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Thailand Street Food – Amazing Blends of Tastes

December 11, 2014

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Thailand Street Food – Amazing Blends of Tastes

Enjoying Thailand street food is one of my favorite activities in Bangkok. It is tough not to locate a street bend with a chain of handcarts aligned dishing out food like noodle broth, BBQ chicken, beef cakes and appetizing fried fish. Makes your mouth water, doesn’t it?

The most important facet is that Thailand street food also has various reimbursements for you as a vacationer. It is in general safe (because you can observe what is being prepared and if it is clean) and apart from that, you also get to relate with the local people of Thailand.

Chinatown

If you adore Thailand street food then you are definably going to love paying a visit to Chinatown situated in Bangkok. It sports numerous street food stalls, marketplaces, pushcarts and restaurants. Night is the time Yaowarat, the name by which Chinatown is as well recognized as, will astound your flavor buds. You should just seek for the ad hoc stands, the synthetic chairs and tables, devour loads and loads of delicious food and then wash it all down with Singa Beer!

Silom Road

Because it is the innermost commerce region of Bangkok, it has a large group of citizens, starving people who want fast food in the middle of administrative center hours.

This means that you will discover quite a lot of diverse Thailand street food choices.

Soi 20 and Soi Convent are two of the locations where you almost certainly will want to go and gobble up the inexpensive varieties of Thai food.

Soi Rambuttri

This is one of my many preferred roads in Bangkok; a place where you can get away from the insanity of the hustle bustle of Bangkok. I loved eating and drinking here. There is a reason it is considered an appealing Bangkok retreat

Banglamphu

Banglamphu is the district in the region of the river, in close proximity to the Golden Palace which comprises of the back packing journey region of So Rambutrri and Khao San Road. So if you really have a desire to enjoy the splendid Thailand street food, then you should definitely saunter towards the end of the Khao San Road, make a turn to the right, go past the police post conflicting the Wat and Soi Rambuttri and behold the many different street stands and pushcarts.

Soi 38 Sukumvhit

In Soi 38 Sukumvhit you will dine on the road at a shaky metal stand with cars escaping the pushcarts and stands that are lined up along the street and the rare friendly dog trotting by looking expectantly for some leftovers.

There is an abundance of culinary options all along this hectic road. This Thailand street food is delicious, economical and arrives quickly. In addition to that most menus are written in English which makes ordering your favorite dish trouble free.

Besides the street food stands, those located on Soi 38 are very clean and the components used to create the dishes are fresh.

Enjoy!

Amazing Hong Kong Food – The Best Local Dishes Around

December 8, 2014

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Amazing Hong Kong Food – The Best Local Dishes Around

Hong Kong is known for its nightlife but in the midst of fun, amusement, excitement, and entertainment, one need to refuel their energy. This can happen when you take a break and try the most amazing Hong Kong food. You just cannot resist these tempting delicacies when you are there.

When I lived in Hong Kong my apartment building was in North Point, which is situated about middle of Hong Kong island. This gave an incredible mix of western and eastern foods. I could go downstairs and literally have 10 small restaurants, like diners, offering incredible local dish’s. Even today thinking about it makes me want to go back and try more foods!

Roasted Suckling Pig

Known as the best cuisine in the country and an amazing Hong Kong Food, the Cantonese dishes are packed with flavor. One of the must have Cantonese dishes includes the cuisines main attraction, the Suckling Pig (if you eat pork). This dish consists of a delicious roasted pig which is stuffed with glutinous rice and is roasted on an open flame to give you the best flavors.

This piggy dish is a must have, since it offers the true ‘taste’ of Hong Kong.

Beef Brisket

If you have super yummy cravings for some spiced up noodles and delicious meat, the beef brisket noodles is the dish for you. This deliciously amazing Hong Kong food consists of yummy chunks of daikon giving it the beautiful sweetness it needs perfecto make diners salivate. The juicy brisket with the traditional noodles will have you head over heels for them in no time at all.

Snake Soup

Snake soup has the delicacy that no other soup or dish has and locally is considered an amazing Hong Kong food.

This dish is not just appetizing; it is also very beneficial for your health as well. Many restaurants have a tradition for hundreds of years now to serve the most flavorsome snake soup ever. The meat of the snake is shredded into stripes of white meat, followed by the addition of seafood, mushrooms, and lemon leaves to delight your taste buds.

Egg Tart

How about some delicious treats for the road? Egg tarts (pictured in the featured image) are the perfect ones for such occasions and journeys and easily makes it to the top of the amazing Hong Kong food.

The gorgeous golden puff pastry will steal your heart away with the first bite. Taking a bite in to the yellow hue full of rich flavors will just transport you to a whole new realm. This aroma of the delicate pastry will capture your heart and will definitely leave you astonished for sure.

Hot Pot

The hot pot dish is a traditional winter dish which the residents and tourists of Hong Kong love to enjoy with their families. This traditional amazing Hong Kong food consists of three different soups, of your choice followed by crabs, fresh tomatoes, egg whites, meat, fish balls, hot chilies, English oxtail, and so much more.

You can even add other options to make the most of this dish such as cheese stuffed beef balls, truffle dumplings, Japanese meat, rainbow cutter fish balls, and more.

Milk Tea

Milk tea is no ordinary tea, it is like no tea you have ever tasted and a true staple food of Hong Kong. Plus you cannot taste this anywhere else but in Hong Kong itself. This tea is made with the techniques of the Hainanese Coffee, which makes the taste, the aroma, and the experience unique.

If you are in the locality, and if you do not try these amazing Hong Kong food, you have really missed what Hong Kong is all about.

Enjoy!

Korean Cuisine – Wonderful Tastes of Great Food

December 6, 2014

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Korean Cuisine – Wonderful Tastes of Great Food

Looking back on it now, I think it was very funny that my wife, she was my girlfriend at the time, really enjoyed going to the few Korean restaurants in Jerusalem. The people were lovely, and the food was certainly unique to the region! There are many Koreans living in Israel so it wasn’t so much a surprise to find Korean Cuisine there, but it was inspiring how good it tasted!

The Korean cuisine have a distinct sense of flavors and spices. Due to the geographic traits of the Korean Peninsula, the people have enjoyed the products of mountains, seas, and fields for centuries. They consider food to be of higher importance than merely something that fills our belly, it is a source of nutrition and medicine for them.

The biggest trait of the Korean cuisine is probably the use of spices.

They season their food with peppers, bean paste, soy sauce etc. Being a traveler and a foodie, one of my favorite activities is trying the local cuisines of the places I go to.

Here are a few dishes you must try when in Korea:

Soft-Tofu Stew (Soondubu Jiggae)

This is one of the staple foods of Korean Cuisine! This soup is absolutely amazing! Its consistency is thicker than that of a soup, but it’s still much thinner than something like porridge.

It is a mixture of beef and fish stock as the base to strengthen the flavor, topped with silken tofu, shellfish, eggs (optional) and hot pepper. They add only a small amount of beef to keep it light instead of making it filling – keeping it light is the cornerstone of all Korean food.

Rice Cake Street Food (Ddukbokkie)

One of the most famous of Korean Cuisine are street foods of the country is ddukbokkie.

Its smell crawls through the busy streets of all big Korean cities. Almost all the vendors cook a slightly different version so a lot of varieties are available for all sorts of taste buds. It is made usually with rice cakes and vegetables soaked in a sweet and spicy sauce. The rice cakes become absolutely divine once they are dipped in the soup!

Seasoned Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Tongdak)

Everybody enjoys a deep fried chicken leg once in a while, but I doubt you have tried the Korean version. It is marinated in a sweet, spicy, and sticky red sauce and fried till the crust is hard and crunchy making it a uniquely Korean Cuisine dish.

yangnam chicken, korean version of buffalo wings

I have simply never had tastier chicken in my entire life, and that’s coming from a man who has eaten entire poultry farms (not in one sitting though). There are no words that could explain the taste; you will have to try this one for yourself if you want to believe me.

Stir-Fried noodles (Japchae)

Korean food is not just limited to Korea. One of the dishes that the world has accepted as a great restaurant meal is Japchae. The original Japchae was a royal dish, invented by the King’s chefs.

It was made without noodles. Later on, the recipe evolved, sweet potato starch noodles were added which gave the dish a unique chewy texture. Lightly cooked vegetables make this dish wholesome, hearty, and a delight to consume.

Fermented Cabbage (Kimchi)

The national dish of Korean Cuisine, Kimchi, is an important dish that is widely used. It is basically fermented cabbage marinated leaf-by-leaf with spices. It is then used as a base for numerous Korean dishes. Leaving it in the refrigerator for two-three days enhances its flavor and gives it a tangy and sour taste. Be sure to read about the museum dedicated to Kimchi here.

Korean food is the new hype around the world, as more and more people become exposed to it and the demand of Korean Cuisine outlets rise. If you are a fan of exotic cuisine and would love to try new things, Korea is the right place for you.

Enjoy!

Common Chinese Food – The Great and Expected Variety

December 1, 2014

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Common Chinese Food – The Great and Expected Variety

With 56 ethnic groups in China and nearly every town having its own staple food, it was never a question of finding but of “What to eat”? While it is commonly thought that all Chinese eat rice, it’s not so accurate. More people in Southern China, where rice is grown, eat rice. Northern Chinese eat heavier foods, including breads.

I remember back in 1999, it was the first time I had come to Hong Kong with my dad on a business trip. I was in high school and it dawned on me that Chinese food as we know it in the United States is not what people over in Hong Kong and China consider to be common Chinese food!

But it tasted so much better!

However, whenever you travel anywhere outside your country, it may be a concern for some people about finding things to eat (be sure to learn here about cultural differences). I had the same concerns, and often did while traveling the country as many regions had foods I just wouldn’t eat.

China is well known for its delicious cuisine and is a part of the menu served in different countries as well. However, while in China, you might not like everything on the menu.

So it’s a great to have some insider knowledge to what is common Chinese food.

You will find a huge variety of mouthwatering foods in different restaurants and on the food stalls in markets in China. Wheat and rice are the staple foods of the country and are commonly used in the majority of Chinese dishes. Corn, potato, buckwheat, sweet potato, legumes, millet noodles, stuffed buns, bread, dough sticks, egg, tofu and bread are also commonly eaten foods in the country.

Rice is one of the most common Chinese foods served restaurants.

Different vegetables, spices, noodles, egg and ingredients are added to it to create various varieties of rice. Some of the widely served rice dishes by vendors and restaurants in the country include egg fried rice, chicken fried rice, fried rice with garlic and beef, rice with curry beef, stewed beef rice, rice with braised beef brisket, fried rice with mixed vegetables and bacon, rice with assorted meat and white gourd in soup, rice in chicken soup and Hainan’s chicken rice.

Besides rice, noodles are one of the favorite and common Chinese foods. You will find many noodle dishes in Chinese food stalls and restaurants. Some of the famous ones include Guangzhou Shah Fen, Lanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodles, Guilin rice noodles, noodles with beef in brown sauce, rice noodles in red oil, beef stretched noodles, Sichuan noodles, cold noodles, Liuzhou snail rice noodles and rice noodles with horsemeat.

Egg is another common Chinese food that you will certainly find being sold by Chinese vendors. Residents of the country eat eggs in their routine and commonly use eggs of duck, quails, pigeon, goose and chicken. Century and salted duck eggs are two of the widely eaten egg dishes in the country and are often found on the menu of various restaurants in the country.

Fish is a common Chinese food consumed in the country and is considered a sign of prosperity and abundance. It is an integral part of the feast prepared during the Chinese New Year by the numerous households in the country. Some of the widely eaten kinds of shellfish and fish include grass carp, sea bass, carp, squid, crab, soft-shell turtle, crucian, prawn, oysters, shrimp and scallops.

Few of the famous fish dishes served in Chinese restaurants include West lake vinegar fish, broth-steamed bass, Xiamen boiled fresh fish, Sichuan poached fish fillets in hot chili oil and Hunan steamed fish head served with diced hot red peppers.

Steamed Fish is a famously served at the end of meals

A word for the adventurer in us all, there are markets across the country, usually in the deeper provinces and regions of the country, that serve a well… different plate of food. These would be completely foreign to a westerner and even some Chinese whom don’t travel to those regions of the country. What is a common Chinese food for someone in China may not be so common for someone else!

However, while traveling in the country, try not to make faces or vomit on seeing any of these foods being sold while you are amidst the Chinese people. If you are extremely grossed out and cannot control it, politely excuse yourself from the crowd and take a minute alone.

But, most of the food does taste great, and there is so much to go around. If you truly do not feel comfortable eating the foods, stick to rice and yes, beer. It can be quite filling.

Enjoy!

Chinese Spicy Food – Top Hot and Sizzling Dishes

November 28, 2014

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Chinese Spicy Food – Top Hot and Sizzling Dishes

A lot of tears, shrieks of spicy contentment, and scrumptious treats, are some of the things you will experience when you eat Chinese Spicy Food.

China has various regional cuisines but the spiciest food items are from Chongqing, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou. Before trying out (be sure to check out my articles on being prepared for going out for dinner) any of these dishes, keep in mind that these are not for the faint hearted!

Chinese Spicy Food – Dan Dan Noodles, Sichuan

Nothing like the overseas Chinatown adaptation, there is no peanut, sesame seed paste, or sugar included in the genuine dan dan noodles offered in anywhere else.,

The proper dan dan noodle dish is prepared with a blistering chili black bean paste, ground ham, a dollop of uncooked crushed garlic and crunchy minced peanuts with scallions and cilantro on the top. The sauce is at the bottom of an unfilled bowl, and unseasoned al dente noodles are placed over the sauce and the customer is charged with the job of mixing it all up.

The noodles are vended by weight in Liang. One Liang is 50 grams; a satisfying meal would cost approximately three Liangs. Dan dan noodles are similar in one aspect to Lays potato chips: you cannot eat just one (Liang).

Chinese Spicy Food – Hot and sour fish soup, Guizhou

Guizhou food is not among the most well known cuisines in China, but this region has its reasonable share of spicy dishes that will entice the diner’s taste buds. A Guizhou favorite is the hot and sour fish soup, which is prepared with your selection of freshwater fish and a fish soup of tomatoes, local Guizhou red chili peppers, chili grease, garlic, and scallions.

The vinegary flavor does not come from vinegar like most presume; it comes from the fermented veggies that are consumed all over Guizhou.,

Chinese Spicy Food- Saliva chicken, Sichuan

Translates literally to “saliva chicken,” since you will salivate if you even imagine this dish. Occasionally, Chinese dishes sport weird names that do not illustrate what the dish is made of and might in fact turn off some unfamiliar diners.

This is exactly one of those dishes. Stewed chicken is marinated in sesame oil and chili sauce that incorporates ten sauces and spices, making it a sizzling yet delectable dish.

Chinese Spicy Food – Ma po tofu, Sichuan

The dish is prepared with tofu, ground pork, and a spicy bean chili sauce with a liberal sprinkle of the mouth numbing Sichuan peppercorn that is a bastion in Sichuan and Chongqing cuisine. The best ma po tofu comes from the eatery that bears the name, Chen Mapo Doufu in downtown Chengdu.

Chinese Spicy Food – Gan Guo, Hunan

Pick from an assortment of vegetables, meats and tofu to be blaze stir-fried and sent sizzling to your bench in a tiny wok. Hunan provisions are less greasy than Sichuan cuisine and the great quantity of ginger, garlic, fresh red and green chili peppers and scallions make Hunan food possibly the spiciest gastronomy in China.

Chinese Spicy Food – Hotpot, Chongqing

Even though a variety of hotpot approaches are enjoyed all through China, the most tantalizing hotpot originates from Chongqing.

It is appetizing because there is a coating of rendered beef fat in the hotpot at the middle of the table. Dried out and fresh red chili peppers and twenty other aromatic plants and spices go into the hotpot broth ensuring that whichever animal protein, vegetable, noodle or tofu you dip into the hotpot you will be satisfied with a highly spiced euphoria that will remain long after the meal has ended.

I’ve always been a personal fan of hot and spicy food. But I had to admit shortly after arriving in China that these were some of the hottest foods on the planet! And check out the best etiquette for using chopsticks, too.

Chinese Spicy Food are sizzling and offers some of the best variety around. I loved hearing from local people how they each cooked the same food in their own style.

But try them if you dare, but the reward is at first hot but then tasty.

Enjoy!

Hawkers Market in Singapore – a Food Paradise

November 19, 2014

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SINGAPORE - Locals eat at a popular food hall. Inexpensive food stalls are numerous in the city so most Singaporeans dine out at least once a day.

Hawkers Market in Singapore – a Food Paradise

In Singapore; friends and colleagues don’t start conversations with a ‘hello’, but with ‘have you eaten?’ which says so much about the hospitability of Singaporeans itself.

There are many places where traditional Singaporean cuisine is available, but the quickest and cheapest way to get your ‘makan’, is at one of the many hawker centers scattered throughout the island.

Visitors to Singapore are aware of such markets where they can find good quality food, and at cheap rates. For those who don’t know, a hawker center or market is a building that houses rows and rows of stalls that serve a wide range of food, drink and dessert, made to order.

First Impression

During a visit to the Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown, I was stunned at the size of the place. Two rows, with over a 100 food stalls serving various specialty foods, with a cramped sitting area. I briefly wonder how one could eat at such a place with so much gusto as the place was packed with people, locals, and tourists alike.

After getting a taste of their famous Hainanese chicken rice, I finally understood what the whole fuss was about and was again in line for a second helping.

The sheer size and outward disorganization can be a little disconcerting for the first time visitor to a Hawkers Market in Singapore, but it’s not so hard to understand the basics of hawker market etiquette.

Following are basic guidelines that the newbie food lover can take help from, to get the most amazing hawkers market experience ever. I should know, as they are all tried and tested.

Find the Right Hawkers Market in Singapore

Decide on what you want to eat first. Each center boasts just a few noteworthy dishes by food cultures dominant in Singapore such as Malay, Chinese, Thai, and Indian among others.

You can also view Singapore’s excellent guide book of food, ‘Makansutra’, or visit hungrygowhere.com which will help narrow down your choices.

Find the Right Flavor for your Taste-buds:-

Singapore's famous chicken rice at hawkers food court — Singapore’s famous chicken rice at hawkers food court

Food in Singapore can be a little hard to swallow for tourists who have delicate palates; therefore, I recommend Lau Pa Sat in Chinatown, and Newton Circus near Orchard Road.

The first visit to any Hawkers Market in Singapore is bound to be confusing, but don’t worry.

There will always be someone who’ll help you out. One tip to remember, when deciding on the food to eat is look for a stall with the longest queue. There’s got to be a reason, or dish why so many people have lined up in front of that stall.

Seating Arrangements

When it comes to seating, hawker centers generally go by the rule of first come, first serve. You can even reserve the seat which you choose by placing colorful packet of tissues on the seat, which will inform others that the seat is taken.

Delivery, Take-away and Clean-up

Most stalls will deliver the food at your table, while others will require you to wait in line for your food. Stalls will provide you with eating utensils, and plastic packaging for take away.

I was extremely surprised when at the end of our meal; an attendant came to our table and started clearing up.

I sincerely hope this will help the first time visitor, to Singapore and/or its famous Hawkers Market in Singapore. You can ask questions or share experiences through my blog!

Enjoy!

Cuisine of Vietnam – Global Influence Keeping It All Local

November 19, 2014

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Cuisine of Vietnam – Global Influence Keeping It All Local

The quest for experiencing local and authentic cuisine of Vietnam took me to various markets, family kitchens, restaurants, coffee-houses and sidewalk vendors, where each different landscape provided the one aspect that is an essential part of traditional Vietnamese cooking, i.e. that impeccable balance of sweet and sour.

Cuisine of Vietnam – Yin and Yang

The cuisine of Vietnam is all about balancing different flavors in one complete dish using the local ingredients and herbs that are available according to the season.

As is the case with other Southeast Asian cuisines, preparation of food includes elements that complement the different flavors present in a dish of any particular region.

However, the two dominant themes that the avid traveler will find in Vietnamese cuisine is the staple of the country, rice and the all power-full fish sauce.

Incorporation of Rice and Fish-Sauce

Vietnam is the second largest exporter of rice in the world, and therefore has an abundance of the staple to support the primary diet of its citizens.

You will find at least a few rice dishes that are specialties of a particular region, in the traditional way it is made as well as in the form of rice noodles, porridge, sticky rice with fruit, rice paper rolls, fried rice, puffed rice snacks and of course the famous rice wine.

I have had rice in all of the forms that it can possibly be made into for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert!

Of course fish sauce is also a very important element in Vietnamese cooking, and is an ingredient that makes a regular meat and vegetables broth, a dish fit to be eaten by a king (or you).

Influence in local cuisine

In regards to what they eat and how they cook, the cuisine of Vietnam has been largely influenced by their neighbors and the effects of colonization.

Beef was first introduced into the Vietnamese diet and cuisine with the arrival of Mongol invaders, who feasted primarily on meat. Common beef dishes are pho bo, which is a noodle soup with beef and can be found in every region of the country each dish different yet the same.

Pho bo , Vietnamese rice noodle soup with sliced rare beef

Cooking techniques such as stir and deep frying, and the use of chopsticks for eating were adopted from the Chinese who ruled over Vietnam for a thousand years. Stir fried vegetables and meat; along with noodle based soups are dishes are a product of the influence, which can be found mainly in the north.

For the south of Vietnam, neighboring countries particularly Cambodia and Thailand introduced flat Cambodian egg noodles, various spices, and coconut milk which are ingredients more commonly used in that region due to its ability to locally grow them.

The dish that is accredited to French influence is the banh mi, which is a crusty, French baguette filled with meat paste and a combination of grilled pork fillings, fish patties, and sardines with cilantro, daikon and pickled carrots.

Chased down with a glass of lime soda or rice wine, any meal will leave your mouth watering just by a thought of a next excursion.

And that is what always was amazing for me, personally. One may think that such a small country would have very local and traditional foods. While this is true and every home town has a staple food, the cuisine of Vietnam is rich and diverse in what someone may eat. I was shocked when my friends told me that they were eating a traditional Vietnam breakfast in the morning and a French dinner. Yet, all the meals are considered Vietnamese.

Oh yeah, and when you’re out enjoying all the great food, check out these awesome places to visit, too!

Enjoy!

Dinner in China – Always be Prepared When Going Out

October 20, 2014

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Dinner in China – Always be Prepared When Going Out

I can remember the first time I was invited out for a dinner in China. It has been the early 2000’s, I was in my early 20’s, and I by nature, I was expecting dinner to be exactly like it was in NY! I mean, when I thought about it, I had many friends in New York, had had dinner in there homes, but nope! Dinner in China is a real adventure, a real treat, and some awesome food. I’ll be writing about many kinds of meals, dinners, meanings by dinners, proper placement of seating, who eats first, who eats last, uh-oh I don’t know how to use chopsticks, do I need to drink beer or smoke, and so so so much more.

An example of a private dinning room in a Chinese Restaurant

But, that first dinner… coming into the well lit room with a large round table in the middle with a lazy susan on top, couches on the side, a Mar Jong table on the other side and a TV playing in the front? Not exactly what I had expected, but certainly was a dinner I’ll never forget! Oh, and I do tell the whole story in another post, so be sure to check back!

These are some great tips and suggestions for your dinners. A quite FYI, not all these “rules” apply all the time, but I would follow these rules as my guidelines for all dinners I attended. But, as mentioned above, their will be plenty more!

You might feel confused as to why you need to be prepared when all you will be doing is going out to dinner in China, but you have to keep in mind that you are in an unfamiliar foreign country and you have to observe the rules, customs and traditions of the country you are traveling in. This is why it is always best to be prepared and bring all that you need so that you do not get any unpleasant surprises along the way.

As a tourist and an American citizen, I totally understand why some of the rules may seem really odd; Chinese culture and their rules are different from the culture and rules we follow in the United States of America. I have listed some of the dining etiquettes that you need to observe while having Dinner in China:

Always bring cash.

Credit cards are not always accepted in different Chinese restaurants, which is why it is best to avoid embarrassment when you are paying for a good meal. You should always have some amount of cash with you so that in case you are faced with a situation like this, you can pay the restaurant in cash. Never depend on credit cards in China because they either do not work or are not accepted in different restaurants.

If Invited to Dinner, Bring a Gift

Yes, that is necessary. If someone invites you to have dinner in China with them, it is mandatory and a sign of good manners for you to bring the host something of significance. It can be a token present such as flowers, wine or anything such as that, but it says a lot about your nature and your gratitude. This is one way of showing that you are pleased to be invited and that you are thanking the host for inviting you to dinner.

You also have to take care of basic Chinese etiquettes when you are having dinner in China.

You have to be mindful of things that they consider important so that you do not seem rude to them. Here is a checklist so that you can be on your best behavior when you are dining with your Chinese friends.

While it is normally considered rude to put your elbows up on the table whilst eating, in China it is considered perfectly normal.
Never be late for a meal.
Never sit in any random place, instead wait for the host to assign you a seat.
Let the older people eat first as it is a sign of respect to them.
You should not only refill your own bowl with rice but also proceed to refill other’s plate whilst asking them if they need refills. Elders like to be offered refills by the younger people on the table.
Close your mouth and swallow soundlessly so you seem more civilized. Chinese people have no patience for ill-mannered people on the table.
Do not hold your chopsticks in such a manner in which your index finger or your middle finger points toward the guests as this can be misconstrued as something obscene or offensive.
Do not spear your food with chopsticks under any circumstances.

I know this seems like a lot for dinner in China, but don’t worry or sweat even an ounce because I have tons more tips to offer so you don’t feel lost for a millisecond!

Plus, these are super quick tips to pick up, they’re often shown to you when you arrive, and most Chinese guests will not take offense if anything above is missed. Chinese are very happy to show why. But, having Dinner in China is filled with more subtleties, and each one of them is like adding a point onto a checklist Chinese keep in there minds.

But! Most important of all! Have fun! The food is fantastic, many sorts of varieties and most does not look like what we have back in America.

Be sure to check back for more posts. Is it true tea is served all over the country? Well…. Or, rice is the staple food, right? Not really… And why is chicken served first and fish last? Or one of my favorites, did he REALLY just eat the whole fish??? Why? And, do I really need to eat that???

Oh, and why do locals tap two fingers when tea is being poured?

Enjoy!