Haibao’s Expat Guide: Ordering Noodles
Youtube warning for those reading from China:
When my brother and I were in Changzhou, we wanted to do a series of videos about the Shanghai Expo mascot, Haibao, giving advice to new expats in China. The first (and only) one we did focused on breaking away from the McDonald’s habit and eating local food (”la mian” and “dao xiao mian” noodles).
Alas, the weather got too cold after we finished “ordering noodles” to do anymore filming. Going around town with a Haibao puppet garnered a frustrating amount of attention, anyway. It’s hard to film when everybody wants to stand in front of the camera to watch what you’re doing.
We had some help with the puppetry and voice acting, but all filming and post production was done by JR.
Chinese Snack: Suan La Fen
Now that I’ve overindulged on Mexican food, it’s time to reminisce about Chinese cuisines again. Another favorite place of mine to eat in China was at the Ba Jie snack shops. They are most famous for “suan la fen,” an ass-kickingly spicy bowl of noodles with meat balls. It only costs five yuan, and there’s usually a huge line crowd of people waiting to buy it.
But Ba Jie has more than just suan la fen. Their chicken wings (ji chi) are the best chicken wings in China. They’re cheap, too! You’d pay twice as much for the same amount of wings in a sit-down restaurant. And to top it off, you gotta try one of those flat, baked pizza-type… things (called “bing” in Chinese). Be on the lookout.
Chinese Restaurant: Little Sheep
Hot Pot is such a staple in Chinese dining, it’d be a real shame if you came here and didn’t jump in the bowl. In a nutshell, they boil a pot of broth on your table, and you order raw meat and vegetables to cook yourself. Of all the Hot Pot restaurants, though (and there are many), Little Sheep is my favorite. The food is better quality, and the portions are bigger.
On the downside, Hot Pot isn’t exactly a “foreign friendly” place, and you’ll probably want to convince a Chinese friend to escort you the first few times you go. Yep, another case of “the menu is all in Chinese.” Fortunately, Little Sheep does have a special picture book of all their foods, and they love bringing this to my table whenever I go there without a Chinese associate.
Chinese Snack: Shou Zhua Bing
One of the first foods I picked up last year was a fried pancake thing called “shou zhua bing.” These little stands are everywhere and are easy to spot, but the quality is erratic. Some people can make them right, and some can’t. Maybe only Taiwanese people know the secret.
Since it is originally from Taiwan, my friends are quick to correct me when I tell them shou zhua bing is one of my favorite Chinese foods. “That’s from Taiwan,” they say sternly. “I said what Chinese food do you like.” Nonetheless… it’s really good.
Once you order one, you can add additional items to it for 1-2 yuan. My favorite combination is an egg (ji dan), bacon (pei gen), and lettuce (sheng cai) with spicy (la de) sauce. Yeah, I know, those sauces look a little unappetizing in that picture.
Chinese Restaurant: 7+7
This restaurant is one of the easier places for fresh-off-the-plane foreigners to eat at, because it’s cafeteria-style and makes no apologies about how long the food has been sitting out. Seriously, don’t go in the off-hours. All the good food is gone, and what’s left is usually cold. 7+7 tends to have a rather scary selection of dishes, anyway, but I like eating here for one thing in particular: eggplant. 7+7 has some of the best eggplant in all of China. The potato strips and… uh… those green things… are okay, but it’s really the eggplant, or “qie zi” in Chinese, that makes the meal.
Chinese Restaurant: Da Niang Dumpling
Malatang shops may not be some of my favorite places to eat, but Da Niang Dumpling is. Da Niang is about as common in a big Chinese city as KFC, except that Da Niang is actually Chinese food. And, hey, interesting fact: Da Niang started in Changzhou. Something good came out of this place, after all!
Eating here can be a little intimidating, though, as everything is in Chinese (I never would’ve guessed), and there aren’t any pictures to point at. Don’t worry, I’ve got it down. The safest things on the menu are “song ren san xian” (pork dumplings with corn and peas… sounds gross but it’s fantastic) and “niu rou fen si tang” (clear noodles in beef broth). If there’s one thing I can do in Chinese, it’s order food!
Malatang: Build-a-Soup Workshop
This isn’t one of my favorite things to eat in China anymore, as I kind of overdosed last summer, but it’s one of the first types of restaurants foreigners pick up on. You don’t need to speak any Chinese to order “malatang.” Just grab a basket, browse through the different meats and vegetables in the refrigerator, and add whatever you want and as much as you want. The store owner will tally up what everything costs and cook it in a soup for you. The final bowl looks something like this (and only costs 9 yuan):
Happy Thanksgiving from China.
Chinese Bakeries and Husband Pies
A new bakery opened in Changzhou, and it’s been consistently busy for the last two weeks. Every time I walk past the window, though, I lose all desire to go inside. Have you ever seen a more unappealing selection of bread? And are those… are those hot dogs?! Yuck.
Bakeries are easy to find in this city. It seems like there’s one on every block. All the bakeries I frequent, though, rarely see any other customers. Half of their shelves are always empty, too. It’s amazing they can stay in business. The one near my school probably only gets by on all the sales they make to me. I do like my “husband and wife” pies:
I believe they are called “husband and wife” pies, because there is a sweet version and a salty version. Guess who’s the sweet one? Unfortunately for the guys, the salty ones are disgusting. Beware the flaky, brown filling. It tastes like spicy dirt. I’ve also been told not to give a “husband and wife” pie to a girl. It means she smells like spicy dirt. Or that you want to marry her. Something like that.
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