Eating Western Food in China

[liuzhou]

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 MeiTuuan, China's main delivery service. All these dishes are from local restaurants.

 

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

 

Even better, serve the pasta unsauced

 

I'm speechless

 

Durian Cheese Waterfall Pizza (their description!)

 

Fruit Pizza with Sweet Kewpie Mayo (of course)

 

Hokkaido Chiken Pizza with Sweet Kewpie Mayo

Mango and Shrimp Pizza with Sweet Kewpie Mayo

Mango and Eel Pizza? They forgot the mayo!

 

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

 

Eel Taco

Spicy Beef Sandwich

 

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

 

Tuna Sandwich

 

I'll stick to my 螺蛳粉！

 

[Katie Meadow]

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.

[pastrygirl]

conceptually, I could get behind an eel taco, but probably not the one pictured

[farcego]

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

Spicy Beef Sandwich

 

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?)

[liuzhou]

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.

[liuzhou]

All steak restaurants in China use the same scale for measuring temperature / doneness. Here it is:

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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!)

[KennethT]

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.

[liuzhou]

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 October 25, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

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!