1) It will be very similar to the food you are used to back home.
Going into it I figured the greasy Chinese food I have had in any other country, other than China, was probably just a fast food version of the real thing, so tasty but greasy. That is how the dishes are in China. I thought maybe I would get a fresher versions of new unexplored tastes being in China, but I found that not to be true.
I tried to prepare myself by researching reviews on the food but found that there were not many. I did find one that sounded very disappointed with their overall food experience there. I didn't want to go off of one review so decided to go to China with an open mind. Don't get me wrong, the food was delicious but I am the type of person that needs freshness and variety in my diet.
2) Dumplings were about as fresh as you are going to get.
If you are looking for food that is not fried or greasy GRAB SOME DUMPLINGS! I am a huge fan of dumplings normally so you can imagine how much I looked forward to having these delicious morsels from the motherland of dim sum. They did not disappoint. There were so many different kinds to choose from. And yes, there were some just like the ones on Kung Fu Panda. So perfect looking in every way!
Dumplings were not everywhere as one might think so they took a little seeking out, but totally worth it! We got lucky with our hostel's location, we were directly across the walkway of a great local place. Each morning we walked across to get some FRESH dumplings for breakfast. A common dumpling we kept on coming across was the Shanghai dumpling, similar to a traditional one but is half filled with soup. Be careful not to burn your mouth, Yummm!
3) Catch steamed dumplings for breakfast/morning.
It was often the case that you had to get the dumplings in the morning from local restaurants such as the one I mentioned earlier. They started serving them early, therefore they would disappear early. We were like kids in a candy store picky from the stacks of steamed dumplings. Great way to start the day! :)
A friend and I did happen to venture out to find some different kinds of dim sum. We stumbled upon a place that many were raving about an an app called excursion. It took us longer than expected after losing our way. You are not a tourist unless you lose your way at least once, right? đ
We got back on track but almost gave up when we entered the mall it was located in but did not see it anywhere. It took a little thinking outside the box and turns out the mall had about 7 levels and it was above where we thought it was according to googlemaps. Sometimes what you are looking for is not right in front of you but above you. đ I don't think that is an old Chinese proverb but it really should be. Glad we found it, there were so many different kinds, we even found a dessert one filled with chocolate. đ
4) Food is crazy cheap!
I have never been to a place that charged an average price for most things except for food. Food was super cheap in China. Each meal cost us $3-5 USD per person. It was great. It seemed that China was a country that understood that food should be cheap since we all have to eat multiple times a day and that it doesn't have to break the bank. I overheard a conversation at the airport from a lady that hosted a Chinese exchange student, she was saying that it was a complete shock how much the food was in the U.S. to the student, which makes much more sense now that we have been there.
5) You will most likely get sick at least once from food or other causes, but probably from the food.
If you have travelled before you have probably found that you tend to get sick from lack of rest, exchange of germs on the plane, foods you are not used to, etc.. China is no exception.
As a tourist you probably don't get as much rest as you are used to, therefore, your body's defense system is down.This can be one reason one may find themselves getting sick. Another common way is eating food you are not accustomed to. We did not find China to be the cleanest place in the world so the possibility of the food causing us some of the stomach issues we had the pleasure of experiencing was very high. So be careful of what you eat even though it is hard to say what the exact cause could have been (probably food from anywhere we ate).
