Eating out in China is always an exciting experience because there is always an inevitable element of surprise. When going to restaurants in China, try to take some other people with you; that way, if you don’t like what you ordered, there is always something else to eat. In addition, the nice thing about going with a group of people is that you can order a variety and try many dishes. Please note one important thing about Chinese food: you will almost always end up cleaning the shrimp yourself, which with be served fully shelled and with the head. This goes for fish as well, which will always have the head as will your roast Peking duck. If you don’t want the head or the feet of the foul you have ordered, you must ask for it “Mei you tou, Mei you jiao zhi.” If they have no idea what you are talking about a simple gesture will get the point across. Many chicken dishes have cartilage or bone in them so if you can’t explain that you don’t want that, then I recommend sticking to beef or pork.

Photo: Andrea Hunt

One nice thing about some smaller restaurants in China is that at times they will actually take you into the kitchen to show you the vegetables, meat, etc. This is actually a wonderful way to get exactly what you want in a restaurant, although not for the shy. However, after a bit of time in China you will be used to making a spectacle of yourself so it will become commonplace to simply march into the kitchen with the waiter in a small restaurant.

If you would like rice with your meat and vegetables, make sure and remind them when you get your food, otherwise you won’t see it until the end of the meal. As baffling as this seems to most of us, rice is considered filler at the end so if you want it with your food you must tell them.

Photo: Andrea Hunt

If you ask for napkins, be prepared to get a pack of tissues or a roll of toilet paper. Sometimes they might even take it from another table. This is all part of the dining experience. Sometimes you might even get wet naps which are extremely useful at dinner, especially if you aren’t an able chopsticks user.

If you order beer, be prepared for them to ask if you want it cold; listen for the words, “bing de.” Also, be aware that even if there are four at the table and they bring you four beers, they will ask if you want all of them open. This is because usually they bring you little glasses and you serve one beer amongst the four of you and open each one in succession.

When it comes time to get the bill, you need to ask for it by saying, “Mai dan.” Don’t be surprised if they bring it to you and then stand there by the table, this can be a tad daunting for most foreigners. Also, usually they won’t make change if you are all paying separately. Oddly enough in China, no one seems to be able to make change for a hundred Yuan note or they make a stink of it if they have to. This practice by westerners of splitting up the bill is considered very strange since in China usually most people fight to be the one to pay for the bill and invite the rest of the guests.

Photo: Andrea Hunt

Eating in China is always a surprise, but usually a rewarding experience, although it might make you a bit nervous to have 10 Chinese waiters all standing around your table trying to decipher your order. For the most part, travelers really enjoy Chinese food and you will find many amazing dishes, almost all of which are cooked fresh. I recommend that if you like something, ask the waiter to write it down for you in your Chinese phrase book so that you can order it again. This is the best method for consistently being happy with your food. Every restaurant usually has some variation of whatever you want so just remember to point to that and you will usually get something similar. Carrying this list around with you may seem ridiculous but will save you the trouble of clucking or oinking at the waiter next time around or having to draw broccoli or celery on a piece of toilet paper. The main point is this, be adventurous and be humble and you will eat well for the most part. For a printable useful guide on some sumptuous dishes.

Read the first part of this article:
Travel Tales>Backpacking Around China>Eating Out in a Restaurant Part 1.

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