The worst dining experience in China

[zozzen]

A couple went to a restaurant in Dongguan, ordered pig's intestine congee. They found something strange in the intestine, some creamy stuff with weed and pig feather there and they realized that was pig excrement.

http://www.mingpaonews.com/20071008/ccc1.htm

Thanks God, my experience isn't that worst. I had tea in a cheap restaurant in Shenzhen, and only found that the tea was fluorescent.

What's your experience?

[gato]

Why the focus on such negatives? Food is one of the last things people complain about China.

[simonlaing]

I Love Chinese food in general but I think long term people should have a story to contribute.

It was in 2002, I think around the dragon boat festival time when I was teaching in Suzhou. The principal Mr. Cao took us 5 foreign teacher out to Wuxi to have dinner on a Boat restaurant.

At the beginning of the meal he say when I was on my One year abroad in Wisconsin, my host family forced me to eat stinky blue cheese once a week, so tonight I will have my revenge.

So one of the first dishes he brought out was "fresh" Stinky tofu. This was soft and fetid. Like Roquefort as soon as it entered the room, the whole room stank of it. Shielding his nose my fellow teacher Andy reached out and to a Chopstick full. He ate it and turned away so I couldn't see his reaction. "Come on Simon you have to try it you can't insult MR. Cao now." So I followed is his lead and put half a spoon ful in my mouth ignoring the rank odor assulting my nostrils. It was like lumpy, fetid, stale yogurt that caused me to dry gag and spit it out into the napkin. Mr. Cao and the other teachers knew it was terrible taste and didn't eat it. Next came the Drunk Prawns. Usually shrimp and prawns look pink and white. These were gray and white . This was the first problem. Then I looked closer and they were still moving . I taken aback. Mr. Cao assured me " Oh no we have to the sauce that will cook them. " The waiter poured the hot sauce on the prawns and I her crackling as the the shrimp cooked. After thirty seconds of cook Mr. Cao here try one and put one in my plate, (I had been working on my inmouth deshelling ability and so put it in my mouth) As soon as I felt the tickle of their still live legs out it went into the napkin once more. Mr. Cao and the other teachers howled in Laughter. Thought of the Mini Series V with aliens that ate live rodents flashed though my head. What am I becoming.

During the later parts of the meal things went smoother with Drinking toasts a plenty. The Bai jiu flowed that night. Another fellow teacher Nila, was intent on drinking Mr. Cao under with the Rice wine toasts. Finally we left the restaurant for the long drive back to Suzhou. It was interrupted twice for Mr. Cao, Mr. Li and Nila to puke on the side of the road. Nila didn't get out fast enough and I had some of the dinner sprayed on my dress pants.

Back at the school Mr. Cao, still obviously wasted got in his car and drove home. We opted for the taxi . This was a good learning expereince for me, and it ranks up there with some of the worst dinning experiences. Anyone else had drunken prawns?

[liuzhou]

I lived in Hunan for a couple of years and regularly ate the stinky doufu. The smell is hard to take, but the taste I found delicious and the perfect accompaniment to gallons of beer!

Drunken shrimp I've also had a couple of times. Can take or leave them. At least they are stunned. In Japan, I was just served the shrimps running around the plate non-intoxicated. Really tests your chopstick skills!

Perhaps the thing which amused me most was then deep fried fish which was served with its mouth still gasping for air! Luckily, I was sitting next to the resident vegetarian who was appropriately horrified. Hilarious. And delicious! (The fish, not the vegetarian!)

[Lu]

The live fried fish caused such an outrage here that the restaurant that used to serve it no longer does. Rightly so, I think. At least kill it before you cook it.

My worst dining experiences weren't that bad, in comparison. I couldn't care less about a hair in my food (once found one long black hair baked into a bread, I pulled it out and ate on) but recently I found three hairs in my beef intestine soup. I told this to the waiter, who came up with some lame excuse that those weren't hairs, they were supposed to be inside a cow's stomach. Yeah right.

[mr.stinky]

last week after large quantities of baijiu, our table ordered up a batch of deep-fried whatevers.

not a very strong taste, kinda chewy and stringy, but it took the edge off the alcohol. only

after the last one had been eaten did the xiaojie sitting next to me explain that they were

fried pig 'winkies,' and supposedly have 'medicinal' properties. at least they weren't

served raw.

[cdn_in_bj]

only after the last one had been eaten did the xiaojie sitting next to me explain that they were fried pig 'winkies,' and supposedly have 'medicinal' properties

Was she secretly feeding you aphrodisiacs to get you "into the mood"? Did it work?

[imron]

Haha, yeah that's one to be careful about, but as the saying goes “吃什么补什么”. Anyway on menus the character to look out for is "whip" e.g. 牛鞭, 羊鞭 Bull's whip, ram's whip etc (hmm perhaps this post also belongs in the random word for the day thread). You'll find that many kebab sellers will have this on their menus in addition to hearts, chicken heads, kidneys and other assorted organs.

[mr.stinky]

打死我也不说!

[zozzen]

Why the focus on such negatives? Food is one of the last things people complain about China.

it's half -half now. Not only locals complain the hygiene conditions and "fake" food, some provincial government has also introduced stronger rules against "bad" restaurants. In Dengfeng, you can refuse to pay the bill if chopsticks and bowls are dirty. It seems so great, but now some restaurants are selling "clean" pack of chopsticks and bowls. Every time you use it, you'll be charged RMB2.

[flameproof]

In Dengfeng, you can refuse to pay the bill if chopsticks and bowls are dirty.

When you think about it deeply, it doesn't make much sense. If your tableware is dirty you probably would ask for clean ones first, right? To finish your meal, then complain and not pay would be a bit strange, and you would certainly not get away with it if I had a restaurant.

[liuzhou]

some restaurants are selling "clean" pack of chopsticks and bowls. Every time you use it, you'll be charged RMB2.

They must have seen you coming! They only cost ¥1 round here!

Anyway, it won't be long till someone gets caught selling non-sterilised "sterilised" packs.Wrapping bowls in shrinkwrap isn't difficult.

[mr.stinky]

wasn't it only recently a man in beijing was arrested for reselling disposable chopsticks

that he had repackaged....without sterilization, or even washing them?

[zozzen]

Anyway, it won't be long till someone gets caught selling non-sterilised "sterilised" packs.Wrapping bowls in shrinkwrap isn't difficult.

Even the "sterilized" pack i bought wasn't really clean. There was a small crack in my spoon, and in many countries that could be illegal because the rift potentially keeps dirt.

Anyone knows why these sterilized packs have been introduced? Any stories behind it?

[yonglin]

imagine how much carbon dioxide and other bad things are being let out in the atmosphere when they're transporting those bowls and chopsticks to and from the sterilization plants....

[cdn_in_bj]

Anyone knows why these sterilized packs have been introduced? Any stories behind it?

The waitress I asked said it was due to new government regulations ahead of the 08 Olympics. If that is truly the case, then I wonder why I haven't encountered this at any other restaurants here?

I personally think it's just a way for someone/some people to make more money.

[flameproof]

There was a small crack in my spoon, and in many countries that could be illegal because the rift potentially keeps dirt.

I had a business dinner with some Koreans a while ago. One bowl had a little porcelain chipped off from the edge. One of the Koreans noted that this would be unthinkable for a restaurant in Korea to serve food in a damaged plate or bowl.

We obviously have a looong way to go here in China.

[zozzen]

The waitress I asked said it was due to new government regulations ahead of the 08 Olympics. If that is truly the case, then I wonder why I haven't encountered this at any other restaurants here?

I personally think it's just a way for someone/some people to make more money.

The waiter is possibly partly true. In most restaurants in Dengfeng, I've seen a small government official notice that tell customers not to pay if they found dirty. It's a standard green notice, issued by government and signed by managers of relevant restaurants.

If that were a rule really enforced and i were a restaurant manager, I would do the same to sell sterilized pack of bowl and chopsticks to customers. If anyone complained that chopsticks are dirty and refused to pay, I would know who I can claim loss. From what i saw, an upper market restaurant tends to do it in my town.