Joe’s Diary – Week 5
Today is my Chinese friend’s birthday so he invited me for dinner at his home. His bedroom is full of Chinese ornaments, such as decorated by Chinese knots, calligraphy and paintings. I had authentic Sichuan cuisine there which is really spicy. After dinner, we drank some tea chatting about shopping and food in China.
There are plenty of options when it comes to shopping and eating in Beijing. The rapid economic growth aids the development of public facilities in Beijing, like the Oriental Plaza, Scitech Plaza, Xidan Business Street, Seasons Place, etc. All of the international and luxury brands you can think of can be found there with high quality service. Cash and credit card are both accepted.
If you are interested in things that are inexpensive but are authentic Chinese goods, you can buy some souvenirs at Xiushui Street which is famous for silk products. Do remember to bargain over the price there. Beijing Antique City with more than 300 shops is another place you should go for handicrafts. Panjiayuan Antique Market is a weekend only market packed with traditional Chinese history and culture. Maliandao Tea Street with more than 100 tea shops offers all kinds of Chinese tea. For shopping at the above places paying cash is more convenient and sometimes the only acceptable way.
There is a Chinese proverb saying that “Food is what matters to the people” which represents the importance of food to Chinese people. The four main criteria used in evaluating Chinese food are color, aroma, taste and texture. In general, people in Southern and Northern China have different preferences for staple food. People in the North favor noodles while people in the south prefer rice. Regional cuisines are distinctive from one another. For example, in northern China, instant boiled mutton and roast duck are both famous food styles of Beijing, and Lu (Shandong) style is also known far and wide. In the south, Sichuan and Xiang cuisines are well known for their spicy flavor. Huiyang is famed for sweetness and freshness. Seafood and slow cooked soup are indispensable Cantonese cuisines.
Chopsticks are used at the table even to eat snacks such as peanuts. Vegetables are cooked in most cases by frying and boiling. Meat is usually cut into pieces by cooks before cooking to let it cooked thoroughly. Chinese dishes are mainly cooked food and served right away. Even drinking water is boiled before serving .
You may find it noisy when eating at a Chinese restaurant because people like chatting to each other while eating. Dining outside with others is also regarded as a social activity in China for people to talk freely to understand each other better.
In addition to traditional service for ordering food, Chinese fast food has become popular recently. What’s more, you can enjoy international cuisine in big cities of China which are all inclusive so you can get everything you think of. That’s why people always call China the paradise of gourmet.
今天是我一个中国朋友的生日，他邀请我去他家吃晚饭。我发现他的房间真的很有中 国特色，有中国的书法、画、中国结等，而且我也吃到了地道的四川菜，真辣啊。饭后，
我们一边喝茶，一般聊聊中国的购物和饮食。
在北京想去逛街吃饭的话，能去的地方可真是太多了，有国际性的，也有有中国特色
的小商店，想买什么、想吃什么都可以。随着中国经济的快速发展，北京国际性的商业购
物场所也越来越多。东方新天地商场、赛特购物中心、西单商业街、新光天地、金融街购
物中心、世贸天地、国贸商城和燕莎友谊商城。在这些地方你都可以买到你想要的国际名
牌，购物环 境好，服务也好。在这些地方买东西你可以刷卡也可以付现金。
当然，如果你想买一些既便宜而又有中国特色的东西，北京也有很多这样的地方。
秀水街，在这儿你可以买到具有旅游文化特色的外贸服装 丝绸制品 旅游纪念品，但是你
买东西的时候一定要讨价还价；北京古玩城，有三百多家商店，你可以买到很多有中国特
色的工艺品；琉璃场文化街，是一个非常有名的地方，你可以买到一些书画、笔墨纸砚等；
朝外大街，在这儿你可以慢慢挑选，不用讨价还价，是买家居的东西的很好的地方；亮马
收藏品市场，你可以在这儿买到地毯、瓷器、玉器、字画、钟表等，都很有特色；潘家园
旧货市场，是一个假日特色市场，在这儿你可以了解中国的历史文化与民族风情；马连道
茶叶街，有 100 多家茶叶店，你可以买到中国各地有名的茶叶；前门大栅栏，北京最古
老、最著名且又别具一格的 古老街市，有很多代表性的老字号店铺；瑞蚨祥，北京有名的
丝绸店，在这儿可以买到全世界最漂亮最柔软最便宜的丝绸，做唐装和旗袍；同仁堂，北
京最有名的老字号药店。在这些地方买东西，一般来说要付现金。
“住美国的房子、娶日本的太太、吃中国的菜” 概括了许多人对生活的理想 可以看出 中国菜的魅力。
关于饮食，中国有一句流传非常广的俗语
民以食为天 ””，可以看出 吃 在中国人生活
中的重要地位。中国饮食的口味主要有南北的不同， 北方地区的人爱吃吃面，在菜式上以
北京的涮羊肉和烤鸭、山东的鲁菜最为经典。南方人看吃米饭，菜式既有重辣味 的川菜、
湘菜，也有重甜鲜口味的淮扬菜、重海鲜汤品的粤菜。因此，到过中国的外国人，常常会
惊讶于中国不仅地方口味变化很大，而且食品的种类也非常不同。中国菜注重肉和蔬菜的
搭配，注重色、香、味俱全。
中国人吃什么都用筷子，即使像花生这样的小吃也都是用筷子的。在中国，蔬菜都是
做熟吃的。大多数中国人都不会想到吃未煮过的蔬菜。无论是爆炒还是在滚水里烹煮，中
国人吃的蔬菜 99% 是做熟了的。中国人习惯吃小块肉。在西方，我们喜欢大块的肉，切成
小块是我们在吃饭时才做的事情。而在中国，这个任务都是由厨师完成的。肉在下锅前就
被切成一小 块一小块的，这样能让肉更容易煮熟。一切食物都经过火。另外，与西方人不
同，中国人也喜欢吃骨头。与西方用烤箱不一样，中国的厨师用炒锅做菜时可以不停地翻
动食物。除少数例外，中国的食物永远都是热乎乎地被端上桌面的。而且，中国人喝的水
都是煮开了的。
去中国餐厅吃饭，你还会发现吃饭的环境很吵，大家一边说一边吃，非常热闹。因
为现代的中国人已把吃饭当成了重要的社交机会，人们需要在这个放松的时刻谈些轻松愉
快的话题，以增进彼此的了解。
在北京，你可以吃到中国各地的菜，具有四川特色的麻辣诱惑、火锅等；具有湖南特
色的吉祥鸟、 忆湘 江等；有名的渔公渔婆海鲜酒楼等。如果你想吃北京小吃，那你可以去
北京小吃一条街、王府井小吃一条街。如果你想吃烤鸭，你可以去全聚德，如果你想吃老
北京的刷羊肉，那你可以去东来顺。
近几年来，中国经济迅速发展，除了传统的按菜谱点菜的餐饮服务外，也出现了中国
式的快餐；不仅如此，世界各国的饮食也纷纷在中国各大都市亮相，意大利披萨、法式大
餐、日式料理、美国汉堡、德国啤酒、巴西烤肉、印度咖哩、瑞士乳酪等等，可谓应有尽
有，包罗万象，使得 吃在中国 这句话更加名副其实了。
Read & Think
- What is your impression about Chinese food and Chinese dietetic culture?
- What do you think of the Chinese proverb “Food is what matters to the people”?
