Yup. The air is as dirty as they say it is, and here its called just plain old "food" when you order take out. Place is a blast so far!

I hear Beijing has the best General Tso's chicken in the world! make sure to look for it no matter how long it takes. :p

Gotta suck to be away from home again so soon but hope you can dwell on the bright side of things. like no more picking sand outta yer undies. that and dude...just think how your gonna so own in pick up basketball games.

They spread rice out in the fucking roads and then sweep it up and serve it..they sell friggin rats and call it beef...that country is a shithole.

Just stay away from the south. It is a piece of shit. God I wanted to kill myself. I ONLY ate at my hotel (best western - 5 star hotel...ironic?) for 3 weeks pretty much. Everywhere else I ate was complete garbage. Bitter undercooked chicken with bones cooked in? WTF is that shit? The ramen I bought at the local store and cooked in my room was 100x better.

Don't waste time going to Macau either. Was pretty lame.

So far, Hong Kong has been the only decent bit of China I've been too.
I agree - the rest is a bit of a shit hole.

Hello, anyway Lummus :)

My brother rather enjoys Wuxi. He's going on a multi-coutnry marathon starting Monday including China, Taiwan, and Japan. I'm envious of you both, I'd love to go :(

I'm envious of you both, I'd love to go :(
You might run into "Evil Rita" if you did.....

China is suffering from the global economic down turn. Was reading something like 70k factories have closed adding 20million more to their ranks of unemployed. They've also suffered devestating natural disasters to add to their incredible pollution problems. Pollution that is actually tracked floating to us ;P

It's also predicted to be the epicenter of the next big pandemic with the crowding of people/livestock.

Be safe over there Lum!

I purchase about $15million USD of product a year from China for the company I work for. They come to me, I don't go to them..although they are always trying to get me to come over and party with them. Mostly pigment for making printing ink, many millions of pounds of it.

As found as it sounds, partying with chinese people is pretty lame. They just get piss drunk and try to impress you with ugly girls.

When I asked where the attractive women were, I was told I needed to go back to hong kong haha.

It's always neat to hear other people describe their experiences. All I have really is my brother who is assigned a driver who is also his translator. The guy is with him from the moment he lands until he takes off again, he even stays in the same hotel as my brother. I'd venture to say he gets a more shielded view of China than just someone going on their own but what he has to say is very positive except that there's shittons of people everywhere. He's 6'4" and people run up to him and ask to take pictures with him when he's out and about.

As found as it sounds, partying with chinese people is pretty lame. They just get piss drunk and try to impress you with ugly girls.

When I asked where the attractive women were, I was told I needed to go back to hong kong haha.

Word. At least the Vietnamese and Cambodians have decent coke hookups.

Word. At least the Vietnamese and Cambodians have decent coke hookups.

Never been. I may be heading to vietnam in the summer for business, how is it down there?

Glad you made it Summul! How is the apartment?

Its good! Lots of room. Almost too much. I am going to have to hire a maid. LOL, some of you are painting a scary picture of this place. I will have to collaberate some of that as time goes on when I do some regional trips. My area covers all of China, including Hong Kong as well as Korea and Vietnam. Lately I am working on the challenge of just getting around and getting myself fed. You have not much choice but to go native as far as food prep goes or you will go broke. All the Western style grocery outlets charge 3 times as much as back in the States. The first night here my co-workers took me out on the town, as in I got off the plane and went straight to the pubs, and it was definately different. Not shockingly so, since I spent some time in Japan and Singapore, but it was good stuff. I will post some random pic now and again once I remember to bring a camera. There is the next two years to do that, but I think I may have to get something better camera-wise. Maybe a digital where you can interchange lens.

Yah western food is pretty expensive in China. I actually went to the chinese markets and bought stuff to cook in my hotel. It was pretty good actually. I like it better than the native restaurants. It also was dirt cheap.

I hear Beijing has the best General Tso's chicken in the world! make sure to look for it no matter how long it takes. :p

Gotta suck to be away from home again so soon but hope you can dwell on the bright side of things. like no more picking sand outta yer undies. that and dude...just think how your gonna so own in pick up basketball games.Why would you go to China to eat "General Tso's Chicken"? It's actually an American dish...

I'd go to No. 28 Hubin Road （湖濱路28號）and get Foie Gras with maodou braised in Shaosh'ing wine, or get a Hongshao Kou'rou (it's the pyramid-thing pictured below) in Hangzhou (杭州省）.

http://ayonae.com/jason/night.jpg

If you are in Hong Kong, go to Wellington Road (威靈頓街) and go to a restaurant called Yung Kee (鏞記）and order their Braised Goose. They're well-known for producing some of the best goose in Hong Kong. It is also a recipient of a Michelin star.

http://ayonae.com/jason/yungkee.jpg

http://ayonae.com/jason/menu.jpg

http://ayonae.com/jason/yungkee1.jpg

http://ayonae.com/jason/yungkee3.jpg

http://ayonae.com/jason/eggs.jpg


And if you're clubbing, go to Lan Kwai Fong. See bars and clubs here. The nice thing about Hong Kong is that there is no open bottle law, so you can go to the 7 Eleven nearby, buy your booze, and hop over to the next bar on this famous cobblestone road. More information? Visit here (http://www.lankwaifong.com/index.php?page=home).

I always stay at the W Hotel in Hong Kong if I'm not staying at the company apartments:


http://ayonae.com/jason/whotel.jpg?

http://ayonae.com/jason/lkf.jpg?

http://ayonae.com/jason/hknight.jpg

http://ayonae.com/jason/road.jpg



Don't forget, parts of The Dark Knight were shot in Hong Kong ;)

The best thing about Hong Kong? 15% income tax, no sales tax, no estate tax, no tariffs or duties on most products.

While on the topic of food in China, is it true what I have heard that it is bad manners to clean your plate?

Leaving some food on the plate is a sign that you are full, having been satisfied?

Saw this during the Olympics coverage.

While on the topic of food in China, is it true what I have heard that it is bad manners to clean your plate?

Leaving some food on the plate is a sign that you are full, having been satisfied?

Saw this during the Olympics coverage.

I actually noticed this too when I was there. I only felt it was appropriate to leave a little on my plate in more traditional mom and pops restaurants. In more higher class establishments, chains, or tourist targeted places, it did not seem to matter.

While on the topic of food in China, is it true what I have heard that it is bad manners to clean your plate?

Its not too difficult to keep yourself in good graces with the host. They give you more then enough food to fill you up. Plus alot of places have glass lazy susans built into round tables (there is one shown on Rybit's post) where you just order a bunch of everything with your friends and build your own entree and then you just split the tab up evenly between how ever many people are at the table. The same goes for cab rides and the bar tab. Nothing comes all pre-arranged and at "Hot pot" joints you cook it all yourself. They just bring out the ingredients and you throw em in and fish them out at your leisure. The last hot pot place we went to left me in a food coma and there was alot of food left.

Just don't eat the chicken - it tastes like cat :(

Lummus, which city are you in? I can give you a lot of recommendations on where to go since I lived in China for 2 years and I went to middle school in Taiwan and elementary school in Hong Kong.

No, it's actually bad manners if you don't.... well, not exactly bad, but the host (sometimes my family will do this) complain about the other family or guest/friends being ungracious about the whole meal if we're treating. In Chinese (HK/Taiwan/China/Singapore/Malay) culture, even the GUEST tries to be the HOST by either trying to fight for the check (sometimes very violently or in cutthroat manners, such as running to the waiter with the credit card first or even bribing the waiter to refuse the other guest's credit card and to swipe theirs instead, although cash is always the best form of payment).

To be a good Chinese host, it's to make sure that the guests are more than pampered, and to be an appreciative guest, to realize the sacrifice of the host.

And more pictures of restaurants:

This one is called Bo Innovation, a three-star Michelin restaurant, the highest accolade for a restaurant in the world.

The tasting menus start from HK$480 (61 USD) to HK$880 (113 USD) per person . The winelist has Wine Spectator/Robert Parker/Decanter ratings provided for every wine listed. This is spectacular for a Chinese restaurant!

http://ayonae.com/jason/boi/2914996624_365617a82b.jpg

http://ayonae.com/jason/boi/2914992750_4f93d11ce7.jpg

http://ayonae.com/jason/boi/2914147775_26c6c2e58f.jpg

Left: Oyster Tofu covered in Seaweed
Right: Fresh Oyster with Ginger and Spring Onion Sorbet

http://ayonae.com/jason/boi/2315942554_599bc8e42f.jpg
smoked quail egg, taro crust, oscietra caviar

http://ayonae.com/jason/boi/2315134349_08a612b946.jpg
Foie Gras potstickers

http://ayonae.com/jason/boi/2914182997_2f91f4f797.jpg
Wagyu with truffled cheung fun. Absolutely amazing.

Actually, Robuchon a Galera and L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon are superb restaurants and are located in Macau, China and Hong Kong, China respectively. Macau is the Las Vegas of Asia, the only place where gambling openly is permitted. They are building quite a number of hotels in Macau, which was a Portuguese-Chinese settlement (damn Europeans always wanting to be assholes and colonize places!), which was returned to China in 1998. Robuchon a Galera is a three Michelin star restaurant.

Jeez, Rybit, that bottom pic had my mouth watering, for real!


(And the oyster with ginger and spring onion sorbet looked good too)

Bah! spoiled the Joke Rybit.

Lummus, which city are you in?

See thread title for more info. That is home base anyway.

See thread title for more info. That is home base anyway.

One of my favorite restaurants is "Made in China," which is in Beijing. In Chinese Pinyin, it's called Chang'an Yihao.

Best Chinese Food Preparation/Fusion

長安一號（“中國製造”)
Restaurant "Made in China"

Dishes include foie gras with sesame pancake, douzhi, zhajiang mian (wheat noodles in black bean mince)--my personal favorite. Good wine selection. Location is convenient to city center.

Grand Hyatt, Dongcheng District (City Center), Wangfujing
By Metro: 118, Exit A Wangfujing Station
地址: 北京市東長安街1號北京東方廣場，郵政編碼100738
Address: Beijing Oriental Plaza, 1 East Chang'an Avenue, City of Beijing, 100738, PRC
Telephone: +86 10 8518 1234

Chinese Blog Review: http://www.davidliu.cn/article.asp?id=126

Best Peking Style Duck

北京大董烤鴨店
Beijing Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant

Famous for their perfection of Peking-style Roast Duck, its closely guarded recipe is considered one of the best in Beijing.

Dongsishitiao Branch
北京大董烤鴨店 Location 2 (東四十條店) :
地址: 北京市東城區東四十條甲22號南新倉國際大廈1－2樓
Address: 22 Nanxincang International Plaza, 1-2/F, 22A Dongsishitiao, Dongcheng District, City of Beijing, PRC
Telephone: +86 (0) 10 5169 0329

Chang Hong Bridge Branch by 3rd Ring Road
北京大董烤鴨店 Location 1 (團結湖店) :
地址: 北京市朝陽區團結湖北口3號樓 －長虹橋東南
Address: Building 3, Tuanjiehu Beikou, Chaoyang District, City of Beijing, PRC
Telephone: +86 (0) 10 6582 4003

English Blog Review: http://gpsfoodfinder.blogspot.com/2008/03/beijing-da-dong-roast-duck-restaurant.html