Jump to content

  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Eating Western Food in China

liuzhou

By liuzhou
in China: Dining

 Share

Recommended Posts

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

In addition to the usual KFC/McDs/Pizza Hut type fare and badly cooked, low quality steaks, we also get other options. To illustrate, I have selected a few offerings from (美团 - měi tuán), China's main delivery service. All these dishes are from local restaurants.

 

1.thumb.jpg.8c97134915de0e9df3945287c0d2fec9.jpg

Steak, fried egg and, of course, pasta. Is that c@rn I spy?

 

2.thumb.jpg.a20e5c574099c8cbc5b16e3a3aef179b.jpg

Even better, serve the pasta unsauced

 

3.thumb.jpg.275f40c9fe428617f366588fe593288b.jpg

I'm speechless

 

2124192872_duruancheesewaterfall.thumb.jpg.8faa2634141583181ff4ede81b85a5eb.jpg

Durian Cheese Waterfall Pizza (their description!)

 

593359415_fruitpizza.thumb.jpg.261fa36f5c687d674fbe7e74e8308266.jpg

Fruit Pizza with Sweet Kewpie Mayo (of course)

 

1576007958_HokkaidoChickenPizzapizza.thumb.jpg.547635a27d8fce51a5c83a09ee40763f.jpg

Hokkaido Chiken Pizza with Sweet Kewpie Mayo

508019438_MangoandShrimp.thumb.jpg.f0e404bfaaa2f6e9cd45ae66cc4370a8.jpg

Mango and Shrimp Pizza with Sweet Kewpie Mayo

1932618155_MangoandEelpizza.thumb.jpg.315a419c91b76f74b203bd69c9afdc44.jpg

Mango and Eel Pizza? They forgot the mayo!

 

30505981_MexicanTaco.thumb.jpg.7175d0d7253aa650f6a03d3437773269.jpg

Ah! Here's the Sweet Kewpie Mayo on Mexican Tacos (no further decription offered).

 

1778072477_eeltaco.thumb.jpg.55e2c5225958886b93b12d65bdb03a6f.jpg

Eel Taco

1959255833_SpicyBeef.thumb.jpg.0bfb3bd9e06188d54580397bfc9277b8.jpg

Spicy Beef Sandwich

 

958088087_LowFatBeef.thumb.jpg.abc8f7e1864a0a63116b4032c100f081.jpg

Low Fat Beef Sandwich (with more calories than the regular one?)

 

411529443_tunasandwich.thumb.jpg.179491f54ce258ea21dc5dfbfccf8513.jpg

Tuna Sandwich

 

I'll stick to my 螺蛳粉！

 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
  • Confused 1
  • Sad 1

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

Posted
Posted

The Chinese idea of American fast food looks as unappealing as American fast food in America. Though I admit I am not a fan of Kewpie mayo on anything, so maybe I'm a poor judge.

farcego

farcego

Posted
Posted
On 10/14/2022 at 11:32 PM, liuzhou said:


1959255833_SpicyBeef.thumb.jpg.0bfb3bd9e06188d54580397bfc9277b8.jpg

Spicy Beef Sandwich

 

958088087_LowFatBeef.thumb.jpg.abc8f7e1864a0a63116b4032c100f081.jpg

Low Fat Beef Sandwich (with mor ecalaries than the regular one?)

 



 

are those ones delivered by a kind of supersonic deer, or just they have its meat? (or maybe it is a local brand with that name?)

  • Haha 1
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
3 hours ago, farcego said:

are those ones delivered by a kind of supersonic deer, or just they have its meat? (or maybe it is a local brand with that name?)

 

It's just a random brand name. No venison is involved.

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

All steak restaurants in China use the same scale for measuring temperature / doneness, but sometimes different terminology. Here it is again, this time illustrated:

 

The pictures could be better - the medium rare and medium look the same to me  - so, I've also translated what it was intended to be.

 

steaks.thumb.jpg.433d721ad8b884d0837e1063fb55ee65.jpg

 

 

 

Chinese

Pinyin

Literal Translation

English

 

 

 

 

一分熟

yī fēn shú

One point cooked

Rare

三分熟

sān fēn shú

Three point cooked

Medium Rare

五分熟

wǔ fēn shú

Five Point Cooked

Medium

七分熟

qī fēn shú

Seven Point Cooked

Medium Well

全熟

quán shú

Fully Cooked

Well Done

 

I hope that is useful and you can at least order what you want. I can't guarantee what will turn up, though. (Don't mess with them and order an even number!)

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 2
  • Haha 1

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

KennethT

KennethT

Posted
Posted

I wonder how many Chinese nationals order their steak on the rare side when they visit these restaurants.  Surely ones who have traveled extensively to western countries, but I had assume that culturally, rare meat was not something to be found often.

  • Like 1
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)
26 minutes ago, KennethT said:

I wonder how many Chinese nationals order their steak on the rare side when they visit these restaurants.

 

Very. very few. Medium well is considered brave!

 

Most of these places are aimed at visiting business people from overseas. Even most Chinese who have travelled in the West balk at bloody steaks. (Although they are happy to eat congealed pig, chicken and duck blood without blinking. Strange.)

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 2

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Another serious problem with western food in China is the almost ever-constant lack of seasoning. I have the idea that Chinese chefs and cooks are so used to seasoning with soy sauce etc that they never think to reach out for the salt.

 

I've lost count of how many times I've been served fries without a trace of salt; same with salads.

 

At one time, I used to carry a bunch of those little salt packets you get in western fast food places (they don't have here - I'd load up in airports etc) . Later I gave up doing that; I just gave up western food, After all, it was seldom worth seasoning!

  • Like 1
  • Haha 2

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

  • 5 months later...
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

I've moaned and complained about Chinese bread before. There is very little. 99% is like this.

 

bread2.thumb.jpg.d8fa0959be90fdce34c3c1a3d27ca028.jpg

 

Labelled in Chinese and English (no French) as "Soft French Bread", only one of which descriptors is accurate . It's soft. It is neither French nor bread. It's bad, over sweet sponge cake.

bread3.thumb.jpg.4bf84becebba1b50b2c29af870aeec04.jpg

 

Ingredients listed (in Chinese only) are wheat flour, margarine, sugar, egg, high fructose corn syrup, refined vegetable oil, whole milk powder, shortening, yeast, gluten, salt, food additives (sodium bicarbonate, sodium dehydroacetate, calcium stearyl lactate, sucrose fatty acid ester, sorbic acid ascorbic palmitate, novolac, citric acid), maltose syrup, edible alcohol, edible spices.

Shelf life 6 months.

 

Sacré blue!                 

 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Haha 2

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted

Oh my God! That looks like an over aged Twinkie.

Just curious. Do you ever get invited for dinner and they have tried to cook Western food to make you feel at home?

  • Like 1
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)
23 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Oh my God! That looks like an over aged Twinkie.

Just curious. Do you ever get invited for dinner and they have tried to cook Western food to make you feel at home?

 

No. Never. I have been invited to "Western" restaurants, though.

Edited by liuzhou (log)

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

No. Never. I have been invited to "Western" restaurants, though.

I just spent two days reading through 'Worst Meals'. It seems like the Chinese have better sense than most of the westerners.

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
14 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

It seems like the Chinese have better sense than most of the westerners.

 

There are plenty of bad Chinese cooks, but they tend not to entertain, prefering to leave the cooking to someone else.

  • Like 1

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

  • 3 weeks later...
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I feel I have to share this. I've was idly flicking through my home city's main restaurant delivery app and came across this monstrosity.

 

_20230423150745.thumb.jpg.343f83f8ac0462b0d76afdc241fe8c08.jpg

 

Billed as a 'Typical American Burger', it is made using Australian beef*, as are all typical American burgers. Other ingredients are lettuce, tomato, bacon, American 'cheese'**, egg, homemade*** pickles, homemade*** bread and homemade*** sauce.

Ingredients: bacon, beef, lettuce, tomato sauce, sugar, bread, lettuce****.

¥34.83 / $5 USD. Expensive for China.

 

* Probably actually local water buffalo.

** Made in China.

*** Whose home?
**** Yes. Lettuce twice.

 

The bun is described as that typical 'red velvet bread' as served with every burger in the west.

 

 

  • Haha 6

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted

What do you think that reddish thing is, just below the upper bun? More tomato? Looks almost like persimmon to me...but I hope it isn't. 

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
58 minutes ago, Smithy said:

What do you think that reddish thing is, just below the upper bun? More tomato? Looks almost like persimmon to me...but I hope it isn't. 

 

I think that's the bacon. The colours in the picture are a bit strange, but they list bacon and I don't see it anywhere else.

  • Thanks 1

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

haresfur

haresfur

Posted
Posted

Aside from the weird bun it would be an Australian burger with 'the lot' if you added beetroot and maybe pineapple

  • Haha 1
  • Confused 1
  • Sad 1

It's almost never bad to feed someone.

pastrygirl

pastrygirl

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 4/23/2023 at 12:35 AM, liuzhou said:

The bun is described as that typical 'red velvet bread' as served with every burger in the west.

 

The top looks like it's been dipped in caramel.  But other than  that, I don't get what makes it a monstrosity. 

 

Looks like your typical $19 gastro-pub burger (house pickles, egg, check, check ✅ ✅)  Though the bun would be either brioche or charcoal.  And it needs a flavored mayo/aioli but maybe that's the 'homemmade sauce' 🤷‍♀️

Edited by pastrygirl (log)
  • Like 1
Honkman

Honkman

Posted
Posted
On 4/23/2023 at 12:35 AM, liuzhou said:

came across this monstrosity.

Not sure if I would call it monstrosity as it looks similar to many burgers (not fastfood) in the US. Australian beef can be also found here. American cheese is more a description how the “cheese” is made (easy to melt) but is also used in Europe as a description. And restaurants also tend to name many things here as homemade even though it wasn’t made anywhere near the restaurant (or even city)

 

You also showed further up some more unusual pizza creation which are also not this unusual as you see pizza dough becoming more and more a “blank canvas” to put all kinds to culinary creations on it. Here in Northern California Indian pizzas are in the moment quite popular - saag paneer or butter chicken pizza anybody?

  • Like 1
Two Foodies - One Journey
heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

 

The top looks like it's been dipped in caramel.  But other than  that, I don't get what makes it a monstrosity. 

 

Looks like your typical $19 gastro-pub burger (house pickles, egg, check, check ✅ ✅)  Though the bun would be either brioche or charcoal.  And it needs a flavored mayo/aioli but maybe that's the 'homemmade sauce' 🤷‍♀️

My immediate reaction was - pretzel bun. been seeing those a lot.  And bacon could be Canadian so not strips. 

 

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)
31 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

it needs a flavored mayo/aioli but maybe that's the 'homemmade sauce'

 

Here? No chance!

Edited by liuzhou (log)

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
5 minutes ago, Honkman said:

Australian beef can be also found here.

 

But is it descriped as "Typically American?

 

6 minutes ago, Honkman said:

American cheese ... ... is also used in Europe as a description.

 

I know. I'm European. I will argue though that is isn't cheese!

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Mjx

Mjx

Posted
Posted
On 4/24/2023 at 6:11 AM, Smithy said:

What do you think that reddish thing is, just below the upper bun? More tomato? Looks almost like persimmon to me...but I hope it isn't. 

 

I think that's the egg.

  • Thanks 1

Michaela, aka "Mjx"
Manager, eG Forums
mscioscia@egstaff.org

 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...