Brandon ate China pt 1: Another intro

"You're going to DIE in China!  They don't have steak!  If you ask them for steak, they won't know what you're talking about.  There is no food for you!" -Brandon's family, 2016

So, against some of my family members' wishes, I went to China earlier this year.  I have a reputation within my own family for only liking western food, which, to anybody who's met me in the last ten years, would know is preposterous.  It's true that I don't eat shellfish or dim sum though, which eliminates a lot of Cantonese food for me, but there's way more to Chinese cuisine than shrimp dumplings and clams.  Way more.

Most of my family hasn't been to the mainland for decades.  Like many people here, they're a little ignorant of how quickly China has changed over the years.  Those who haven't really paid attention to it or just played a lot of Street Fighter may expect that China, at least outside of HK or Shanghai, looks like this:

And in some cases, that's true!  But you're also missing this:

Top row: Guangzhou (left), Beijing (right)
Bottom row: Beijing (left), Jiangmen (right)

The movies don't give justice to how big China is and how many things there are to see.  I just came back and I'm already thinking about the places I'll have to see on my next trip.  Not only is there diversity in regional sites but there is also incredible diversity in food.  America might have food from many different countries, but China has intensely regional cuisine, such to the point that every city, town and village seems to have their own specialty.

Ask an American-born Asian from California or New York what Chinese food is, and they'll almost always list Cantonese dishes or food from home.  Oftentimes we neglect the regional Chinese cuisine we find even in America, like Szechuan and Shanghainese food.  Ask someone even less familiar and they'll list items from takeout joints which are far from anything I've ever seen in China.

Panda's Orange Chicken. Mostly unknown to Chinese people.
True story: Carilyn's family thought this was Mexican food.
Credit: dinneranddessert.com

Does any of this Hunanese food look like orange chicken?

Now, I know that people are more informed these days and the general person (in California) might know better.  But I don't think people in America know just how much variety there is in Chinese cuisine.  It's impossible to have it all without going to every village in the country.  It's easy to dismiss people that say "oh this ethnic food is way better in its home country," but man it's so freaking true.

I'm going to begin with food and culture highlights from the beginning to the end of my trip.  Prepare for more walls of text.