Yum, yum, Dim Sum!

We just didn't have the time to take in a real Guangzhou dim sum brunch when we were there to adopt our daughter. However, in our travels since then we've experienced a Saturday brunch in Chicago's Chinatown, and done the weekday dim sum at a great place in Hong Kong. We've also sampled the dim sum dishes at restaurants in other places in North America, too.

We have posted an article recently to share dim sum background and tips.

The single best piece of advice is to go with as many people as you can! The more your group can order, the more each person can try. Don't worry about ordering too much, as each dish is literally just a few bites. It's more fun in a big group, and you can be more fearless about taking items you don't recognize.

Take as long as you like - the food just keeps coming. Wow, I'm getting hungry just writing about it...

Dim Sum: http://www.weninchina.com/Food/Dim_Sum.html

Gotta disagree with Anthony Bourdain (in one small way)

My wife and I went to listen to Mr. Bourdain a few weeks ago as he swung through the Twin Cities on a speaking tour. In person, he's the same guy as he is on the Travel Channel and in his books; intelligent and inquisitive, the 'bad boy' who really does care about ideas and words and authentic work.


Most of the hardcore foodies, restaurateurs, and hospitality workers of our city were in attendance that night instead of being on the job. They were looking for a good time from their hero and he certainly delivered, with frank talk about the compromised state of the food and media businesses, meditations on what it means to do something meaningful, and crazy travel anecdotes.


He advocates forcefully that the whole point of travel is to know a place and its people as they are, not as mere entertainment, and that a traveler shouldn't be plastic-wrapped from his or her surroundings, fed only the familiar food, media, and interpersonal interaction.


That means you as a traveler need to take people and experiences as they come. And getting back to food (it was a food talk), eating what the locals eat, where they eat it, and not demanding your familiar foods from home.


We liked his analogy of "when you're at your grandma's house, even if you don't particularly care for her cooking, when she makes you dinner, you eat it, because you love her and want to show respect." He also points out that you're much more likely to get better quality and safer food from the local cook sweating it out at the stand down the street, who serves his neighbors every day the foods they like to eat, than at the international hotel, where the  local staff doesn't have the familiarity with Ceasar salad, and they know you're gone in two days.


(The only time I got sick in China was from an undercooked room-service shrimp and pork stir-fry, so I'm nodding my head in agreement.)


He also delivered indictments of the fast-food industry regarding factory farming, marketing to kids, and nutritional deficits. From that he was adamant about never patronizing fast-food chains, ever.


And there's where the headline of this post kicks in. I'm pretty sure that you, reading this blog and the articles at weninchina.com, do patronize a McDonald's, Taco Bell, or Burger King on occasion. I do too.


And I know you may be anxious about the food you'll encounter on your trip to China. Tony and I would both encourage you to be brave and "just try it;" if you've gone to the trouble of flying halfway around the world it would be wrong not to experience food the way your hosts enjoy it.


But in our time in China, my wife and I witnessed numerous families - bright, intelligent people who triumphed over homestudies and government bureaucracy - utterly afraid of walking two blocks down the street to McDonald's to get a cheeseburger. Not because of thoughts of what was in the burger, but anxiety of figuring out how to order. Would they make fools of themselves in a big crowd?


My belief is that if I can help you walk those two blocks and order something you're familiar with - and interact with local people - then you're a lot more likely the next day to walk one block further to that little bakery or noodle shop, or stop at the grocery store. So yes, my little language cheat sheet definitely gives you the words you need to order Combo Meal #2.


Getting out of your hotel and onto the streets is the best possible way for you to soak in your child's local culture, and every interaction will give you more memories and experience to draw upon as you work with your child to help her learn who she is as she grows up.  I think Tony would agree with me on that one.


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Since we are talking about Chinese food, I have just posted new articles about Chinese Noodles (the original fast food) and Bao, those steamed buns with the great fillings.  There's also a great article in this month's issue of the travel magazine Afar about xiao long bao, the "soup dumplings" famous in Shanghai and Taiwan.

What are your Chinese food favorites?

We've just posted our 48th article on weninchina.com: "Raves and Regrets".  With this essay, we want to build a long list of Chinese foods and snacks that families traveling for adoption should try during their stay in-country. (Likewise, there's another list of must-miss food experiences.) We're looking for everything from fine cuisine to fast food, as long as it's affordable and readily accessible.

If you've been on the adoption trip, have traveled to mainland China on business, or are a citizen, please send us your food suggestions and personal experiences! 

Fast Food in China: KFC and Pizza Hut

As you read through our essays on weninchina.com, you will see a common thread of encouragement to get out of your hotel room and start walking around your neighborhood. There are many familiar icons to help you understand what you'll see, and familiar situations that will allow you to do things like shop for groceries - from the first day you're in-country.

A great example of an American brand you know well that will help you feel more in control, and will help you learn more about the Chinese people, is KFC, and its sister brand Pizza Hut.

KFC was the pioneer fast-food restaurant in China, opening its first location in 1987. They are much larger than McDonald's here, with over 2,200 stores as of mid-2008, and you'll find them not just in the big cities, but also smaller towns too. You are almost certain to have a KFC within walking distance of your hotel! Pizza Hut came over in 1990, and has ramped up to 360 locations as of mid-2008. These two brands have defined what "quick-service" and "casual dining" restaurant formats mean for the Chinese people. Everyone else is playing catch-up.

A big part of why China has embraced these two chains is that they have greatly adapted their menus to the tastes of the locals. Don't worry, you'll still be able to get pepperoni and a bucket of fried chicken. But yes, you can also get a Tuna Fish Combo Pizza and fried squid at Pizza Hut, and congee, codfish burgers, and egg soup at KFC.

The restaurants look much the same as they do back home. The ordering process is also the same. At KFC, you'll walk up to the cashier - and she will pull out a laminated card (the photo above) with English titles of everything on the menu board. Even if you don't know a word of Chinese, all you have to do is point at what you want and pay. At Pizza Hut, the menu is in both languages, with plenty of pictures, so again, just point at what you want.

Prices are a notch below what you'd pay in the States: about $12 for the large pizza (feeding two adults and two kids); a combo meal at KFC runs about $3, and a "bucket" about $9. While this is still pretty spendy for local wallets, it's welcome news for your adoption meal budget.

Drinks at both chains are mostly about juices, teas, and smoothies. You can get regular Pepsi, but that's it for carbonated pop. Everything's good, though, and yes, you can trust the ice. 

In Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao, and Guangzhou, Pizza Hut also delivers. The phone number is 4008-123-123, and most importantly, they have English-speaking staff.

The China websites for both brands are interesting to click through: KFC.com.cn, PizzaHut.com.cn.  Much of Pizza Hut's menu can be found on 4008123123.com as well.

On weninchina.com, we have an expanded version of this article that goes deeper into the KFC/Pizza Hut history in China, gives more detail about what the food tastes like, adds a page from the in-store Pizza Hut menu, and of course features more photos and links. We are now up to 27 essays about the travel experience in China, written to be useful for families, especially those who are completing adoptions.