Chinese food gets old

Sorry, for this provocative title. I am currently in China on a 2 week business trip, the first since COVID. The first couple of days I really enjoyed eating Chinese food, but after 10 days I am now at a point where I honestly no longer care about it and quite frankly would rather eat something bland and simple. 

Every lunch and dinner on this trip there were 5-10 dishes and while "yummy" and certainly expensive, they are overall much more fatty, salty and fried than I would normally eat. In some way I feel like someone must feel, who eats western style fast food 2-3x daily...

How do people, who live or study in China for longer periods of time see and cope with Chinese food?

There's a lot of variety, regional and intra-regional. Here in the rural north there's a lot of good plain filling fare, flatbreads and dumplings, steamed foods not fried. Or have a bowl of porridge and a couple of cold veg dishes. Down at my inlaws in Fujian you can get really nice rice noodles in a satay type sauce cheap on the street etc etc.

On 11/15/2023 at 8:47 PM, Jan Finster said:

Every lunch and dinner on this trip there were 5-10 dishes and while "yummy" and certainly expensive, they are overall much more fatty, salty and fried than I would normally eat. In some way I feel like someone must feel, who eats western style fast food 2-3x daily...

 

How do people, who live or study in China for longer periods of time see and cope with Chinese food?

We don't eat those kinds of dishes every meal. There's plenty of bland/simple/plain food let me tell you. And lots of home cooked food. 

I for one discovered that I much prefer Chinese/ Asian food to Western food. Especially vegetables - I cannot eat a Western style salad, but I like all kinds of Asian style cooked veg. 

There is tons of variety within Chinese food too. I swear there has not been a week where I haven't tried at least one new dish - for years. I never find myself getting tired of it.

Sounds like you're being treated to meals, and of course your hosts want to serve you some rich foods. Any chance you can subtly discuss your interest in dumplings/soup/vegetables/something else light? Your plans to check out a certain nearby restaurant you heard about, when you get the chance?

More in general, I've had good experiences with Japanese food when I got tired of Chinese every day, and 馕 when I started craving bread.

This happens to me any time I've gone on a business trip, no matter where it is. 

I've learned to put my foot down after the first or second night and say, "sorry, I need to make some calls home tonight", just so I can skip the meal out and beverages. Usually my stomach is in shambles by the end of a trip like that. 

I feel for you. Perhaps you should try to get some inspiration from some of the Chinese Asian food blogs out there?

My personal favourites are:

Authentic Chinese Recipes - Red House Spice

Home - The Woks of Life

Asian Food & Drink Blog – Morueats

I would flick through these and try to open up your mind a bit on some of the food options out there and also consider cooking a bit from home. I really don't think you are as limited as you think. Which city are you staying in? I might be able to recommend some places to go too if it's Shanghai or Beijing.

On 11/15/2023 at 7:32 PM, PerpetualChange said:

I've learned to put my foot down after the first or second night and say, "sorry, I need to make some calls home tonight", just so I can skip the meal out and beverages. Usually my stomach is in shambles by the end of a trip like that. 

This is what I ended up doing for all lunch meals, but I thought I would be a bit unfair to leave my non-Chinese travel buddies alone at dinner with the Chinese hosts. Apart from the food, there is only so much you can small talk about. After 10 days of dinner with the same people, it does feel like a drain...

Tonight, I went alone to have a massage and then got some "boring" Wuhan noodles for 13 RMB from the local supermarket. A bit selfish, but felt good

On 11/16/2023 at 6:55 AM, Jan Finster said:

Tonight, I went alone to have a massage and then got some "boring" Wuhan noodles for 13 RMB from the local supermarket. A bit selfish, but felt good

Sounds like a smart move! After so many days of eating out in a group, I get all "social-ed out" regardless of the cuisine. As you say, the "small-talk" tank runs dry. 

As others have mentioned, the simple, every-day things that one would make in a home kitchen in China can be difficult to find when dining out. Restaurants like to emphasize their selection of items that are showier, more complex, and have a higher markup. Hosts like to be generous and order memorable specialties for their guests. 

Sometimes I have even resorted to the ruse of temporarily "going vegetarian" to get some relief from the heavy stuff. 真不好意思，但是我的消化不太好，我今天吃素。Then I ask for something light and seasonal. At this time of year, greens 青菜 would be a good bet. In most of China at this time of year 白萝卜 is also prime. Ordering it in a soup can be a pleasant change. Ask for some variation on 萝卜汤。

Hope you still have a great time!

Your Chinese host definitely considers the meals as a way to promote sociality. It's a better opportunity to push your work there rather than in the office. There's an interesting article online about '中国式酒局': https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/483582744?utm_medium=social&utm_oi=572527068336623616.

If you have finished your work, why not seek healthier food you like?

I also want to know if such business meals are used as an occasion to do business in your country?

Business meals can definitely be used for relationship building in my country too. I'll have to check out that article on Chinese-style drinking sessions - it sounds fascinating to learn more about the cultural aspects. You make a good point that my hosts likely see these meals as important social occasions as well. Maybe next time I can try introducing some lighter local dishes I discover to give everyone some variety. Appreciate the suggestions!

On 12/6/2023 at 10:54 PM, CulturalClimber said:

Maybe next time I can try introducing some lighter local dishes I discover to give everyone some variety.

Good idea. I've done that and it was well received. I presented the new items as "something seasonal." Chinese, especially older Chinese, are aware of how food can have quasi-medicinal properties in harmonizing the body with the season of the year. It's not esoteric or strange, it's sort of "Grandmother Knowledge." Your actions would be seen as culturally aware and culturally sensitive. They would be seen as showing respect for ancient Chinese tradition.  

That's a great suggestion! Framing new dishes as being seasonal sounds like a perfect way to introduce some lighter options in a culturally sensitive manner. I'll have to keep that "Grandmother Knowledge" in mind for next time. 

On 5/7/2025 at 3:56 AM, Momogohigh said:

and I've started trying to learn how to cook Chinese or go out and eat some Cantonese food, choosing less oily foods

Learning how to cook Chinese food will definitely give you more control over how salty or oily your meals are. Chinese at home, in my experience, tend to usually eat a lot of vegetables. Also, soup is usually part of the meal. You might like to also explore fermented vegetables (pickled.) Immensely popular in all parts of China, year around. Healthy and practical, as well as being delicious.

Correct me if I a wrong, but one of my main dissatisfactions with Chinese cooking is fish. I am basically a pescatarian (do not care about sea food) and Japan is heaven for me. But in China it seems to either be deep fried or steamed in vinegar or soaked in chillies. 

How about just sprinkling some herbs and salt on it and putting it in the oven or on a grill? 

Jan,

I lived in Zhuhai (on the coast) for about a year before moving to Kunming. First-rate fresh fish was much more readily available there and the preparation was more varied than in Kunming (deep in the interior.) When I return to Zhuhai for visits or to use it as a gateway to Macau, I always feast on fish. In restaurants it's always live fish, scooped out of a tank when you order. 

Agree that fish is terrific in Japan. Also in Korea. As far as everyday home cooking in China goes, remember that most Chinese apartment kitchens don't have ovens. And grilling is mainly done outdoors. Ordinary people seldom have a back yard. But steaming fish in a bamboo basket set atop a wok is truly pretty common. 

This discussion has me also thinking back to memorable fish meals in Qingdao and Xiamen. Glorious! 

Sorry, but I'm afraid to try and fix it for fear it will vanish into the ether. 

ETA: Done

Thanks. I was in Xiamen in December and we ate at a restaurant in the "seafood street-food" street (forgot the name) . Sadly, even the fish we were served there was fried. Sea food was ok though. 

I'm currently on a roadtrip through Shandong and Anhui. I'm not a fish guy at all(Japan is my least favorite Asian food), but I plan on having some seafood in 威海，崂山 and 青岛.

Last night we were in 淄博 Zibo, we asked the guy at the hotel for a recommendation on this famous zibo 烧烤. I'm in love, it was awesome. Fantastic atmosphere, ie old school 串儿, al fresco, lively. They had all the different Qingdao beers which you don't see in Beijing, I especially love the pilsner 皮尔森 and the Ipa, plus loads of other local 山东 beer and draft beer 扎啤. All inexpensive and ice-cold. 

The 烧烤 itself was excellent, we ordered a whole variety of meat and vegetables, we could barely finish it completely stuffed and it was around 110 rmb fir two of us(excluding beer). The 老板 came over and asked my what I thought of it, I told him I wanted to move from Beijing to Zibo lol. The 烧烤 in zibo is a little different, you do it at the table with charcoals, use a savory taco type shell to take the ingredients off the skewer, add a large chive and some sauce, dip it in a seasoning power.

Year 13 in China, always something new, food not "getting old" at ALL for me. 

The trick is to order the fish cooked the way you want it. I usually order 清蒸鱼，plain steamed fish. Easy to ask for minor modifications, 加算泥 ("add minced garlic") or add spring onions 加葱花。For fresh, live shrimp, I usually order 清蒸虾仁 -- plain boiled.  

 Not to "blame the victim," but perhaps mastering the art of ordering more specifically would yield better results. Asking for simple prep methods for seafood is fine when the fish is fresh (as in alive) and of good quality. On the other hand, if a restaurant has little demand for fish and is serving it just to accommodate an unusual request, it is not likely to be appetizing unless "doctored up" by frying or adding a thick and pungent "masking" sauce.  

So ordering fish in the right places and ordering it specifically prepared the way you want would go a long way towards solving your problem/concern. I don't mean to sound accusatory or critical. Truly hope it helps. And I realize this process may not be as simple as it sounds if you are part of a group, or being invited by business associates or friends who you don't know well. 

Sometimes hosts are "ordering to impress." My best strategy then is to politely submit a request for inclusion in the table fare. "I really love steamed Chinese stem broccoli 概览 and can never find it back home, do you think we could perhaps add a plate of it?"