what is there to buy in china/beijing shangai

On 21 Dec 2004 18:05:44 -0800, the renowned wrote:

A large fraction of the Chinese restaurants in the US are run by recent
immigrants from Fujian province. They tend to all have similar
suppliers and menus and serve the same generic watered down
Hunan-Cantonese food, but if you live in a city with a large
Chinese-American community like New York or San Francisco you'll have
other options. Avoid Chinatown restaurants, most of which are just
tourist traps with overpriced terrible food, and look for restaurants
in untouristed neighborhoods with large Chinese populations, like
Flushing in New York.

The "Chinese" restaurants in Europe are even worse. Many of them are
run by Vietnamese immigrants, and serve completely bland versions of
the eight or so most common Chinese dishes and often of Thai and
Vietnamese food as well. In London or Paris you have some options, but
the quality of Chinese food in most of Europe is dismal.

Here in Toronto you can also get Guyanese style Chinese food, Indian
style Chinese food and Korean style Chinese food. ;-)

I've never seen anyone offering German style Chinese food, probably
because it is gawd-awful; it's certainly not for a lack of German
immigrants.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
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"John L" kirjoitti viestissä
...
On Tue, 21 Dec 2004 21:06:09 +0200, "Markku Grönroos"
wrote:


"Miguel Cruz" kirjoitti viestissä
...

"snip" week (not US Chinese food from the suburbs, though - that's
even worse
than
northern European food).

There should be nothing wrong with Northern European food. Incredients
also
are typically less contaminated than many places elsewhere.

Markku, I think you're missing the point. I won;t pretend to speak
for Miguel, but I'm sure he was talking about taste, not quality of
ingredients. I would also second those comments.

Taste? Well, by all means then......

"Miguel Cruz" kirjoitti viestissä
...
Markku Grönroos wrote:
"Miguel Cruz" kirjoitti:
American Chinese food is like a completely different cuisine. If I
didn't
know they wer eboth called "Chinese food" I would have assumed they
were
from countries far apart. I like them both though. Give me the
crappiest,
greasiest $3 Harlem wings'n'kung-pao over a $75 meal in Paris any day
of
the week (not US Chinese food from the suburbs, though - that's even
worse than northern European food).

There should be nothing wrong with Northern European food. Incredients
also
are typically less contaminated than many places elsewhere.

Maybe I wasn't that clear. I think the chance of contracting food
poisoning
from northern European food is pretty close to zero. My problem with it is
that it tastes horrible to me.

Badly prepared?

What you said about Chinese resturants in Europe maybe very true.
Personally I haven't been in any European city for months on ends that
I would start craving for Chinese food. So no I have never had the
misfortune to frequent a Chinese resturant in Europe. Actually I am
not very particular. When in Rome....you know. I like to eat what the
locals do

Markku Grönroos wrote:
"Miguel Cruz" kirjotti:
Maybe I wasn't that clear. I think the chance of contracting food
poisoning from northern European food is pretty close to zero. My problem
with it is that it tastes horrible to me.

Badly prepared?

I'm sure they do a good job. It's like listening to a very
competently-performed death metal show. The better they are at it, in some
respects the less pleasant it becomes. It's all about individual taste, not
quality or anything.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

Markku Grönroos wrote:
"Miguel Cruz" kirjotti:
Maybe I wasn't that clear. I think the chance of contracting food
poisoning from northern European food is pretty close to zero. My problem
with it is that it tastes horrible to me.

Badly prepared?

I'm sure they do a good job. It's like listening to a very
competently-performed death metal show. The better they are at it, in some
respects the less pleasant it becomes. It's all about individual taste, not
quality or anything.

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

wrote:
In developing countries, street stall food is usually safer than food
in tourist restaurants. You never know about the preparation of
restaurant food, how long the ingredients have been sitting there, if
there was a blackout that made everything spoil, or what the hygiene in
the kitchen was. But at a street stall you know the food is cooked
thoroughly and can make a reasonable judgment about the hygiene of a
particular stall. I've travelled a lot in developing countries and
never gotten sick, and I eat primarily from street stalls. The only
things to avoid from street stalls are (1) raw shellfish, (2) drinks
with ice because you don't know if the ice is from safe water, and (3)
fruits and vegetables that you can't peel or otherwise remove the outer
layer.

I fully agree with all of this, and my experience has been identical.

Street food = never ever sick

Restaurant food = sometimes sick

Midrange hotel restaurant food = always sick

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

Heeheee... simply a case of - if you can't see, don't eat or touch it. I
agree however, some hot cooked meals in front of you can give you a stomach
bug. I use to work in a Chinese takeaway/take-outs i believe you call them
in the States. The simplest of dishes like fried rice can be 'dodgy' as it's
always best cooked from leftover rice or day old rice as it should be. Have
a look at a stall to see how fast it's turning over, if it's fast, you're
more than likely OK with the food. If it's slow... dishes like fried rice
which uses leftovers can be disastrous! just a tip for fellow travellers &
eaters.

DC.




"Miguel Cruz" wrote in message
...
wrote:
In developing countries, street stall food is usually safer than food
in tourist restaurants. You never know about the preparation of
restaurant food, how long the ingredients have been sitting there, if
there was a blackout that made everything spoil, or what the hygiene in
the kitchen was. But at a street stall you know the food is cooked
thoroughly and can make a reasonable judgment about the hygiene of a
particular stall. I've travelled a lot in developing countries and
never gotten sick, and I eat primarily from street stalls. The only
things to avoid from street stalls are (1) raw shellfish, (2) drinks
with ice because you don't know if the ice is from safe water, and (3)
fruits and vegetables that you can't peel or otherwise remove the outer
layer.

I fully agree with all of this, and my experience has been identical.

Street food = never ever sick

Restaurant food = sometimes sick

Midrange hotel restaurant food = always sick

miguel
--
Hit The Road! Photos from 32 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu

snip
You know, I bet if I stay in China 6 more months I'll be fully
acclimated and can eat anything I want without ever getting sick.
Unfortunately I have been in the hygenic US too long (25 years). I
have lost all resistance to these germs that bug me. I am also more
adventurous than I should. My motto is if you can eat it, why can't I?
So I suffer the consequence as a results. My body is very much a
barometer of how clean water is where I travel. I got sick in
Thailand, in Brazil (two out of three trips), and in China (three in
three weeks). I am fine most everywhere else, certainly in western
Europe not to mention the US.

Wow, i guess i can use you as a barometer for any of my future trips : )


Regarding Chinese food, I don't care too much for the northern cuisine.
Is it a mere coincidence I am of southern geneaology? I remember
years ago I met a Chinese southerner who raised this sentiment
regarding northern dishes that they are mere varieties of dough product
made of fluor. I more or less agree. Peking duck is good. But the
same dish prepared, say in Hong Kong or in Taiwan can be much tastier.
I do not care mush for dishes in Xian either. Xian is another
north-west Chinese city.

Yes it's generally true that most of the Northern dishes are 'bland'
compared to the more Southern dishes but i think in time to come, with the
North getting more wealthy, a change will take place. I'm sure there's some
simple & very tasty meals in the North but like all things, if you don't
know where to find them, you only get what's given to you on a plate. As for
the dough & flour, i guess that's because rice is not grown that far north
while wheat is. They have some great wheat noodles but you'll have to find
them too or know what names they go by. I think Northern Chinese food has
suffered over the events of the last century. Food shortage & planning is
not so much an issue now but still in the country side, a simple home style
meal of vegs. & rice is better than some of the bland dishes served in
hotels. I was looking at a old recipe book based on an even earlier book or
collection of recipes from the 50's & 60's & it listed provincial dishes &
recipes which i don't think some of them can be found today except in
granny's kitchen for example, such a shame. On the other hand, Shanghai's
business district now boasts some of the best cuisine & dining as quite a
few renown Chinese & Western chefs & restaurants have open there i hear.

But it is a farcry to compare any of them to the dishes you get in a
typical transplanted Chinese restuarant in say, the US or UK. Some
Chinatowns may have something close to authentic. Problems is you need
to know how to order (read Chinese menu and understand it).

Or even better... speak Chinese/Cantonese & order everything without the
menu like they do in the old days. Of course you're gonna get stuff that's
not quite 'restaurant style' but more home cooking & authentic, but that's
my bias. : )

DC.

The "Chinese" restaurants in Europe are even worse. Many of them are
run by Vietnamese immigrants, and serve completely bland versions of
the eight or so most common Chinese dishes and often of Thai and
Vietnamese food as well. In London or Paris you have some options, but
the quality of Chinese food in most of Europe is dismal.

I found some real old style Chinese country dishes in Spain, where surprise,
surprise, they also eat 'spare parts' like trotters, tongue etc. anyway..
the people that ran the Chinese restaurant spoke village Fujian which i can
just about manage & had a very good old fashion meal of stewed pork. But of
course.. you need to know & speak the lingo otherwise, you're right the food
is terrible on the menu.

DC.