What can I bring into China?

[TimD]

Since I am planning on spending the next year or two in China I want to bring some American spices with me. I know there are some regulations about bringing coffee in, but are there any for bringing spices? The entire time I was there I never found any Thyme, Basil or other things I like to cook with.

[Guest enight]

hi Tim,

 

welcome to China!

 

about your question, it depends on where are you going to live, if in big cities, it would be no problem to find any kind of spices, even would be much cheaper than you buy from the States. (you don't need to bring coffee at all, you can find many kind of coffee beans in big shops, or from Starburks)

 

if you are going to live in small city or countryside, you might need to bring many things to make yourself feel comfortable as live at home, such as bread making machine for making bread and pizza, begle

[robhon]

Tim,

 

I'd suggest leaving the thyme and basil behind. Take the plunge! Be as the Chinese while in China. What a fantastic and unique adventure!

 

Imagine (if this is the case) what it will be like for your wife when she comes to the US and has to acclimate to our culture. Unless you live in a large metro area your wife will have very little access to things of her culture. What a great way to fully understand and empathise with her situation by having been through it yourself.

 

I've been to China about a dozen times now, two or three weeks at a time. Each time I become more and more acclimated to the cuisine and lifestyle. Although I still struggle with the tripe, fishheads, chicken feet, roasted duckheads, etc. But I'm getting more used to it. Now I can even manage to toss back quite a number of shots of that "white Chinese wine" with the menfolk... at least until my wife comes to "rescue" me.

 

Rob

[TimD]

Rob - The spices are more for my wife than for me She loves pasta and other dishes with these spices. I have absolutely no problem eating anything Chinese...matter of fact my first meal there was snake. My wife has been here in the states many times and I have been in China a few times too. Our diet when we are together is what we call "Chinglish" a combination of both cultures. That is the whole basis of our relationship is the mixing of both cultures. We want our home to be this combination regardless of where we live. When I am there I rarely eat western food, except for the occassional strawberry milkshake at Micky Ds....gotta have my ice cream Heck, I don't even drink western beer when I am there, Jin Ling is just fei chang hao in my book.

 

 

- Tim

[robhon]

Tim,

 

Where is it you'll be living? I envy you in a way. I have soooo much fun everytime I go!

 

That's pretty unique that your wife likes these spices. I have a lot of friends who are Chinese here in the SF area and they tend to all be very squeemish about food that's not Chinese. And these are people who've lived here for many years. My friends act the same way about pancakes that I do about "ji heut" (that curdled pig blood... stuff).

 

But, yes, ice cream is always a common ground. In Shenzhen, when my wife was living there, our "special place" was the Hagen Daz store.

 

Rob

[TimD]

Rob - I think I won my wifes heart through streak and pasta

 

I do love the Chinese beer though....here's a funny story to share with you guys.

 

We had a dinner with our wedding party last time I was there. We did a lot of drinking and I did a lot of eating of things I thought I would never eat. I was doing fine until we went to a German bar in town and sucked down a few too many thick German beers. I was some what drunk but still doing ok. In the morning when I woke up I had THE worst hangover in my entire life, and trust me I've had some wowzers in my 20s. Still I was doing fine until I started thinking of the duck's head and other food I had eaten the night before.....needless to say I was hugging the porcelain empress soon after:o .....the moral of this story is Chinese food and German beer do not mix....be weary

[robhon]

Tim,

 

You know, my worst hangover ever was also in China. It wasn't the food, though...

 

I had a previous girlfriend in Nanjing a couple of years before I met my wife. We'd gone to Yanchang where her family lives. One evening we went out for "dinner" with an uncle. Well, it was less of a dinner and more of a table around which we were all repeatedly toasting each other. Of course everyone wanted to toast with the American. It was just Tsing Tao beer but a hell of a lot of it. Several times I tried to stop by turning my glass over but the girlfriend would say, "No, don't be rude."

 

Not only was I "driving the porcelain bus" all night long, but the following day I had to take a real bus from Yancheng to Shanghai to catch my plane home. It was a torturous, bumpy 8 hour trip (it's when they were building the highway between Shanghai and Yancheng). The worst worst WORST part of all was repeated getting sick while on the bus and having to use the gawdawful toilet IN the bus, which of course made me feel even sicker.

 

My wife now is much more protective of me in such social situations. But still, she likes how I tell this particular getting drunk in China story. She laughs like crazy but then says, "Mouh man tai, louh gung. Ngo wui jiu gwu leih." (Cantonese: No problem, husband. I will take care of you.) She's such a sweetheart. ....I want to see again her so much.

[Robert S.]

Wow, guys thanks for the enjoyable stories, but as for the hangovers I am glad it was you and not me. Social expectations or peer pressure or whatever you want to call it -- to heck with it, they are not going to get me to overindulge such that I would ever have to pay that kind of price again. It is just not worth it. When you finally LEARN your lesson then there is no need to repeat the same mistake. China is crazy in their crushing demands for conformity and there are so many aspects of their culture where it is very important what others think of you, highly opposite to the culture I grew up in during the 1960s. When you think about social pressure in China you must remember this is the culture which used to have foot binding for ladies, don't forget.

[TimD]

I agree with some of the customs being a bit "brutal" over there. I just don't have the "drinkers stomach" that is use to.

 

A few days after this was our wedding dinner. There were about 120 people at our reception. It was about half Chinese half western people. Part of the custom is for the husband and wife to go around to each table and toast ALL the guests. At all of the "western" tables we got away with one toast per table. But once we hit the Chinese tables it was a one on one toast "Bottoms up". I counted at least 15 glasses of wine that I drank during this part of the evening. However this time I was prepared. Before the wedding I ate a huge breakfeast and a huge lunch and made sure my stomach was full. My best man, a great dutch guy and my sister in law kept my glass full with watered down wine.

 

Towards the end of this "toast fest" my wifes friends called us up to the stage and offered us each a cup of tea. The tea was served in a nice cup that was covered. When it came time for us to drink I realized that they did not put tea in my cup but a thick balck vinager. But again, I held it all down. I told her friends after the dinner that I couldn't wait for them to get married and that pay backs were in order.

 

I think some folks in the states would have issues with some of these customs, but for me I found it all very interesting. Off all the weddings I have ever been too this one had to have been the most fun. Most western wedding I have attended were almost sacred, way too long and very boring. Ours on the other hand was soooooo much fun, it truly was a celebration.

 

I would love to hear some of the other stories you guys and gals may have of your wedding experiences over in China. Anybody wish to share?

 

[owenkrout]

I limit my drinking to an occassional one glass of wine in the evening and that is to help me sleep since my wife worries about my not sleeping enough. I simply won't get into the drinking games at dinners. I just announce that I don't drink and refuse any alcohol. Definitely the safe route up here as the DongBeiRen (East-North people) are renowned even in China for their hard drinking.

 

Oh, yes, I must admit to the occassional administration of my wife's infamous home-made arthritis tonic that could double as paint stripper. Made with 100 proof as the base. (Don't know if it really helps or if I just don't feel any pain after a shot of it) Not as bad as her brother's "live forever" tonic that starts with the same 100 proof and includes various herbs and such as well as sea-horses, pipe fish, and a snake coiled up in the bottom. Deadly poisonous snake, he solemly insisted.

 

For our wedding I was saved by the fact that my wife's mother was a strict Christian and did not drink and did not approve of it. Therefore I was a hit with her and no one dared press the issue. I just followed her lead, when they offered her the toast glass of maotai she just touched it to her lips. When I refused to drink several of the men showed obvious relief and announced that they would stick to water themselves. However the mayor's wife got drunk as a skunk. She shows up on our wedding video staggering along listing heavily to one side.

[chinadave2001]

Heck, I don't even drink western beer when I am there, Jin Ling is just fei chang hao in my book.

 

 

- Tim

Just been dying to tell this and you opened the door.

 

Went out for Chinese din last night and what was on the beer menu? Tsing Tao! Couldn't believe it here in Podunk. It was the export version but close to the original - only colder, half-sized and a lot more expensive than in China.

Don - if you like Qingdao beer then u need to visit Sarah and I sometime in Qingdao. The bottled stuff is great - but the fresh keg beer - $8 per half barrell- is out of this world. BTW, I am not surpirsed to see greater distribution of Tsingdao Beer as Budweiser has bought about a 40% interest in the company. So come sometime for a visit to the Beer city...

Dave

[owenkrout]

Tsing Tao is Qingdao, just using an old version of Pinyin prior to the Party standardizing on the current system.

[chinadave2001]

Warning to all newbies to China: one of the favorite games for the Chinese is to play is called "Let's see how much the "Lo-wei" can drink. It starts with some kind of dinner or party where you are the honored guest. Then one of the hosts of the dinner gets up and makes a toast in your honor, alone. You are naturally flattered and of course "gam-bei" or bottoms up...yet, Nobody else joins in. Then another person toasts you - different than the first - again alone. Next thing you know- you've had six or ten drinks and they are each still on their first! It took me a long time to develop a good strategy for defeating their sinister plans - but now I always try to insist that everyone drinks for each toast - that this is the American custom and that it is insulting to do anything less. Also, watch as their wives lighten up their drinks with tea or water all night... another trick.

Be careful out there!!!!

Dave

[Mick]

During the five years I lived in China, I often witnessed great and messy drinking bouts, particularly at banquets. I usually did not indulge as I don't particularly like the effects of alcohol and one of the medications I have to take prohibits drinking. Worse experience I ever had was at a lunch time banquet held in a city near Hefei. We were driven over in a van that had no shock absorbers of any kind and a very loosy-goosy steering system. Everyone got snockered at the banquet, including the driver. The ride back was something I will never forget. Wretching, barfing, and a lot of moaning. Even the driver tossed his cookies but never missed a gear.

 

Where are you going to live in China by the way?

[TimD]

I'm going to be in Nanjing.

 

So while we are on this topic I noticed a lot of folks playing a game with dice, what's up with that? I know it's a drinking game of sorts but don't know the rules.