What do you miss the most while in China?

[tonyontherock]

The thing I miss the most in term of food here is lamb chop, cooked medium rare. The steaks are much too rubbery most of the time. Also I did not find Godiva anywhere. What do you miss the most in terms of food while in China?

[Guest Gene]

While I was in China, which has only been a total of 45 days, I did not miss western food at all. But I am constantly missing real Chinese food here in America

[sawadee]

My LG does not miss western food that much the way he miss Chinese food while he is in States.

The food that my LG keeps on mentioning over the telephone after he returns to States is bun, esp. the kind with stuffy rice in it, Shao-Mei(ÉÕÂô). Well, he will have a huge bunch of Shao-Mei pretty soon.

[awch]

This is an excellent post I could go on and on about- the thing I miss the most actually, is variety of food. Most of all I miss baked goods like donuts, bagels, muffins, cookies,toast... they have all these baked goods here that look good but when you bite into them you want to throw up. They don't use butter when they bake... just oil so all the breads are very heavy and not good tasting.

 

I also miss cheesy and salty snack foods or just foods in general with a lot of cheese or salt.

 

And the last one is Chinese breakfast- I think it must be the worst breakfast available on earth. Oily, greasy fried bread or black tasteless gruel- give me cereal, bacon, eggs, muffins, bagels any day.

[egolessvegan]

During my 3 trips to China I missed having avocados. Never saw them at all anywhere.

Ken

[Jeikun]

The thing I miss the most in term of food here is lamb chop, cooked medium rare.  The steaks are much too rubbery most of the time.  Also I did not find Godiva anywhere.  What do you miss the most in terms of food while in China?

Godiva... I miss that just living in Roanoke, Virginia. I mean, I could always order it, or get the piddily selection offered in bookstores... but nothing beats a fresh truffle...

[Maui & China]

I'm with Gene and don't really miss western food at all; although, I do have a craving for a Spam musubi now and then.

[Jason+Joanna]

I only visit China for about a week at a time. I don't have enough time to miss western food. I guess I would not really miss it that much, since I enjoy chinese food quite a lot -- especially if she is the cook !

[LouRose]

I thought I liked Chinese food too, but that was before I had to have it and only it, three meals a day, every day! The oil alone will drive you crazy. Nowadays I only get that when I visit the in-laws, at home I try to vary the Chinese food with enough Western food to keep me sane.

 

But hands down the thing I miss the most is BAGELS! I mean real jewish new york ones, not just the bread made in a circle that some people call bagels. with cream cheese and lox, oh man i've been dying for one for a year and a half now. luckily i'm visiting home in a few weeks, i plan on living on only bagels!

[frank1538]

Coffee

[maiyademama]

Mexican Food! Italian Food! Indian Food! Japanese Food!

Mostly mexican food!!! I would have killed just to eat *real* beans and rice...and avocado...We got so hard up for avocado once, that one of my American friends made a trip from Xi'an to HK just to buy a bag of avocados. By the time she got back the avocados were nearly rotten! We ate them anyway as guacamole.

 

As far as coffee goes....I took my own supply (15#) of Costa Rican XX Dark French roast thinking it would last a year. Ha ha...My place was freakin' coffee central for all the other foreigners...maybe lasted 6 months.

[lele]

While I was in China, which has only been a total of 45 days, I did not miss western food at all. But I am constantly missing real Chinese food here in America     

tongyi

[lele]

Mexican Food! Italian Food! Indian Food! Japanese Food!

Mostly mexican food!!! I would have killed just to eat *real* beans and rice...and avocado...We got so hard up for avocado once, that one of my American friends made a trip from Xi'an to HK just to buy a bag of avocados. By the time she got back the avocados were nearly rotten! We ate them anyway as guacamole.

 

As far as coffee goes....I took my own supply (15#) of Costa Rican XX Dark French roast thinking it would last a year. Ha ha...My place was freakin' coffee central for all the other foreigners...maybe lasted 6 months.

Hey, there is *really* good Indian food in China (two places I have been, one in Yunnan (Kunming) and the other in Shanghai. It is on par with the northern Indian food found in Edison NJ, NYC, or London (still never been to India, but these places have the highest density of Indian populations in the US and England, and the Indian people I know enjoy the food at them!). I could not find southern or gujarahat (sic) food.

 

There is *excellent* Japanese food in Qingdao (all of the Japanese business people there seem to demand it) and I have heard in Shanghai as well (but this one I have not personally confirmed)!

 

However, in the US, outside of NYC and SF, I have not been able to find any *authentic* non-Guangdong food (even authentic Szechwan is hard to find, never the less other types). And even the semi-authentic types still lack local foods (like the citrus peppers that are banned for import by the US to protect its citrus monopoly).

[tonymasiello]

Coffee

Right on! I crave coffee even more when I travel.

[MoonCarolCafe]

While in China I miss:

 

-Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies

-Root beer floats (vanilla ice cream, ice cubes, and club soda is not a root beer float!)

-Boba (known to the heathens as bubble tea)

-Decent coffehouses. Not Starbucks, the Seattle-style holes-in-the-wall

-And speaking of holes-in-the-wall... Mexican food!

 

I live in the San Gabriel Valley, so I'd like to think I know what I'm talking about when I say that in general, "Chinese" food in the SGV tastes better than "Chinese" food in China. Even Blue & White, which my wife thinks is the donkeys danglies for a quick lunchtime meal, has food that while not bad, is just bland.