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dearclarissa358 karma

soymilk - sweet.

Dumplings- vinegar!

Douhua (tofu pudding) - sweet with ginger syrup. the versions here in Hong Kong are marvelous!

Milk tea - boba ftw.

dearclarissa311 karma

Yunnan. Hands down. It's the most biodiverse region in all of China and the mushroom varieties there are stunning. I've read somewhere that Yunnan has the most varieties of mushrooms in the world as well. The team and I will be traveling there next month for mushroom season to produce a video and I'm thrilled.

it's also the most culturally diverse place in China. There are roughly 25-26 ethnic minorities in Yunnan and you can experience the nomadic Tibetan life in the high mountains or roam the rainforests with the Yi people in search for 1000+ year old tea trees. I've had the wonderful pleasure of doing both.

dearclarissa297 karma

I've heard and read the news pieces about it...but I have never heard it talked about or encountered it (knowingly, at least) in my travels.

When it comes to the literature on Chinese food, English media has a gross tendency of fixating on food scandals. Food scandals exist in China... but it isn't something that dominates day-to-day conversations or life.

Truth is: there isn’t enough conclusive information about whether or not gutter oil is common in China. The food safety standards in a country with 4x the population of the U.S., that’s only recently emerging from being a developing country, have a long way to go. The government seems to be taking some proactive measures to monitor food more, but, as an example, you’ll still find a lot of travelers going to Hong Kong from mainland China just to buy cooking oil because people are obsessive about eating good food, and, growingly more obsessive about good health.

With that said, I have gotten horrible food poisoning in China, though I'm pretty sure that was because of a salad (pro tip: eat cooked veggies in China, not raw).

dearclarissa256 karma

I first started writing about food when I was studying abroad in Shanghai in college. I saw how underwhelming food journalism in China was and cold-pitched to CNN Travel. They took my ideas and years later, here I am.

dearclarissa224 karma

Before I answer this, I must preface with: I love this question because it really truly epitomizes the thought process people have when Chinese food enters the conversation. Chinese food in China = bizarre. The reality is that Chinese food is not bizarre. Pork tends to be the protein of choice (Fun fact: China accounts for more than half of the global pork consumption) and most people don't eat outside of the standard protein plate of pork, beef, and chicken.

With that said, Chinese cuisine is resourceful and you'll find a smattering of offals and parts of animals that are well -- unconventional from a Western standpoint.

The team and I went to Sichuan a couple months ago where we sampled spicy rabbit head.

How to eat one: crack the jaw open, pull the tongue out, crack open the skull. Tear off the cheek meat, suck out the brain, and gnaw at the rest. The head is adored for its texture.

I must emphasize....while this is a beloved delicacy in Sichuan, for locals -- it’s not the main attraction.