nǐ chī guò zǎocān le ma ?

Or, in simplified English: "have you eaten breakfast?"
My Mandarin professor asks me this every morning of class. She says it's a common greeting here, which is odd to me seeing as the Southwestern Chinese don't seem to be big on breakfast food...but, none-the-less, I decided this was an apt title for tonight's post. 

I want to talk about food.

You see, Anthony and I have been trying our best to assimilate this past week [which is my main excuse for not posting very much] and part of that is getting familiar with places to eat. Finding tasty, cheap, clean restaurants is especially important to us because our dorms are without kitchens [honestly though, I'm not sure what we'd cook anyway. Beef is largely unavailable, and the way the grocery store displays their chicken...parts...makes me wistfully remember my vegetarian days] and we cannot just live off peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches and instant ramen. Luckily, we're both relatively adventurous, and neither of us balk at the idea of going the extra few blocks for some quality meals. So, without further ado, I present to you:

-The Good-

This is what a typical dinner [for us] looks like at Green Heart Forest Barbecue.
Barbecue is usually referred to as shao cao in Mandarin. This place is excellent:
fried rices (my favorite so far is the minced pork) and tons of options in veggies
and meats cooked to perfection with popular Sichuan spices. Anthony and I can have
a comfortable meal here, including Tsingtao, for around 30-35 RMB. Not 30 RMB each, but all
together. That's about...$4-$5.50.

 The pictures above and to the right are, respectively, water dumplings and a typical Chinese chow mein. They are from a little outdoor restaurant that, by first impression, seems a little to "street" to be safe for a non-local. It's hidden in the back of a small partially covered food-alley [these are popular all over Chengdu and Beijing], and because we can't yet read the actual name, we refer to it as the shuǐjiǎo place. "Shuǐjiǎo" means "water dumpling". These are the dumplings that make people think "pot sticker" in the US, but are actually a dumpling...just not fried. This small, family-owned and run eatery sells them by six a plate at very, very low prices. They also have different kind of chow mein [I go with the regular, as shown in the picture] and soups...but seeing as the menu is entirely in Mandarin characters and none of the staff speaks English...I like to stick with the dumplings. They're tasty and perfect for a quick lunch. 

I really couldn't decided if this should go on the "Good" part of the list...
but seeing as the burger was delicious and they do have a reasonably priced
lunch special...this indulgence is from The Spot, which is a restaurant/bar owned
by a couple Israeli guys who also own a popular night club in town. The food
is expensive, but incredibly well-prepared, and the atmosphere is surprisingly
European. Anthony and I have decided to make this a "sometimes snack"...even
though the second time we stopped in, for appetizers and drinks, we got free food and drinksand incredible conversation with new friends from different parts of the world.
That night was absolutely one for the books.
Just not...this "book". 

 
I saved this one for last because it should really be under -The Best- section. But...since there can only be one "best", there really wasn't a point to making in a section...I digress; Rice Plus is hands-down my favorite restaurant we've been to this entire trip. I think Anthony would agree, too. This picture was from the first trip [we've been twice in less than a week]: Anthony- Myanmar style curry, myself-Indian style chicken curry. We received the traditional egg-flour soup with our lunches, which is always a nice pallet cleanser with spicy food, and the entire meal, including sodas, was about 35RMB. While my curry probably wouldn't stand up to the curry offered at my favorite Indian restaurant back in the states, this place won my heart by offering the heartiest meal for my money in a clean, comfortable atmosphere. Magazines in Chinese and English, along with what seems to be the entire One Piece manga collection [as well as a few very interesting books of collections of concept art] are stacked on a bookshelf, inviting you to read while waiting for your food, as well as while digesting afterwards. When we went back today, we shared a large plate of stewed hamburger [exactly what I'd hoped it would be] and a side of cold pasta salad with corn and cucumber slivers. There are several curry and stewed-meat options  on the menu, each perfectly paired with a generous portion of rice. The sides are potato salad, soups, pasta salad, something called "spicy jew ear" in translated English, and they offer milkshakes! Even though it's a tad bit far away, the prices, portions, and people are absolutely worth it...not to mention everything is delicious. Mmm...I'm already excited to go back!

-The Bad- 

I know, it's just coffee. But that's kind of the point. It's just coffee. Not great coffee. Not even especially good coffee...and absolutely not worth as much as I paid. The boys, Anthony and Bryce, got a good amount of some pretty tasty tea, but it was Lipton-based. This was at a large, very well-decorated coffee house called Good Wood Coffee. I got a little cookie with my latte, which was a nice touch, but really, China just doesn't seem to do coffee. As Bryce commented, we were really paying for the lux atmosphere that mostly just made us feel under-dressed. 

 Self-explanatory, from a popular food street in Beijing.

Yeah...those are scorpion and starfish. And will you look at that gloved hand ready to pluck some for a lucky customer? 
 

Drinks from the aforementioned Spot. We've made friends with one of the
bartenders, which has just as many downs as it does ups, which is why I've placed in
in this category.

I look like I'm enjoying myself, and I guess I pretty much was,
but unfortunately the food at The Bookworm are too pricy to be worth it for me.
The atmosphere is nice, however, and the library-esque shelves of books in
Chinese, English. and other languages are a nice touch. Because of the prices,
Anthony and I settled on two appetizers: spring rolls [fried a little too much, in my opinion]
and some roasted and seasoned potatoes. Tasty, but, like I said, not tasty enough for
the trek or the wallet. 

This just makes me feel a little ashamed.
McDonalds in China is kind of a big deal though...not too expensive,
and the quality is good, and they have regional items on the menu.
I just can't shake the feeling that it's cheating, though.

So this leaves us, of course, with:

-The Ugly-

You're probably wondering, "What could be worse than McDonalds, or fried scorpion?" Well, prepare yourself for the answer. Honestly, viewer discretion is advised for the following video. 

[Yeah mom, I know I'm talking and eating at the same time. I know it's unattractive. I know you're ashamed. But it was for the good of documentation.]

Now, who's hungry?