American breakfast or Chinese breakfast?

[david_dawei]

Not sure if we should assume our SO does the cooking... well, at least with us, she doesn't like to cook... so I really do most of the cooking.

 

We tend to eat some variation on eggs; once in a while a hearty cereal or fruit for breakfast.

 

Lunch and dinner are essentially chinese cuisine. All meals with chopsticks.

 

We eat mostly fish, pork neck bone, sweet potatoes,spinach, chinese spinach and lettuce, and fruit... and of course plenty of ginger, garlic, green onions, and hot sauces.

[jim_julian]

98% American for breakfast ... usually it's high fiber cereal, soy milk, and fruit. The other 2% are weekends where she might make Chinese soft boiled eggs or tung wen ... or I might make an omelet. In the winter we sometimes will have hot oatmeal.

 

Lunch is 50-50 ... burritos, sandwiches, leftovers, home made dumplings, home made fat noodles, Chinese rice (kitchen sink approach to fried rice).

 

Dinner ... mostly Chinese but sometimes just a fresh salad with shrimp. I try to cook one "American" dinner each weekend. Last weekend it was spinach stuffed pork rolls. Their favorite "American" dinner thus far is a toss up between turkey and stuffing or my very spicy red beef curry.

[yemmie]

OK, I'll weigh in on this. I have always been an American hearty breakfast person - eggs, bacon or sausage, toast, grits, cream of wheat, or oat meal on the side, orange juice, and coffee. Now, having said all of that, I have visted China three times. During two of my visits, I stayed at a hotel in Xiangfan, Hubei - The Railway Grand. Well, the hotel is ok, not grand, but OK, but their breakfast is the best I have ever had. They serve it up almost buffet style, though they bring it to you. They do have eggs, but they also have all kinds of delicious Chinese items, most of which I still have no idea what they are, but I do know they have small rice (oh it is so good!!!!), some sort of pasta shells of some kind that have, pork, shrimp, or veggie inside And they have various soups, and cooked apples of some kind too. I'm telling you, everything is so good. Maybe some of you other CFL folks know the foods I am talking about. I was so impressed that I have been asking my girl ever since if she can help me make such breakfasts here in America. Anyway, I have had breakfast in other places in China, but for me, no other place can compare.

[Li & John]

What about lunch and dinners? Is your wife willing to eat American lunch and dinners or is she going to cook Chinese dinners for the rest of your lives. If she is going to cook Chinese dinners and only speak Chinese then I would suggest that you move to China because she will never be happy here.

[BillV 8-16-2004]

My wife wakes up everyday and makes breakfast and lunch for me, she has been here almost 3 years. I will take her to work and I then go to my job. She makes me oatmeal or poach eggs (fresh) we have 26 chickens now, on the weekends we will have congee or pancakes and eggs. She has learned to make puff pastries, cookies, muffins, cakes along with her boa's and egg tarts, sesame balls etc. For dinner we have a wide range of foods, lasagna, echillada's, rice, sea food, soups, steak, chicken, pork lots of vegetables, salads, cucumbers in wine vinegar, we have 2 gardens, corn, squash, tomato's, beans, cucumbers, onions, eggplants, fruit trees 20+, figs, peaches, apples, cherries, plums, blackberries etc. she doesn't like resturants but will have dinner waiting for me everyday when I get home, she tells me to stay out of the kitchen which I have adjusted to.

[IllinoisDave]

What about lunch and dinners? Is your wife willing to eat American lunch and dinners or is she going to cook Chinese dinners for the rest of your lives. If she is going to cook Chinese dinners and only speak Chinese then I would suggest that you move to China because she will never be happy here.

Jump to conclusions much?

[Sebastian]

I agree with your ideas. I am also essentially a vegeterian. But you do not get many veg dishes in China, except spinach boiled whole. In Cantonese preparations, they put no spice, no salt, no pepper and no nothing, except soy sauce.

 

I told my wife that I will try every dish once, except fried insects, worms, frogs, snakes and dogs.

 

Ken88

 

In 'China' - you can find all vegetarian stuff. I'll suggest you dinna look in the right places. There is big business in tofu blending and reshaping. It's a huge marketplace, you can find ALL Vegetarian stuff. If you did look in the town where yer lass lives, and dinna find anything, I don't know what to tell you. I could find it each time I was in 'China' .

 

 

On to breakfast...

KFC? McDonalds? This is breakfast food? You should resample again, then send in a stool sample for analysis.

 

I got used to having noodles, soup, congee for breakfast. Lots of varieties for what to put in it.

 

You can find a vegetarian stall in a hawker market. If you haven't been to a hawker market in your lass' town, it's a treat ! 'Boiled whole spinach' really isn't considered the staple in vegetarian cooking - tofu is 'that' staple, and you can do many things with it in yer own kitchen.

 

You might want to set up a trip to Kracker Barrel with her for a 'heavy breakfast' once she's stateside, just to get it done. I note that IHOP and Denny's has something similar, but if yer a cream gravy fan, Kracker Barrel is 'it' .

 

Is your wife vegetarian?

Good Luck !

[credzba]

What about lunch and dinners? Is your wife willing to eat American lunch and dinners or is she going to cook Chinese dinners for the rest of your lives. If she is going to cook Chinese dinners and only speak Chinese then I would suggest that you move to China because she will never be happy here.

Jump to conclusions much?

 

Can't accept the truth? Dave.

 

You are all so funny!

We eat chinese food every meal (unless my wife wirshes I cook something).

We speak mandarin.

 

We live in America.... but only because the pay is better. Otherwise I would be in China of course.

[ken88]

KFC and MickyDs are the worst food in the world....

 

 

Actually I go to a fast food places only about 2-5 times a year, if at all.

 

I took my wife to these two places in china, because in chinese people's mind, these are the typical American food that they know of!

 

Ken88

[ken88]

If your wife is with you in the US, does she cook American breakfast for you or Chinese breakfast? How about lunch and dinner?

 

My wife is not here yet. But I did take her to KFC, McDonalds and some western restaurants. she did not eat even the first bite. she thinks that American food is the worst in the world. I think she is just acting up !

 

What was your experience ?

 

Ken88

 

 

Ken88 --I don't eat anything from KFC and McD's --- why would a Chinese woman eat there?

 

Now to be serious we have been together for over a year living in Xiamen China (Studying Chinese - Awaiting K1), which has several American resturants, many Western Hotels, and the usual spread of mediocre German, Italian, etc resturants. She generally does not like "much" from any of those western places. However....

 

Breakfast has been somewhat of a success. We have Metro (German Wall Mart) and they have Betty Crocker Pancake mix. If you tell your lady that it's "Mian Bao Mix - Bread Flour" and you let her select what she wants to put on the pancake...I think she will like it. If she's from the north...just say it's Moa Moa. Ok, my gal likes honey on her pancakes -- but is not fond of the syrups - we have tried 3 and her take is they are too sweet.

 

Also, she likes toast with honey, and Raisen Bread Toasted with Honey or (This was a big surprise) "Cream Cheese" warmed and slightly spread like butter -- but not like we glob it on a bagel. We are testing bagels this week!

 

I also cook her "2 egg whites" in a teflon pan - and split it on two pieces of toast for "egg sandwiches".

 

EGGS: She'll eat them, especially if boiled, fried (no yolks), or in omeletts. Scrambled is OK, but NO CHEESE. Anything resembling bacon, ham, etc....is a non-starter - at any time. Anything that is a fruit or vegetable is a big YES.

 

Hash browns, cereal with "soy milk", onions, or "vegetable-stuffed buns", (Cai Bao) are fine with her. We also have the boiled rice - with various veggies, pickled items, etc --- and I have grown to really like all of it.

 

We will be moving to Hawaii at the end of the next school semester and/or the K1 thing is done - whichever comes last. Everything that she eats here is AVAILABLE in Hawaii -- which is good for me. ALso, I eat every little meat (if any) so veggies - cooked the Chinese way, noodles, etc are fine with me. Today we had "fangbian mian with tomatoes-with broth" (Fast noodles with Tomatoes) for breakfast.

 

Bottom line; If you work with her, over time she will find the things that she likes and you can learn to appreciate "most" of the food items that she likes. If you will "TASTE" everything that she makes or orders for you --- then you can appeal to her sense of fairness in tasting and trying western food. Try spaghetti first -- it looks like noodles...make sure you don't try meat, or cream sauce- suggest Aribbiati - since it's spicey.

 

You need to show her that there are some things that she will like from the western bill of fare -- but you both need to work on blending the "food culture". I'm very lucky, I agree with YOUR LADY...WESTERN Resturant FOOD GENERALLY is UNHEALTHY and contains way too much sugar and fat. FYI - my gal and I have a deal....she has to try eveything - at least a bite -- and I have to try everything at least a bite...EXCEPTIONS --- I eat NO WORMS from the OCEAN -- and she eats NO MEAT! (Last's nights dinner with friends - 2 dishes were "sea worms - 1 in clear jello the other - actual worms in long reed looking things -- I ate the Jello one with wasabi --- not the other)

 

Bon Appetit!

 

Hello Mike: I think you are new here. Welcome to CFL !

 

I am glad to see that you are living in china until you get your wife's visa, because I am thinking of doing the same thing.

 

Is xiamen a good place to live? Do you work there? Are you on a Z visa? Do you know if I will get a residency card (or book) as a husband of a Chinese citizen and work there without a Z visa. At his point, I do not like to sign a contract for one year to get a Z visa.

 

How much should I budget for a 2BR/2bath apartment in Xiamen or other smaller cities nearby in China? When you rent an apartment, a western style bathroom is common or uncommon?

 

You can either write me here or you can send me a personal message.

 

Thanks. . . . Ken88

[ken88]

Not sure if we should assume our SO does the cooking... well, at least with us, she doesn't like to cook... so I really do most of the cooking.

 

We tend to eat some variation on eggs; once in a while a hearty cereal or fruit for breakfast.

 

Lunch and dinner are essentially chinese cuisine. All meals with chopsticks.

 

We eat mostly fish, pork neck bone, sweet potatoes,spinach, chinese spinach and lettuce, and fruit... and of course plenty of ginger, garlic, green onions, and hot sauces.

 

 

As a married man waiting for 2 years for my wife to join me, I essentially live like a bachelor ! I am sure, we all have been there. So cooking is no stranger to me. I eat what I cook.

 

But my wife tells me that as a good wife, her utmost duty is cook good and healthy food for the family! Who is going to argue with that?

 

Ken88

[tsap seui]

KFC and MickyDs are the worst food in the world....

 

 

Actually I go to a fast food places only about 2-5 times a year, if at all.

 

I took my wife to these two places in china, because in chinese people's mind, these are the typical American food that they know of!

 

Ken88

 

I never ate in any of the Mickey Dees or KFChokes I saw in China on my four trips there.

 

I did point out a Mickey DEE's to the lil' rabbit on our way into a shopping mall one time, to see her reaction...Oh my, I thought the woman was gonna PUKE on the side walk...she got the most disgusted look on her face and said "Food VERY no gooda". I looked down at her cute lil' tight butt and praised the Lawd!!!

 

I got the impression it would take 3 very large men to hold her down and another to force a Big Death burger between her tightly closed lips to get her to eat at Mickey Dees.

 

Breakfast for us...bananas, strawberries, apples, boiled eggs, soups. and other stuff that there didn't look like anything was alive in it. I pretty much ate everything that was put in front of me...picked out the legs stuck in my teeth from some skeesh kabobed locusts, and like a good Chinese spit them on the floor, ate part of the spinal column of a sturgeon once, and tons of stuff that I had no clue what it was...but hey, it WUZ all GOOD!!!

 

tsap seui

[shushuweiwei]

If your wife is with you in the US, does she cook American breakfast for you or Chinese breakfast? How about lunch and dinner?

 

My wife is not here yet. But I did take her to KFC, McDonalds and some western restaurants. she did not eat even the first bite. she thinks that American food is the worst in the world. I think she is just acting up !

 

What was your experience ?

 

Ken88

 

My fiancee isn't here yet but she watched some of the things I ate at the hotel and when we were in her home we had the big chinese breakfast with lots of veggies, shrimp, congee and pancakes but she made a fried egg sandwhich for me basically between two big pieces of french toast...and she made two! I would have died if I ate all that food (she must have used a dozen eggs) but it was such a nice gesture to make that special for me.

 

I'm an ovolactovegetarian and we find that the easiest place for us to eat is hot pot. Order dofu and lots of veggies and you can have a good meal. I'm not a militant vegetarian so I let her put some meat in if she wants.

 

If you are in Beijing there is a good Buddhist vegetarian restaurant in Lido upstairs from the Holiday Inn. Its called Pure Lotus. They have a vegetarian Peking "duck" that was quite good. Many of the dishes have colorful names. The night before I left last time we ordered "Forever Love" and "Sadness at Departing". They have some great freah juice drinks. Carrot juice blends. Walnut juice. A little expensive for China but a good selection of tasty vegetarian dishes.

[ken88]

OK, I'll weigh in on this. I have always been an American hearty breakfast person - eggs, bacon or sausage, toast, grits, cream of wheat, or oat meal on the side, orange juice, and coffee. Now, having said all of that, I have visted China three times. During two of my visits, I stayed at a hotel in Xiangfan, Hubei - The Railway Grand. Well, the hotel is ok, not grand, but OK, but their breakfast is the best I have ever had. They serve it up almost buffet style, though they bring it to you. They do have eggs, but they also have all kinds of delicious Chinese items, most of which I still have no idea what they are, but I do know they have small rice (oh it is so good!!!!), some sort of pasta shells of some kind that have, pork, shrimp, or veggie inside And they have various soups, and cooked apples of some kind too. I'm telling you, everything is so good. Maybe some of you other CFL folks know the foods I am talking about. I was so impressed that I have been asking my girl ever since if she can help me make such breakfasts here in America. Anyway, I have had breakfast in other places in China, but for me, no other place can compare.

 

There we go yemmie. I finally found one who is enthusiastic about his breakfasat, like I am. I think breakfast is the biggest and the best meal of the day. Your whole destiny for the day is determined by the quality of the breakfast that you had in the morning!

 

I like the all American grand slam breakfast.

 

I stayed 3-4 days in a hotel in GZ which had a great Chinese breakfast buffet in the morning. It was as good as any good American breakfast. They had 1. Kangee (rice over cooked with plenty of water, veggies and meat with spices- this was the most popular among people. Actually, it is a full balanced meal- it looked like oatmeal with milk or farina). 2. Noodles with veggies and meat with spices - It was as good and balanced as the Kangee. 3. Something like a small pancake made like raisin bran cookies, again with meat and veggies.4. Some small sweet balls - looked like donut holes, but less sweet. 5. something like egg rolls 6. dumplings. and a variety of other nick nacks.

 

I told my wife what I liked the most. She said that it will be very hard to make all of these every day, but she will make 2-3 of these for breakfast.

 

Ken88

[ken88]

Personally, I've always hated American breakfasts. I never really realized it, just thought I wasn't a breakfast person.

 

But then I visited China a few times.

I love hot, unsweetened soy milk. I like salty boiled eggs. Not too fond of their breakfast breads, but I love all the stuff you can put into the rice gruel (zhou1).

So put me down for firmly preferring Chinese breakfasts.

The only real limitation will be what ingredients for Chinese breakfasts she can find. If not, then probably just bread, fried egg, fruit, and yoghurt. She'll take a little time getting used to the yoghurt, tho.

 

 

A Mafan: I used to use soy products until it screwd up my thyroid. There used to be some good report on soy in the past. The more recent reports coming out, are in the negative side. It has negative side effects on the hormone system (especially women), memory, and of course thyroid. go to google and read the unhealthy side effects of soy products.

 

Good Luck

 

Ken88