Eating in China

Ok, so this is my third post-trip blog entry because I joined a Facebook group involving China and read about someone's experience mistakenly eating dog in China. And then I thought about other people's comments about their weird experiences with the food in China on our trip. I think about what constitutes a "normal" meal and it is understandable that eating dog may be normal to some Chinese or other people in the world. Many Hindus cringe when we eat beef and Judaism restricts pork, and so on. The reality is, cultures are different, and as long as we all live in our own spaces in the world, which will be forever, then we should respect each other's cultural differences. I know that on our trip we came across some pretty interesting food choices, like fungus that looked like a French fry and another fungus that looked like some sea creature to me! We also encountered BLOOD bars at our hot pot AKA huo guo dinner. Everyone constantly had to ask, "What's that?", "PLEASE tell me what type of meat that is!" and so on. It is really fun to reflect back on and laugh about our interesting meal experiences in China!

My perspective is that when going to a foreign country, it is inevitable to encounter different kinds of foods. So this is the perfect opportunity to have fun and be adventurous! I tried almost every dish except for things that I had previously found to be unappetizing to me in the U.S. I even ate the fungus! And it was interesting lol, but good! Especially the "sea anemone" fungus which was kind of crunchy but in a different kind of way. I did decline the blood bars though. (I must admit I did scream a little when the blood juice trickled down Kaylin's arm, but this was involuntary) :P I really did enjoy our meals in China and even though McDonald's was a celebrated event by our group (me included), I liked trying new foods! I do sympathize with the guy who accidentally ate dog in that Chinese Facebook group. But, it couldn't have been THAT bad! At least he now has an interesting story to share! Zaijian :)