By Hannah Mize, Semester at Sea, Spring 2017
If you love pork, chicken, sweet and sour flavors and bok choy you will love Chinese food! I’ve experienced some wonderful meals as well as cocktails and tea in Shanghai, Beijing, and Guilin that I cannot wait to share with you.
While in Shanghai I visited The Peninsula and The Ritz Carlton. Although the price was very high, the drinks and the view made it worth it. As seen in the picture, the drink I ordered at the Ritz Carlton was called the “Dragon Flower” and it was a beverage made up of different floral flavored juices combined with gin and topped with an edible sugar coated flower. It was delicious and the sweet floral taste took away from the bitter taste of the gin.
A lot of the meals I had were at round tables that often consisted of rice, chicken, pork, vegetables, and always ended with watermelon for dessert. One meal that stood out to me was at “The Roasted Duck” where I enjoyed duck wrapped in a thin pancake topped with a sweet soy sauce and green onion. Served alongside the duck was seaweed salad, vegetables, and a peanut glazed cabbage salad.
Another surprisingly outstanding meal was actually on my flight from Guilin to Beijing. When you think of airplane food I’m sure tasteful doesn’t come to your mind. The first class meal provided on this flight started with roasted nuts and red wine. The main dish was a variety including delicious pork buns, kimchi topped with a fried egg, and a wide selection of Chinese fruit.
One thing China is famous for is their wonderful different types of tea. I visited “The Tea Temple” in old town Beijing where we had a tea tasting. Each different tea had different benefits for the body. The rose tea featured in the photo is said to help with memory and digestion.
The wide variety of flavors in each different region in China made it for a very exciting trip full of new foods and exciting tastes!
