Brandon ate China pt2: Hong Kong

"It's a good thing we were able to find you in the airport.  I just called all of your uncles and aunts and we're getting dim sum.  Right now." - Mr. Li

Before going to the mainland, I spent a small amount of time in Hong Kong and Macau.  Sadly, I have very few pictures of them both because I was just dying from jet lag.  There was little time for pictures anyway though; we had a lot of things to see and a lot of family members to meet in just 2 days.

Carilyn's father, Mr. Li, was an incredibly gracious host.  He covered boarding for 2/3 of my trip and did not hesitate at all to show me the some of the best rooms each of the cities had to offer.  It was thanks to him that I could experience some of the more upscale dining experiences later on in my trip. I tried to take some photos of our amazing view from the hotel but the weather was crappy and my phone struggles with night time photos:

Bad nighttime photos is going to be a trend, btw.

Despite poor planning from my side before the trip, Mr. Li was also able to arrange for me to meet my uncles and aunt from my father's side and most importantly, my grandma, who I thought I'd never get to see before it was too late.  I am far from a sentimental person but that was a moment that really touched me.  I owe Mr. Li a lot.

Our first major meal in Hong Kong was dinner on the first night; a typical mid-level Cantonese dinner in a restaurant called Dragon Court.  I already got to learn a few things about Chinese food: suckling pig (of a smaller variety) is quite common, and swan is the preferred waterfowl over duck.

Clockwise: Roast swan, mushroom plate, fried silken tofu, suckling pig, Western style beef

Abalone on top of quinoa.  Tastes like a bit like sea urchin.

So, what does swan taste like compared to duck?  I can definitely see why one would prefer it.  It's somewhat less game-y, much less greasy, and a bit meatier than duck is.  The skin is still amazing and the meat is very soft, when cooked right.  The roast pork here was amazing too, with the typically delicious skin of the pork and some plum sauce for the meat.  I'm convinced that nobody cooks pork or especially waterfowl as well as the Cantonese do.  

Funny thing is, as the foreigner at the table, I was blown away by how good the food was.  Nobody else seemed impressed.  Maybe it was because my uncle ordered too much meat, knowing that I don't like seafood.  Oh well,  I got a lot of hype knowing that my standards were too low, because that meant there would be even more amazing food to come!

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.