Chinese Food is Love.

Mmm food. It’s funny, I was never too crazy about Chinese food in America (when compared to other Asian cuisines), but let me tell you…Chinese food in China is a winner! Go figure.

Originally, our group had planned to eat in campus cafeterias from meal cards. However, after the cards did not arrive for a few days, and we had the chance to sample the cafeteria food…let’s just say we were not 100% impressed. We asked Kris (group leader and professor) if we could just get the money instead, so that we can eat off campus whenever we wanted. She was totally cool with that (because she’s pretty cool!) and I have been eating like a queen every since.

Just outside campus there is a strip of shopping centers and tightly packed restaurants. We stumbled upon what would soon become "our  place" the very first night. Fresh dumplings filled with lamb and carrot, pork and chives, egg and veggies, nom nom nom. That’s how it began. We’ve gone through half the menu by now and eaten cold noodles, cold veggie salads, eggplant dishes, crispy chicken, grilled green beans and sautéed cabbage, sizzling pork…oh my. Oh and did I mention everything is doused in peppers? So many kinds of peppers- red, green, peppercorn, Sichuan. Luckily everyone in our group is good with spice, but we still drink tons of water at dinner. I haven’t managed to take too many pictures of food yet, because they bring out the dishes one by one as they become ready. As soon as it hits the table, we pounce! I’ve gotten meaner and made people wait until I can get a pic, but there are no tables covered in many plates. Correction: just empty plates!

Night food stalls are also available right outside campus, and have been tempting me ever since we arrived. I wanted to wait a week or so to let my stomach get used to the food before trying anything so that I wouldn't get sick. The first thing I got? Squid on a stick! So amazing. It's been really fun to wander the streets at night and take pictures of the vendors and observe how people order the food. I still use a lot of pantomiming and pointing, but everyone is very accommodating. The Chinese students are a big help too: one time when I was staring blankly at the vendor, a voice from behind said, "He said 20 yuan." When I said thank you, he shrugged and said, "I know it is hard for you." Yes it is, but I'm trying!

As you can see from the picture, there are many bicycles involved on campus, so students will make pit stops in front of a vendor if there is room! Naturally, a lot of bell-ringing and scooter horn-honking occurs. It can be delightfully manic, or annoyingly manic, depending on how hungry I am and how many people are in my way :)