I needz my Mountain Dew!

[aroberts42]

So, since our move to China will be our first trip to China ever, we really have no idea what to expect. Everyone here has been so helpful! Now that we are less worried about the internet and are narrowing down our city choice, our next concern is the food, lol.

What can we expect when it comes to the food? We are supposed to have a fully furnished kitchen, but I won't know how to cook there. Where do I grocery shop? If we need to eat out for a couple of weeks, what can we expect at the restraunts? What kind of prices? What should we look out for (besides the silkworms on a stick)? Will I be able to find Mountain Dew!?!? (And my fiancee is addicted to coca-cola) I'm kind of thinking of our first day in our city in our apartment: "Well, here we are....how do we get dinner?"

[Xiwang]

Mountain Dew, in its fluorescent green glory, is available; although it is not as prevalent as Coke or Pepsi. Diet sodas are also available, although not all restaurants will have them.

For dinner, I usually spend the equivalent of US$3-5 each day. However, at my favorite local restaurant, I can happily stuff myself for US$1.75. For special occasions, it's not hard to find Western restaurants where you can spend US$150+ per person.

Despite your fully furnished kitchen, don't be surprised if you don't have an oven. Ovens, like clothes dryers, are not that common here.

Unless one is a very picky eater, eating in restaurants and shopping for food should be very minor issues during (and very pleasurable parts of) your stay.

[clevermae]

I agree. Food shouldn't be of any of your worries. There are so many Chinese restaurants in urban areas, you wouldn't starve at all. Chinese food is pretty varied too, in my opinion -- from food made up of pretty weird ingredients, to those that are common and familiar to our tastes.

[Lu]

I'm kind of thinking of our first day in our city in our apartment: "Well, here we are....how do we get dinner?"

Heh, that was my first day. Then I made my way to the university cafetaria and the next problem was: how do I pick what to order, I can't read any of those dishes.

You won't starve though, there's an abundance of restaurants all over the place. Don't expect to be able to read the menu right away, just learn a few dishes from the phrase book so you have something to eat. Cheap restaurants cost about 20 kuai per person, but you can always find something more expensive if you want.

Once you've unpacked and gotten your bearings a bit, you can look around the neighborhood for a supermarket and/or a grocery shop. Home cooking isn't necessarily cheaper than eating out in China though.

[LongwenChinese]

Most Chinese people shop for grocery at farmer's markets. Most supermarkets will have a grocery section as well.

Some other things you might not find in a Chinese kitchen are dishwashers and drying racks.

[BrandeX]

or hot running water.

[aroberts42]

or hot running water

That scared me! I looked, and we are supposed to have hot water. But if we get an apartment on our own eventually, I didn't realize they didn't have hot water.

don't be surprised if you don't have an over

again, this was surprising. They have stoves, but not ovens? That will be weird too.

Cheap restaurants cost about 20 kuai per person

What is a kuai? I know that a yuan is about 6 or 8 per American dollar (like 1 yuan is 15 cents). But what is a kuai?

[chrix]

kuài is a classifier for money, in this case it refers to yuán.

[liuzhou]

What is a kuai?

kuai is the same as Yuan. Kuai is more colloquial.

[aroberts42]

Ok, so its like a pound and a quid right? Same difference.

[BrandeX]

Some other things you might not find in a Chinese kitchen

or hot running water.

I was talking about the kitchen from the post above. Also btw, the MT. Dew here isn't the same as the stuff I drink in the USA.

Some other things you might not find in a Chinese kitchen

The vast majority of Chinese food is fried in grease in a wok. You can get a toaster oven at dept. stores, but you will likely need to find imported food, or be otherwise creative to get something to put in it. Virtually no one has a microwave either. (or a toaster, or blender, or xxx appliance outside of rice cookers.)

[skylee]

Virtually no one has a microwave either.

really? which city/town are you talking about?

[gougou]

Virtually no one has a microwave either.

I had one in at least 5 of the 7 places I lived in in Beijing.

[BrandeX]

Guangzhou. I have been lots to peoples homes for work. The only one I have seen was in my own. Just quoting from personal experience.

[liuzhou]

No one has a microwave? Ha Ha! Everyone I know has one. They can't understand why I don't!

Ok, so its like a pound and a quid right? Same difference

Yes, but kuai is less slang-like than quid. Less informal.

[eatfastnoodle]

About the microwave situation, plenty of people, not all of them, have one in their kitchen, though microwave is mainly utilized in China to heat leftovers. Packaged food isn't that popular in China, in the eyes of Chinese parents, packaged food ain't that much different from salty snacks, in another word, unhealthy and its intake should be under strict control. As for the availability of oven, I'm sorry, it doesn't matter where you go or if the kitchen belongs to a rich family or poor family, as long as they're Chinese, it's unlikely you are gonna find an oven in it. Chinese cuisine, at least the kind of stuff people usually cook at home simply has no use for it. But I'm sure you can buy one somewhere. Trust me, as long as you can pay, you can buy ANYTHING you want.

[ABCinChina]

I heard that Mountain Dew reduces your sperm count. Just some food for thought.

[aroberts42]

I heard that Mountain Dew reduces your sperm count. Just some food for thought.

Thats funny. However, I doubt it is true, otherwise the American south wouldn't be so infested with hillbillies (and I can say that because I'm from Arkansas)

[Xiwang]

About the microwave situation, plenty of people, not all of them, have one in their kitchen, though microwave is mainly utilized in China to heat leftovers.

A month and a half ago, I brought imported Christmas pudding to an English Christmas dinner. The pudding takes hours to prepare by steaming but only a few minutes with a microwave oven. I made the mistake of thinking that most everyone in Shanghai had a microwave.

No Christmas pudding for us that evening.

[xiaocai]

most everyone in Shanghai had a microwave

Well, almost, that is, not everyone.