| Expat Tips for Eating in Beijing |
|
Expat Tips for Eating in Beijing Xinjiang food is something one should not miss. This is generally a Muslim style with a Chinese touch and the bread, and the tasted is fantastic. The Uighur village located in Ganjiaokao, due the west 2nd ring road, then due the west of fuchungmen and turn right at Ganjiaokao and look around for an appealing restaurant or wait for the employees to coax you into one. Where to eat when you are in a unfamiliar area? In China, you just do as the Chinese do, eat where they eat--just look for a crowded restaurant--and you will usually be rewarded with some of the best food and the cheapest prices around. 
Almost everywhere in Beijing, you can see small stalls with white dough flying through the air into a boiling pot, called Dao Xiao Mian. This is not only interesting to watch how they make it, but these noodles are a great way to satisfy anyone's hunger. You will get a bowl of shaved noodles including soup, meat and sometimes vegetables on top. No need to worry about the surroundings, decor or much else, find a place full of locals people and it will be safe to eat. A variant of this is La Mian, a type of spaghetti that is stretched and pulled by the chef and then tossed in the pot. Each of these dishes are good, cooked very fast, and cheap.
If you have chance to eat in a restaurant, then there are many dishes, which are easy to say and good taste. Unless you are brave, blindly picking from the menu might not be a good idea--some foreigners accidentally choose the delicacy known as Ti Ger, or "cow's hoof tendon" in English. For some reason they never finish. This is to the delight of the next table who happily traded Ti Ger for one of their dishes. Dumplings are called Jiaozi. This Comes with many different fillings which can include meat, vegetables, and sea food. A half a kilo plate is enough for a meal, and cheap. Gong Bao Ji Ding is a spicy chicken dish with peanuts and other vegetables. For some reason, this dish is never the same from one restaurant to another. Perhaps this adds to its appeal as it is very popular with foreigners. Tu Dou Zi is suitable for potato lovers. Shredded "pototo" stir fried with some green peppers, this dish is eaten hot or cold.
 Great vegetable dishes include Bo Cai, spinach either hot or cold, and sometimes mixed with mustard. You Cai is a long green vegetable that usually comes with shanggu moogu which are mushrooms. Dou miao is small thin green sprout type of vegetable, quite good. Eggplant, called Che Zi in Chinese goes well with many dishes.Mi Fan, plain rice or Chao Fan, stir fried rice tops off most meals in China. A great way to decide what to eat is to check out what the other patrons are eating and go by sight. Don't be shy, this is not a problem for most foreigners and the people will usually be delighted if you take an interest in what they are eating. Just ask if it is "Hao Chi" and then tell everybody where you are from and what you are doing here, and do not worry if they watch you eat and ask you how is the taste. You will make some new friends. |
