Ahhh, Chinese food. I’ve been waiting to write this post because I knew it had to be one of my more thoughtful posts and I wanted to make sure I have had my proper fill before I expose its virtues adequately. I don’t want to misrepresent the food because I was too careless to try everything I possibly could. I love food. I love to cook. I love to eat. In Shanghai I’ve been doing very little cooking but I have been doing my fair share of eating.
When I was young, I don’t think I would call myself picky but I was definitely particular. I would eat what was put in front of me out of politeness, but I would pick out or neglect to eat the bits I did not like. I wasn't big on cooked vegetables like celery or tomatoes because I didn’t like the texture. Was never huge on fish. The only citrus I really enjoyed were clementines. I have always enjoyed foods that were bread-based or cheese-covered, of course. I’ve eaten a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches in my life*. I could barely waft the sharp smell of spicy food. Hell, I used to joke that honey garlic was too spicy for me until the summer of 2013. In university I cooked for myself, but I didn’t really get too ambitious until I properly learned how to BBQ by the end of university. From there I haven’t looked back. I’ve turned a new leaf, dammit, and everything is delicious. I can’t believe I was missing out on so much. The lesson, as always: kids are stupid.
When I was young, I don’t think I would call myself picky but I was definitely particular. I would eat what was put in front of me out of politeness, but I would pick out or neglect to eat the bits I did not like. I wasn't big on cooked vegetables like celery or tomatoes because I didn’t like the texture. Was never huge on fish. The only citrus I really enjoyed were clementines. I have always enjoyed foods that were bread-based or cheese-covered, of course. I’ve eaten a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches in my life*. I could barely waft the sharp smell of spicy food. Hell, I used to joke that honey garlic was too spicy for me until the summer of 2013. In university I cooked for myself, but I didn’t really get too ambitious until I properly learned how to BBQ by the end of university. From there I haven’t looked back. I’ve turned a new leaf, dammit, and everything is delicious. I can’t believe I was missing out on so much. The lesson, as always: kids are stupid.
If you are reading this from Canada and you do not frequent a Chinatown to eat, you probably have a pretty bad misconception of what Chinese food is. I have not seen a single chicken ball since I arrived here. Chicken-fried rice is rare, chow-mein is fairly hard to come by in Shanghai and you’d be hardpressed to find a place with French fries, chicken wings or meatballs on the menu.
SCHOOL FOOD
The school provides lunch every single day. Soup, one or two proteins, two vegetables and a heaping pile of sticky rice. Lunch is where I try most of the new and unseen combinations of familiar foods. Hot steamed lettuce and bok choi or thinly sliced cold (and slimy) cucumber and celery. Carrots with celery and sliced pork. Bamboo soup. Bean curd patties. Thinly-layered soy bean wraps (?). Mustard chicken. The top half of a fish: head, eyes and all. Short ribs in a braise. On Fridays we get a special meal, which can be chicken wings, pinky-sized fried chicken strips or noodle soup with beef, mushrooms and bean.
Note: in China, BONE IN. Nothing goes to waste. Be very careful eating fish, unless you want a pin bone piercing your esophagus as you swallow.
Note: in China, BONE IN. Nothing goes to waste. Be very careful eating fish, unless you want a pin bone piercing your esophagus as you swallow.
RESTAURANTS
Chinese food tends to gravitate toward oil, carbs and vegetables. The ingredients are familiar but the preparation is not. Kung Pao chicken, which can be found in Canada, is a spicy chicken dish with peanuts, carrots and lima beans cooked in oil. Cumin beef, also spicy, fried with onions, chili peppers and covered in a braise. Garlic broccoli, which is what it sounds like, served cold with carrots and covered in oil(?) and egg & tomato, also what it sounds like; scrambled and cooked in oil and salt – so simple yet so surprisingly enjoyable.
Chinese dinners are served buffet style. One person is designated as the decider or everybody picks what they want and the food is placed in the middle of the table. Small plates and bowls are given to everyone so they can pick what they want and discard the pieces of bone or fat or spicy chili peppers they don't like Rice is often free, and is served in the middle of the meal to fill you rather than compliment the main dish. Many eschew this formality and like to mix the various dishes and combine tastes with the savory rice.
Chinese dinners are served buffet style. One person is designated as the decider or everybody picks what they want and the food is placed in the middle of the table. Small plates and bowls are given to everyone so they can pick what they want and discard the pieces of bone or fat or spicy chili peppers they don't like Rice is often free, and is served in the middle of the meal to fill you rather than compliment the main dish. Many eschew this formality and like to mix the various dishes and combine tastes with the savory rice.
A meal like this is the easiest to come by, and there are restaurants approximately every 25m that serve this kind of fare on busy streets in Shanghai. Even tiny corner- and dingy restaurants can serve incredible tasting dishes because they are so simple to prepare. This restaurant was not fancy by any means but the food was excellent. The wallpaper was peeling off the walls and we were given paper cups for our pijiu (pee-ju: beer). When you eat at one of these restaurants you claim that the food was so good you will definitely be back, but unless it is around the corner from your house you are probably lying; you can get meals like this anywhere.
HOT POT
Hot pot is similar to restaurants in that the food is served buffet style on the table. Early in our time in Shanghai, James, Tyler and I would walk in a random direction from our apartment and take turns choosing where to eat. One night, Tyler chose a hot pot place. We had no idea what we were doing and swore never to eat it again.
No surprise here, the girls are smarter than us. They also tried hot pot and claimed that it’s an incredible meal that we just haaave to try. Skepticism aside we gave it another shot. The waiter gives you a menu to choose a type of soup for the center of the table. The first time we tried it, we went with tomato soup that had a regular and a spicy, which we thought would be familiar. The tomato soup was excellent, but the spicy side can only be classified as the hottest fire soup from the 7th level of hell. It was like swallowing a burning piece of charcoal from a 6 hour fire.
With the girls we again tried the spicy soup but we were much luckier this time as it tamer than before. After you choose your soup, you pick and choose a number of ingredients that are brought raw that to be thrown into the pot to cook and fish out to eat. This time we ordered noodles (boys: “ooohhh”), some various meats and veggies to flavor our soup. They were right, it was incredible! These restaurants are everywhere. Hot pot is a must try.
FAST FOOD
McDonalds and KFC are common. Less common but still around are Subway, Burger King and Dairy Queen (ice cream only – a frequent guilty pleasure for all of us). Pizza Hut, Papa Johns and Dominoes are also available. Everything (including almost every Chinese restaurant) can be delivered to your door by a service called Sherpas. Eat fast food as little as you can or only when you are homesick. You can get this stuff anywhere and time is limited.
No surprise here, the girls are smarter than us. They also tried hot pot and claimed that it’s an incredible meal that we just haaave to try. Skepticism aside we gave it another shot. The waiter gives you a menu to choose a type of soup for the center of the table. The first time we tried it, we went with tomato soup that had a regular and a spicy, which we thought would be familiar. The tomato soup was excellent, but the spicy side can only be classified as the hottest fire soup from the 7th level of hell. It was like swallowing a burning piece of charcoal from a 6 hour fire.
With the girls we again tried the spicy soup but we were much luckier this time as it tamer than before. After you choose your soup, you pick and choose a number of ingredients that are brought raw that to be thrown into the pot to cook and fish out to eat. This time we ordered noodles (boys: “ooohhh”), some various meats and veggies to flavor our soup. They were right, it was incredible! These restaurants are everywhere. Hot pot is a must try.
FAST FOOD
McDonalds and KFC are common. Less common but still around are Subway, Burger King and Dairy Queen (ice cream only – a frequent guilty pleasure for all of us). Pizza Hut, Papa Johns and Dominoes are also available. Everything (including almost every Chinese restaurant) can be delivered to your door by a service called Sherpas. Eat fast food as little as you can or only when you are homesick. You can get this stuff anywhere and time is limited.
NOODLES
Noodles (“la-mian”) are great and extremely cheap. Most of the above Chinese restaurants also served easy noodle dishes that are cheap, delicious and healthy. They are also cheap. Fresh made ramen in a bowl of hot water with a collection of spices, beans, cilantro and a protein (sliced pork, tofu or beef). Sometimes served with potatoes and an egg. There are two places that I alternate between that are within a 5 minute walk from my apartment. Get it "da bao" (to go) if you are in a rush. Did I mention how cheap it was?
STREET FOOD
The pièce de résistance. I love street food. I love it. I love it. I would classify one of my noodle joints as street food because I love to eat outside and often do. Tyler, James and I hit a rough patch financially a few weeks ago and couldn’t afford to eat at restaurants all the time despite it only being about $6-10 a meal. That really adds up. One evening while I went out for an evening stroll I decide to bite the bullet and get some street food I was warned about.
Whoever warned me was trying to cover their bases because maaaaaan. We eat stir fry from a street vendor probably 4 nights a week now. It is 11 yuan, or about $2CAD. You get a big bowl of rice, or can choose between 4 or 5 types of noodles (varying degrees of thickness). It is prepared in a wok by cracking an egg in oil, adding the noodles, onions, beans, chives, peppers, bok choi and bean sprouts. You can choose your protein, either Chinese bacon, sausage, pork, a “hot dog” or tofu. Or have none at all. The whole thing is stir fryed and then given some soy or malt vinegar to top it off. Whole process takes about 4 minutes and you are left with a satisfying cheap meal that suffices for another day of dinner. No food poisoning to report as of yet.
Whoever warned me was trying to cover their bases because maaaaaan. We eat stir fry from a street vendor probably 4 nights a week now. It is 11 yuan, or about $2CAD. You get a big bowl of rice, or can choose between 4 or 5 types of noodles (varying degrees of thickness). It is prepared in a wok by cracking an egg in oil, adding the noodles, onions, beans, chives, peppers, bok choi and bean sprouts. You can choose your protein, either Chinese bacon, sausage, pork, a “hot dog” or tofu. Or have none at all. The whole thing is stir fryed and then given some soy or malt vinegar to top it off. Whole process takes about 4 minutes and you are left with a satisfying cheap meal that suffices for another day of dinner. No food poisoning to report as of yet.
I usually grab street food for breakfast during my walk to school. Somedays I get jian bing (Chinese pancake wrap) or whatever else I feel like that morning. Egg and flour buns to eat on the go or a bun with an egg inside that tastes a lot like an Egg McMuffin. Various spring roll-esque fried buns or egg and chive pancakes. Again, mostly carbs and oil. I can get steamed or fried dumplings if I feel like it, or just stop at one of the many fruit vendors to grab an apple, banana or dragon fruit if I’m up to it. I can do one or combine a couple of these options for under 10-15 yuan.
If you like BBQ, late night stick food has most meats and veggies you would want cooked over a flame. You can get anything from beef to spicy chicken to bean sprouts to kebabs and squid. All BBQ'd and served on a stick.
If you like BBQ, late night stick food has most meats and veggies you would want cooked over a flame. You can get anything from beef to spicy chicken to bean sprouts to kebabs and squid. All BBQ'd and served on a stick.
What I’ve described is only a fraction of the available food in Shanghai. Because it is a cosmopolitan, international city, I can get food from anywhere in the world if I desire. There are a number of world class Mexican restaurants, Italian, Japanese or Thai places I can eat. We found a little bar around the corner from our house with a 2 – 7 pm happy hour that claims their bacon cheeseburger is “world famous”. You’ve heard of the Joy Bar right?
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*Note: my favourite food used to be grilled cheese. My palate has since matured and now besides my go-to answer of “sandwiches” I would classify my favourite food as a baked tuna melt with a bowl (or entire pot) of Heinz tomato soup made with milk. Don’t even try to make it with water; it’s not the same. I am not a loser though so I can live without my favourite foods for a couple months (and the next year).
1.
*Note: my favourite food used to be grilled cheese. My palate has since matured and now besides my go-to answer of “sandwiches” I would classify my favourite food as a baked tuna melt with a bowl (or entire pot) of Heinz tomato soup made with milk. Don’t even try to make it with water; it’s not the same. I am not a loser though so I can live without my favourite foods for a couple months (and the next year).