Question: what do you miss having while in China?
xiaophil
February 22, 2011 at 05:03 AM posted in General DiscussionI often find that people who come to China often have their own very specific things they miss. I thought it might be fun to see what some of you guys miss while living/visiting here.
My starter:
- My brand of deodorant
- Readily available cottage cheese
- Yogurt that uses a spoon--not a straw
- American Chinese food (ironic isn't it)
- Authentic, reasonably-priced Mexican food
zhenlijiang
February 24, 2011 at 08:16 AM
Xiaophil, cottage cheese is easy to make at home. My mom always uses one whole lemon (the juice) for every liter of milk. Just heat the milk up in a pan, keep it around 80 degrees--make sure it doesn't boil--and add the lemon juice. The mix will curdle of course, and start to separate. When it's just crumbly enough and around what you'd recognize as cottage cheese-y, take it off the heat, drain off with a cloth or kitchen paper (my mom says she drinks up all the whey. not that you have to.), and keep in the fridge. It's OK too, if your lemon didn't yield as much juice as you thought it would (sorry, don't have a precise measured amount here) to add in a bit of vinegar as well. 试试看！
Yoghurt is much more delicate, though in my yoghurt-consuming days I used to make it at home. Many people were, the "Caspian Sea yoghurt" was a craze here. Some scientist researching longevity originally brought back the bacteria from Eastern Europe. They made it a commercially available product, and also came out with a special yoghurt-maker device (besides keeping out unwanted bacteria, the temperature control is key). But so if you had someone bring you all that stuff from Japan maybe, you could make really good (the consistency is interesting, it's just a bit glutinous, but really nice! and definitely not to be drunk, but eaten with a spoon) yoghurt at home too ...
xiaophil
February 24, 2011 at 08:56 AM
Hi Zhen,
Funny you should mention yogurt. My wife and I have been making it at home with some sort of machine she bought from taobao. I was a little surprised to find out is so easy to make (at least with this machine). It is really heaven sent because I don't like the sweet yogurt here.
You just made my day by informing me that cottage cheese is easy to make. I for some reason thought it was one of those things that pretty much has to be store bought. I might try it tonight. Thanks!
orangina
February 22, 2011 at 01:44 PM
I'll second authentic reasonably priced Mexican food. That is probably the biggest one. And libraries with English books.
Also: microbrew, nitro
baby spinach
cheap frozen pizza and the oven to cook it in
non-rhinestone encrusted shoes, earrings and any other apparel really. (ok, I can find it, but it certainly isn't the standard. I've learned to say 太复杂）
Things I enjoy: not driving, cheap art supplies
cinnamonfern
February 22, 2011 at 03:44 PM
Ditto on the non-rhinestone encrusted apparel...also without odd frills, bows, skulls, skulls with bows and rhinestones...
calkins
February 22, 2011 at 10:27 AM
Pretzel rods (especially Rold Gold). Pretzels can be found in Taiwan, but pretzel rods can not.
Live music venues that play good music...I was so spoiled in Chicago!
johnb
February 22, 2011 at 06:44 AM
I've been here for a while, so most of the things I missed I've either found, or just don't miss anymore. A short list for me would include:
- Shoes that fit (size 48s are few and far between)
- Live sports (that are on at the right time of the day -- I can't wake up at 2am on Monday morning to watch football every week)
- Libraries, and bookstores, full of English books
- Bagels (this problem is starting to go away with an increase in Shanghai bagel options, but it's still a problem)
- Joint bank accounts (serious pain once you're married)
jen_not_jenny
February 25, 2011 at 10:06 AM
It's true. I could make a list of things I miss from GZ that just might rival the list of things I miss from "back home."
johnb
February 25, 2011 at 09:45 AM
Hehe, true. Perhaps I should say "things I miss about living in Shanghai." Guangzhou is far superior in that regard!
toianw
February 25, 2011 at 09:44 AM
Maybe the shoes can be found, but I bet he has trouble finding a pair of gloves that fit!
jen_not_jenny
February 25, 2011 at 09:36 AM
JohnB, you should know better than to complain about not being able to find shoes your size where I can find your comments! Did I not hook you up??? ;)
bweedin
February 24, 2011 at 07:44 AM
I'm about a 44 and I left my shoes on a bus, because I changed into a pair of sandals and anyway, so I went to a mall in 廣東江門 and the biggest size they had was 42 in 尔克, and that was even after running out of the store and waiting 30 minutes for the guy to come back. What was I to do? I needed some shoes and I could not afford 耐克.
"They'll stretch out" is one of those myths like wrinkle-free pants, or not having to rinse the dishes before putting them in your superior dishwasher.
The good thing is that they're immaculate, since I rarely ever wear them.
cinnamonfern
February 22, 2011 at 03:39 PM
Yes- Bagels! And also toast! I'm in Hong Kong and I miss toast, which is sad because they have it. But I haven't had a good piece yet. They are all too hard and the butter isn't melted. :P
kimiik
February 22, 2011 at 11:20 AM
Speaking about Decathlon in China, their brand Quechua is not pronounced like K-Chu-A but seems to loose the C and is pronounced as QueHua.
As I often hear a second tone on Que, I'm quite concerned about the meaning of this brand.
For QueHua, what tones do you hear ?
johnb
February 22, 2011 at 09:59 AM
I still can't find decent athletic/basketball shoes my size at Decathlon. Nikes run small, so the 46s they have tend not to fit, and the Decathlon brand shoes are kind of crappy.
kimiik
February 22, 2011 at 09:37 AM
I've heard that 交通银行 can make joint accounts but I guess it should be a misinterpretation of the word 交通. ;o)
John
February 22, 2011 at 06:50 AM
Yes, especially the bagels and the joint bank account!
(I now just go to Decathlon for shoes...)
bababardwan
February 22, 2011 at 06:09 AM
"American Chinese food (ironic isn't it)"
...yes ironic, as well as surprising and interesting and counter to what you often hear. Tell me more...what is it in American Chinese food that you both can't get in China and that you miss...that must be more to your liking in some way?
zhenlijiang
February 24, 2011 at 07:22 AM
In those days before YouTube was blocked I think someone posted a video here of a lecture by this foodie woman, Jenny 8 I think it was (ah yes it was, see link below) and she was saying that. I seem to recall a Japanese poddie from Kyoto responding to it too. The understanding being that the "cookie" was made by, or modeled on a similar sweet senbei--what exactly they're called escapes me now--by a confectioner in Kyoto. In any case we don't have fortune cookies here, and I have no idea if that theory is true. To me, fortune cookies are just one of those charming things about eating out in America.
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/fortune-cookie-chinese-jenny-lee-explains-americas-chinese/story?id=12005709
bababardwan
February 24, 2011 at 05:40 AM
"something that can be truly verified"
...I'd start with tracking down the records from the mock Court of Historical Review, hehe
xiaophil
February 24, 2011 at 04:55 AM
I also had no idea about the Japanese origins of fortune cookies. I was always told it was a San Francisco thing too. I wonder if this is something that can be truly verified.
bababardwan
February 22, 2011 at 09:26 PM
Great stuff. Thanks cinnamonfern for setting me straight. Yeah, I had in mind that it was in San Francisco that it originated, so interesting to hear of the Japanese origins of something many consider Chinese. Oh, that's a great suggestion....didn't know you could tour the factory but that would be a must. I've heard so many good things about that city, I'd love to get there one day. That wiki article has a classic section:
San Francisco's mock Court of Historical Review attempted to settle the dispute in 1983. During the proceedings, a fortune cookie was introduced as a key piece of evidence with a message reading, "S.F. Judge who rules for L.A. Not Very Smart Cookie"
cinnamonfern
February 22, 2011 at 03:36 PM
I always assumed they were invented in the U.S., but Wikipedia claims they were invented in Japan.
You can tour the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco to see how they are made.
bababardwan
February 22, 2011 at 09:43 AM
ok, just did a quick look at a random Chinese Restaurant here, and it's listed as coming out with dessert:
http://www.mrwongs.com.au/
From memory, I think it's often not listed on the menu but just comes with dessert and you may have to ask for it. Also, as above, they're very easy to find in supermarkets.
It did start in the US though, right? ..so I guess it's always going to be bigger there.
chris.k
February 22, 2011 at 08:37 AM
If it's not a fact, I think they must at least be less of a 'thing' than in the US. I've never actually seen/eaten fortune cookies over here, only heard of them (mostly in American movies).
bababardwan
February 22, 2011 at 07:51 AM
btw ...My favourite is to buy them from supermarkets. That way if you're none to pleased with your first fortune,if it's a bit of a 吃苦 sitch， just 继续朵颐 till you get to the 软饭
haha, 朵颐 reminds me of that scene from tais toi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XzaztCmnxM&feature=related
bababardwan
February 22, 2011 at 07:46 AM
I'd say fiction. I don't recall being offered any lately at any Chinese Restaurants, but I've definitely had them before, though most of my recollection seems to be from take away or some other source. I have bought them in supermarkets. Maybe they only come out on special occasions.
xiaophil
February 22, 2011 at 07:36 AM
I have heard that Aussie restaurants don't have fortune cookies. Fact or fiction?
bababardwan
February 22, 2011 at 07:15 AM
oh yes, how could I forget the fortune cookies. Now those I like even if they're not authentic Chinese.
Yeah, I could understand foreigners getting tired of Chinese food and missing other cuisine, particularly their home country cuisine, I was just surprised that you'd miss American Chinese food. Thanks for your insights mate. Obviously "Chinese food" is such a broad category that gathers together many styles/ cuisines so I shouldn't really be surprised at all.
xiaophil
February 22, 2011 at 06:28 AM
Actually Baba, there are a lot of foreigners here in China that are very tired of Chinese food in general. As a vegetarian, I have limited authority on judging the quality of Chinese food, but I can say that the daily food seems to be nothing special, and all too often very soggy or just too drenched in oil. That said, there are still quite a few dishes I enjoy here, and my comment above is not to imply that American Chinese food is better, but rather just to say that American Chinese food is completely unavailable here, and I am not ashamed to say I miss it. I have heard many times that American Chinese food is based on cheap Cantonese food. In Shanghai there is no short supply of Cantonese food, but unfortunately it is all the so-called high-level stuff. I for the life of me cannot understand the attraction to high-level Cantonese cuisine. They actually brag about how bland it is?! Furthermore, it often comes in small portions. I always feel hungry one hour later, but this undoubtedly is related to being a vegetarian. Regardless, I miss my vegetable lo mein drenched in mustard sauce with a fortune cookie on the side.
pretzellogic
February 22, 2011 at 05:39 AM
Yeah, I think there's only one thing I miss in China that I got plenty of in the US, and that was a culture of running: being able to do the 5K fun run in one town, then the 15K fun run the next weekend, then a 10K another weekend in another nearby town. Being able to go into a store (Marathon Sports in Boston), and skilled runners are the sales people, and they look at your feet while you run and walk to see what type of shoes you need.
Everything else I thought I missed, I can still get. Maybe just very expensive. I can still go to Jenny Lou's or April Gourmet to buy instant pancake mix to make pancakes at home, but pancake mix just costs 3-4 times as much as in the states. I will say that because we're in Beijing, expat stores are available,even though stuff there is extremely expensive. When we lived in Lanzhou, you'd be hard pressed to finda decadent American breakfast like with pancakes, sausages, hash browns, syrup, no matter how much you were willing to pay. No Starbucks or McDonalds either, although KFC was there in force.
I kinda miss NASCAR, but Formula 1 makes up for it. I kinda sorta like missing the NFL, NHL, MLB and tennis, although these sports have a big enough web presence that I could get my fill of them online, and the only thing missing would be watching them on TV, and talking about it with coworkers.
pretzellogic
May 19, 2014 at 12:01 PM
I think the couple of times I stayed in Xi'an I stayed with friends, so no experience around the hotel issue. And I reread what I wrote, and even though I imply I miss KFC, I actually don't. I think I've gotten used to chicken cut up into tiny little pieces with my bell peppers :-)
413558653
May 19, 2014 at 03:01 AM
I don't care about KFC anymore. The food in China was much better than McDonalds. When I was in 西安 the food was very cheap and good. You can buy a breakfast for under $5! But the inconvience is hotels. Alot of them don't welcome foreigners.
xiaophil
February 22, 2011 at 06:53 AM
When I worked at a university here in Shanghai, I wanted to start jogging. At night, the roads inside the campus have few cars, and they are fairly well lit. I thought it was a perfect place to get some alone time and just daydream a bit. But my wife thought I was strange for not wanting to run on the school track with all the faculty, students and local residents.
413558653
May 19, 2014 at 02:57 AMI think that yougurt with straws were very good. Goopy yougurt makes me sick so I have to eat Greek Yougurt Fruit On the Bottom.