A few days ago, my colleague introduced Jen Lin-Liu as a chef, writer, and owner of the a restaurant in Beijing, Black Sesame Kitchen.  Tonight, I had the opportunity to go to BSK for dinner with a few friends…

The location is excellent- Just a few meters from the hip and trendy Nanluoguxiang, the restaurant is set in the home of a traditional hutong, which had been built in the early 13^th century.  Walking in, we used our cell phones as lights and had to be careful not to trip on the uneven pavement of the old courtyard.  Inside, the restaurant consists of two relatively small but cozy rooms.  One is a lounge of sorts (I imagine they use it for larger groups), and the other serves as a dining room and the kitchen.

I was with a party of about a dozen, and my friends and I sat literally a foot away from the kitchen.  The chefs cooked facing us as we ate and could described their techniques as each dish was prepared.

Being at the far end of the table, I walked up to get a closer look.

The chef – Chairman Wang, or Wang Laoshi as I called her, was this incredibly friendly older lady: short, wispy white hair peaked out from her tall, white chef’s hat and the smile wrinkles etched onto her face seemed to show her years of passionate work.

I asked her about specific ingredients she used, how she started cooking, and whether or not travels around China have influenced her cooking…her answers surprised me.

“I started cooking at age 8. My parents and brother all worked, I was home, we had to eat, so I had to cook,” she said.

“Were you a good cook, even then?”

She laughs, “I had to be! If I cooked bad food, everyone would yell at me!”

Our conversation then drifted from food to her life growing up in Beijing…She recalls how tumultuous the country was – how hard her parents worked to support her and her brother, how hard she studied in school for better opportunities.

She describes, “I was a senior in high school, all ready to graduate at age 19, but my classmates and I were forced to the nongcun or the countryside of Shanxi during the Cultural Revolution.” She said that however confusing that period was, she didn’t really question it – she and her classmates just moved because they had to, moved to do farm work because everyone else did.

(At this point, I am in the kitchen, grabbing the plates, and helping to serve the food so that I can hear her whole story as she stirs.)

“We lived in two sets of housing – one for men and one for women.  I shared a room with two others.  I toiled every day: Woke up, labored in the fields, came home when it turned dark, cooked, slept and did it again the next day. After two years, I was lucky enough to be the only one selected from our group to a different job at an electricity company. I had to work there for another five years and finally came home to Beijing in 1969.”

Wide-eyed me: “What a story! You were so fortunate to be the only one chosen to leave!”

“No, just hard-working, I think,” she modestly replies.

Who knew that a casual dinner would come with such insight into Chinese history…

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Nancy is a member of the marketing team in WildChina’s Beijing office.  Contact her at nancy.tan@wildchina.com. Photo from Black Sesame Kitchen.

“There are a lot of things in China that are hard to relate to,” Jen Lin-Liu says. “I don’t understand Chinese opera,” She jokes; but food is easy for Liu to understand.

The young founder of Beijing’s Black Sesame Kitchen, and author of Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China, Jen Lin-Liu believes food can help her relate to Chinese culture, as well as better understand her Chinese roots. Though her family is originally Cantonese, Liu grew up in America with a mother who wasn’t a big fan of cooking.  “It’s a generational thing,” Liu says. Though previous generations of women felt pressure to cook for their families, most women today can choose. “I like to cook because I’m not forced to cook,” Liu says.

Liu’s Chinese-American colleague, Candice Lee, has similar memories. “When I asked my mom how to cook Ma po dou fu, (Mapo tofu),” Candice recalls, “she said to go to the store and buy a box!” Both Liu and Candice agree that Chinese don’t consider cooking an art form; for many Chinese, food is merely sustenance.

At her previous job, as a journalist for Newsweek in Shanghai, Liu was required to report on a wide range of stories. “Reporters in China have to cover everything” Liu wanted a focus. In 2005, Liu started taking cooking lessons; soon after she started rethinking her career. It turns out Chinese food was just the focus Liu was looking for.

But going into the food business has been surprising for both women. “I’ve always been interested in food,” Candice says. “But I didn’t know it would become a career!”

Liu thinks Chinese food is improving. Beijing is an international hub, and according to her good ingredients are easier to find than they used to be. “I used to be really picky,” Liu says. She remembers being intolerant of certain Chinese foods like la jiao (peppers). But that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Though remote regions have a more difficult time getting access to quality ingredients, that hasn’t stopped Liu from doing extensive foodie research. She recently got back from three months on the road. Starting in China, moving through central Asia and ending in Iran, Liu learned a lot about various regional cuisine, as well as culture. She plans to pick up her tour again in the spring, sampling even more regional foods.

Mm, I can’t wait to taste that next dish…

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Taylor is a member of WildChina’s operations team.  She works in our Beijing office and can be contacted at taylor.smith@wildchina.com. Photo from China Daily.

Growing up, my parents owned a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant in a small town in northern Tennessee.  Every day for the sixteen and a half years that this restaurant was open, I watched my dad cook delicious food while I sold, served, and ate it after school and on the weekends. However, I was “that kid” who, despite being surrounded by the family business her whole life, never picked up a spatula or a wok to learn how to cook…

This holiday season, however, I have finally been bitten by the family cooking bug!

Every other week at WildChina’s Beijing office, we have a company lunch.  The menu usually consists of yummy, homemade jiaozi (dumplings), but this week, we had a special treat – HOT POT.

As grabbed a bowl of creamy peanut sauce, fresh cilantro, and lajiang (red pepper chili sauce), I realized how easy it would be to whip up this tasty treat myself.

All you need is:

1 hot plate

1 metal pot w/ lid

Chicken broth

Ginger and Spices  (like salt and pepper, or for you adventurous and creative types, some mixture of chili or curry powder)

Veggies

Thinly sliced meat (such as lamb or beef)

Sauce, as mentioned above: peanut sauce (available in packages), fresh cilantro, red pepper chili sauce

Directions:

Wait for the chicken broth and spices to boil, throw in your meat and veggies and allow it to cook fully (usually just a couple minutes), and dig in. This is the perfect meal for a large group of people to keep warm with and enjoy together – and it’s healthy to boot.

The simplicity of it all has inspired me to become an experimental chef (stop laughing mom and dad) and has alleviated my worries about what to make for the holiday dinner party I’ll soon be hosting.

Happy cooking!

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Nancy is a member of WildChina’s marketing team.  She works in WildChina’s Beijing office and can be contacted at nancy.tan@wildchina.com.

I’ve been to China a couple times for extended periods, and have recently settled myself down in DC (well, Silver Spring, MD) in an apartment by myself (miss you mom and dad!). Having lived in metropolises in both countries – DC and Philly in the US and Beijing and Shanghai in China – there is definitely one thing I notice above all that the US is lacking: street food.

Admittedly, DC does have many restaurants where you can go in the evening for a quick and relatively cheap bite to eat, and the diversity of these establishments seems unlikely to be matched (do I want falafel, a burrito, a burger and fries?), but the US can’t match China for the abundance and low cost of street food.

When in the big cities of Beijing and Shanghai – and even in “smaller” cities such as Qingdao and Guiyang – it feels like every street you turn down has a chuar stand (various meat and veggie kebabs grilled to order) ready to serve you cheap, deliciously seasoned food. When in China, my philosophy is to try as much as possible (and to tell my friends about it when I get back to the States) to see what’s good and what to avoid next time. I’ve sampled a variety of things that Westerners are not accustomed to – frog, turtle, chicken hearts, the stomachs and intestines of various animals, etc. – and have been able to expand my palate and experience things I never would have thought about eating when I was a kid.

The charm of these stands comes from men (typically) tending their grills, as well as the diverse clientele of the chuar stands. It seems like every kind of person visits these stands – Westerners, students, posh 20-somethings, the middle-aged and elderly, men and women; no one is immune to the allure of a good stick of lamb or potato. I have always had positive experiences getting street food, and I feel it’s an important thing to experience when venturing out into Chinese streets in the evening.

Again, I don’t want to get down on the DC food scene – there are many awesome restaurants around (and even a man that sells fruit on the street near my apartment). It might be nice, however, to see people on the sidewalks in the evening selling a cheap, delicious dinner or midnight snack, enriching DC’s nightlife with the delicious aroma of their peppery, smoky, irresistible offerings.

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Pat Ouellette is a member of WildChina’s marketing and client services teams. Pat works in our U.S. office and can be contacted at pat.ouellette@wildchina.com. Photo Source: Flickr.

Seldom seen in the west, the numbing/tingling flavor of the Sichuan pepper is a hallmark of Sichuan cuisine.

When returning from a trip to China one doesn’t carry only the memory of the sights and sounds of a far-off land: a journey here is also an immersion in a world of exotic flavors and aromas.

Authentic Chinese food is as varied across the country as the cuisines of Europe. And from the sweet flavors of Shanghainese food to the spicy and numbing fare of Sichuan, the best of each region represents a careful marriage of flavors and textures–often executed with lightning speed and perfect control on the unforgiving surface of a 400-degree wok.

Eating Chinese food in China is one of the greatest pleasures of a trip to the “Middle Kingdom.” And as interest increases around the world in Chinese food culture and the health benefits offered by diets high in vegetables and low in processed sugars, we thought we would offer WildChina clients the opportunity to do more than just take home the memory of the flavors of traditional Chinese food.

Dining in China is a fantastic experience for the palate, with a myriad of new flavors, textures, and aromas to enjoy.

Don't let allergy fears get in the way of enjoying Chinese cuisines.

However, it can be a horrifying experience for travelers with allergies. If you don’t speak Chinese, cannot understand the menu, and have no one to ask, what can you do? Trying your luck is terribly risky; on the other hand, limiting yourself to, say, hotel restaurants with English-speaking staff is both boring and inauthentic.

We’ve compiled a list of useful tips and tricks for enjoying Chinese cuisine, without the stress of dietary restrictions gnawing at your plate:

1. Keep a multi-lingual allergy card handy. Companies like SelectWisely can easily customize a card with your allergy and dietary restrictions for $7.50 – $9.50 (between ~50 and ~64 RMB) per card. Be sure to specify simplified Mandarin characters when traveling to Mainland China, and traditional characters if you visit Hong Kong or Taiwan.
2. Pack your Benadryl. Be sure to have your medicines and epi-pens on hand when dining out. In addition to the language barrier, there may be some cultural misunderstandings in smaller areas. For example, nut allergies aren’t common in China, so there may be less awareness in smaller cities and towns about how severe reactions can be.
3. Know your local China healthcare information. Your tour operator can provide you with contacts and policies for the nearest hospital, doctor, or other healthcare provider to where you are traveling in China. Keep this information handy, should an emergency arise.
4. Study Chinese cuisines. Chinese cuisines are quite different from American Chinese food, so do a little research on culinary traditions for areas of China that you will visit. Get a sense for what ingredients and flavors are prominent, and brainstorm which dishes would best suit your restrictions. When traveling, you’ll have a better sense of what foods are safe choices.
5. Stock up on your favorite foods (just in case). Coming prepared with your favorite snack foods will ease the stress of a restaurant successfully accommodating your needs. If you begin your China trip in Hong Kong, Shanghai, or Beijing, you can  purchase many popular Western food products from local Western-style grocers. Ask your tour operator for suggestions, and for starters, consult HK Magazine (Hong Kong) and CityWeekend (Shanghai, Beijing).
6. Ask your tour operator to organize special meals in advance. Any good tour operator in China will be able to accommodate your needs and requests with restaurants. Let them know what you prefer to eat, which foods you must avoid, and any additional information they should know.

While the above tips may give you the impression that those with allergies have quite the struggle in China, don’t fret! Finding dishes in China that meet your dietary needs is truly easier than you might think. A young British China economist living in Beijing who is allergic to eggs, seafood and nuts had this to say about dining in the Middle Kingdom:

“Before coming to China, I assumed that Chinese food would be largely off-limits, as I believed that all ingredients were mixed together. In fact, it has been quite easy for me to avoid these foods.

Fish and seafood usually merit their own dishes, and are not mixed in with other foods – the one exception being small shrimp sometimes turning up in zhou [congee].

The worst has been nuts because of their prevalence in many Chinese dishes. However, I was relieved to find that fewer cooks use peanut oil because of the higher price. Most prefer soybean-based oils.

Chinese dishes are generally quite straightforward, and with an allergy card and/or guide to help, you shouldn’t have much problem navigating your meals.”

What Chinese dish do they suggest? Mapo doufu – a Sichuan-style mixture of tofu, spicy chili and bean oil, and minced meat.

Have questions on travel in China? Send us an email or a tweet.

The WildChina Twitter Live Q+A question series is a collection of five questions either posed or inspired by WildChina’s Twitter Live Q+A session on Wednesday, November 11. If you have questions about China Travel, follow @WildChina on Twitter and tweet us your query. We are always happy to help!

This question was inspired by a series of posts by @qimomar4 regarding the unsavory effects of unsanitary food in China.

Chinese cuisine in China is – for the most part – delicious, cheap and accessible. Oftentimes, the tastiest meals and best culinary delights can be found in no-name, hole-in-the-wall restaurants. However, there is a fine line between eating establishments that are charmingly basic, and those that are simply dirty. How, then, does a traveler discern between a delicous “homestyle” meal and an unsanitary one before his stomach (unfortunately) does?

There are throngs of people on Beijing's Wangfujing snack street, but if you think they are all consuming these foods, think again. (Photo courtesy of www.chinadaily.com.cn)

In order to eat well and cheaply in China while avoiding sickness, follow these three simple rules:

1. Avoid street food. It’s tempting because of the novelty and excitement that comes with such an experience. Besides, boasting of your adventures with fried scorpions and that strange meat on a stick always provides for a good story once you have returned home. But, be warned: as a tourist in China, your stomach is most likely not accustomed to the lower level of hygiene here; in fact, even long-term residents of China often are made sick by roadside vendors’ goods as well. If you must try everything at Beijing’s Wangfujing snack street, or pick up treats on a corner in a remote village, carry plenty of your preferred stomach medications with you. 
2. Check: is your Hot Pot hot? Hot Pot is one of the most enjoyable dining experiences in China, as it is interactive, social, and provides infinite culinary possibilities with a bevy of broths, vegetables, and meats. Don’t let the excitement of the hot pot experience distract you from the point of it, though: Hot Pot is made to make your food hot – and thoroughly cooked. Be sure to ask yourself the following questions: is this meat cooked through? Are these vegetables still raw? Is the oil/water/broth in the pot hot enough? Pass on the opportunity if your ingredients don’t seem fresh.
3. Crowded restaurants = clean restaurants. Are you knocking elbows with your neighbors at dinner? Is someone yelling fuwuyuan (waiter) in your ear? Are you still waiting for the chopsticks that you asked for 10 minutes ago? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should be thrilled. While crowded restaurants are sometimes a bothersome aspect of travel and life in China, the swarms of people are telling regarding an eating establishment’s sanitary record. In addition to indicating the popularity of a restaurant, this also means that food turnover is high – nothing is sitting around for long before arriving at diners’ tables. The restaurant across the street may have impeccable decor, but it is not necessarily any cleaner than the small jiaozi (boiled dumpling) joint across the street. Use your discretion when choosing where to dine, and solicit locals’ opinions if/when you can.

Upon reflection, as a ‘city girl’, I guess I never thought much about where my food came from. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I knew apples grew on trees, and a pumpkin had to be way too heavy for that, so most likely grew on a vine … and I even had a mini (albeit fairly unsuccessful) veggie patch in my inner-city Melbourne share house. In fact, to be completely honest, friends of mine back home would probably testify that I investigate the origin of my food more than most, having chosen long ago the life of a ‘pescetarian’ (seafood eating vegetarian) for ethical reasons. However, my knowledge, until now, has been intellectual rather than experience based.

Autumn in Huayang, Shaanxi

Living, working and exercising in the town of Huayang has allowed me to watch my dinner grow before my very eyes. I have seen the full process, from seed to harvest of some of my favourite vegetables and grains – including eggplants, corn, pumpkin, beans, carrots, rice and wheat to name just a few. It has had a profound affect upon me, and while saying it is a spiritual experience may be taking it too far, at times it has certainly felt like it.  In the cities of the ‘wealthy west’ so often we fill our days and lives with the pursuit of meaningless things … and to watch farmers at work and vegetables slowly growing through the seasons is a nice reminder of our life sustaining needs and the hard work and reliance upon the elements that is required to obtain these necessities.

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Out of all the questions I’m asked about living in China, the most common is definitely “So, how’s the food?”

In a word, delicious. From dumplings and noodles to spicy Sichuan and Hunan fare, there’s no shortage of tastes and flavors in China. Yet the language barrier and not knowing what to order can make visiting a local restaurant stressful for some. Here’s a handy guide to finding a restaurant in China.

English-language sites:

• CityWeekend has sites with great listings for Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou
• Chowhound China is a foodies dream site, with a robust group of active contributors

Dianping.com is another excellent food site, however it’s currently only in Chinese. Non-Mandarin speakers can still use it, however, with the help of Google Translate.

Just open Google Translate, enter the link in to the translate box, and select Chinese – English (or whatever  language you prefer). Hit translate, and search away! The translations aren’t perfect, but you’ll get an idea of  spots to try.

If you’d prefer not to plan your meals but rather discover places on your own, some common sense will go a long way. Look for busy places (a great sign they’re delicious), point to dishes on neighbors’ tables that look tasty, and don’t be afraid to experiment!

Here’s a list of commonly served Chinese food dishes with their English translations. It might not be a bad idea to print it out and bring it with you to your corner Chinese restaurant. Friendly waitresses will happily point out which ones the have on offer.

I’ll put up another post soon with links to great sites for Chinese food recipes. Even if you’re not in China, you can easily make Chinese food at home that’s much more authentic than your local Panda Express.