, Canada about Baja Jones contact info for Baja Jones whale sharks worldwide Holbox Island Sea of Cortez, Bahia de Los Angeles whale sharks Donsol, the Phillippine Islands whale sharks whale shark trip photos 2005 whale watching in Baja, snorkeling with whale sharks, The Gray whale advocate homepage, Giant panda information, The Great Wall of China facts and information, Trip hotels, Beijing, Tourist attractions and sights, Chinese food, Xian segment of our trip, Chengdu segment of trip, | ||