Whew. I’m on my first guided tour and I don’t like it. I feel like sheep. Baaa. Back to independent travel from now on.
My wife and I (more her than me) couldn’t handle any more Chinese food, so we went to… Kentucky Fried Chicken! It is seriously huge here, I was told it’s the largest chain restaurant in China. I really don’t quite understand why. Is fried chicken destined to be the world’s official food? The Colonel was a true visionary.
With my stomach full of grease and my mind full of the beautiful scenery of Guilin, I am hanging out in another internet cafe. Hotel internet: 60 yuan an hour, or about $8 a hour. Internet cafe: 2 yuan an hour, or 25 cents an hour (+ a lot of looking stupid and hand gestures for communication).
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Wow, $.25/hr is *very* nice. I spent some time in Taiwan a few years back and obviously the mainland is still cheaper with regard to internet access. 🙂 Have you noticed anything regarding the censorship stuff?
I rarely eat at fast food places, but you’ve seriously got to go to a McDonald’s, if you can stomach it and haven’t already, and ask for ‘extra ketchup’ with your fries. In Taiwan, from Taipei to Kenting in the South, the kids working the counter would become wideyed, agog, when I’d state that I wanted FOUR packets of ketchup.
Fun posts, keep ’em coming.
If I were you, I would stay away from any kind of bird in Asia, they all smell like Avian, ya know.
You gotta love KFC!!!
I was the same way on my first trip to Russia. After a week of Russian food, I was glad to get to a Pizza Hut for some “normal” fare. 😉
I guess the cheaper internet explains the triple post 🙂
China huh. Well I just got back from Saigon yesterday after 3 weeks of site seeing and hanging out with relative I haven’t seen since birth. The first thing I notice was the freaking heat. I thought it was hot in SC during the summer but its blazing in Saigon now. As for the internet. I know the feeling. I’m Vietnamese too but I felt like a stranger among my people. It cost me 2500 dong (or .15 cents US) an hour at the internet joint and 500 dong (or .03 cents US)a min at a hotel in Dalat. But I have to say the worst part of the trip was the flight. It was way too long but I’ll do it again in a heartbeat. But first I need to save for another 4 month then hopefully i’ll be back in Saigon by Tet.
I hope your trip in China goes well for you. As for KFC, I know the feeling. Went to a KFC in Saigon and it was ok, but i’ll stick to the street and market for the food.
in China? now?
i’m Chinese.:)
Welcome
Ack. Sorry for the triple post. I’m trying to auto-post and I guess it all messed up. Yes, I’m going to blame it on the cheap internet 🙂
I like Guilin a lot – it’s so beautiful. You should try the Guilin mi-fun (Rice noodles). They’re not thin like the rice noodles you’re probably used to.
I also dislike being herded around in a tour group.
Sorry but I heard the grub was excellent. I take it the local hard liquor will ruin your kidneys. well, make the most of it. cheers
Notice how you tend to have a choice of home country cuisine or American? I challange you to look for Italian food (not Americanized Pizza Hut – but real Italian) while in China and report back on the dining experience 🙂
Sounds like you are having a great adventure!
I remember KFC being popular when I was in China. People just don’t eat bread, burgers and cheese. I know the feeling of eating Chinese food 3 times a day, but it does grow on you after a while.
Jane Dough is on to something. I have also spent a lot of time in China and other countries, and its amazing how you can find a chinese version of our fast food, as well as a chinese version of italian, japanese, mexican, etc. How does the chinese food in China compare to what you find at most “chinese” restaurants in your home town? I think they are as different as we think Pizza Hut spaghetti or pizza differs from spaghetti and pasta you get in italy. Similar dishes, but different ingrediants, different flavors and different food value (highly processed vs fresh).
Differences in localized versions of food and most other products are so interesting, and I think it is all dependent on the intersections between economics and culture. Enjoy your time in China and stay away from “stinky tofu”!!
In the US Chinese food outside of major concentrations of Chinese population is very Americanized…. there is a difference. In Europe too it isn’t very authentic.
In Italy, the one Chinese meal I had was not very authentic, but I took my mom there because she really wanted to eat some rice after about 3 days dining Italian style.
I will say that I love the McDonald’s in Rome because they still serve deep-fried apple pies. At least they did back in ’98, after the US ones began serving baked pies. They also still had those cute little tin ashtrays with the arches logo stamped on them. My friend stuffed a clean one into her pocket because it reminded us of the McDonald’s we went to as kids before smoke-free dining was the norm. (not that I’m complaining, but the disposable ashtrays were kind of neat)