Friday, December 7, 2012

Need the 411 on Eating in China

Because goodness you guys.
Food is my love language. 

I know I'm supposed to have one like
Words of Affirmation
Acts of Service
or Quality Time
but can I just submit to you today that I think there should be a 6th language and that is
Food. 

Ahhhhhhh.
Food.

It speaks to me.
It sings to me.
It. Is. Happiness.

So last time, China Trip circa 2011, we stayed on the island and I have a pretty good grasp of what the options are over there but this time I'll be staying off the island.

And though we all remember what happened last time we were in China and went off the island 

~shudders~

this will be different. 

I don't know where we are staying.
Hey Lori! Where are we staying?
Don't ya just love communicating with your friends on a public blog? 
Don't mind us as we have a whole conversation over here. 
I'll tell you if we are about to launch into a discussion on periods or bras or something so you can look away 
or join in for that matter.....
whatevs. 
But I digress.

So what's the what what on eating over there?
Tell me all about it.
What's this mexican place I keep hearing about?
Because really, if I can go to China AND get a chimichanga
whoa baby
I may just stay there.
Italian & Pizza place?
Where else should we go?
Tell me.
Tell me everything!

Just please
I buh-eg of you
don't use words like,
"Go north on X road and then go south-south east slightly and after turning east west you will run right into it."
Dude.
No.
I don't understand words like north, south, east or west.
Homegirl has no sense of direction.
It's why I married a pilot.
So that I don't have to worry about such things.

Problem is though, fly boy and his off da hook navigational skills aren't coming with me so I need words like turn left, turn right,
that I can {perhaps} understand.

Can't wait to hear whatchoo have to say!



14 comments:

  1. hi, sonia! i don't have any food recommendations for china, but i was wondering if china is known to ever waive any of their requirements for a family wanting to adopt a waiting child? thank you for your blog! blessings, joy

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    1. Hey there Joy! They sure do! If you'd like to email me at mommyof4jays@msn.com I can fill you in! Be blessed!

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  2. I am pretty sure we will be staying at The Garden. So excited!

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    1. Hey! We are here at the garden right now!!! It's beautiful! We LOVED the breakfast buffet. Very good and also very American. Because we loved it so much, we went back for lunch. The only problem is that its Sunday and we weren't thinking. Lunch was $82 per person!!! Yikes. So only breakfast from now on! Lesson learned... And of course they don't tell you this before you sit down;) I'll be posting pics on my blog later.
      Blessings,
      Rebecca
      Www.loveisonthemove-hope.blogspot.com

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  3. We were in China last month. We stayed at the China Hotel (a Marriott). If you stay there, there is a Starbucks IN THE HOTEL... a McDonalds next door... a 7-11 next door in the opposite direction (for those chocolate/pringles fixes)... and 4-5 pretty good restaurants in the hotel (though a few of them are very HIGH in prices). Our guides took us to a very good Chinese restaurant with in walking distance as well. We did venture out and go for the Mexican food one night. It is called Takila's. It was pretty darn good!!! You don't get FREE chips and salsa, but you can get them... and everyone was happy with all that was ordered (the restaurant touts that is is AUTHENTIC...and maybe it is as close as you'll get in China...they used gouda cheese alot :) and i would call it Mexinese or Chinexican...lol). I don't know how to tell you where it is. We just gave the name of the restuarant to the guides/concierge and they found the address, wrote it down and we gave that to the cab drivers. Ofcourse, there are subways and pizza huts (OH my WORD, i think it was the BEST pizza I've had in years!!) pappa johns, and KFC (I don't recommend!). If I think of anything else, i'll let ya know!
    Gerri

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  4. OK--not our last China trip but the one in Aug 2010, we stayed at the China Hotel and took the metro to a restaurant called Gail's Place. They bill themselves as the best American and Mexican in China. I don't know--it was pretty good. Website: gailsplace2000.com. Also there's a FABULOUS Arabic place called 1001 Nights just down the street from the China hotel. Go out the front door, turn right and walk to the street. Turn right on the street. It's on that same side of the street not very far down.

    This last trip March 2012 we stayed at the Garden and there's a Mexican (and all other kinds) restaurant within walking distance. It was pretty good, but pricey for China. There's also a good Italian place near the Garden. You can find all the restaurants by just walking (not very far) around the hotel grounds.

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  5. Just returned from the Garden in August. Loved it!! Tekila is the mexican place. I loved it. Some people not so much, but I love, love, love mexican food and thought this was good, especially being in China. The Italian place OOgies or something like that. Best vegie pizza I have ever had. I am not a vegetarian but i could be if I could have this pizza everyday. There is an Irish pub in walking distance. This was good too, Fish and chips was good and alot of food. Everyone seemed happy with their selection. There is also McDonalds, Subway and Pizza Hut right there. I think there was a Starbuck right on the side street. ALso a couple of 7-11's right there to stock up on cokes and snacks. The area was great. It was just me and our new 4 year old daughter and I was good walking around just the 2 of us. Have fin, you will love the Garden.

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  6. oh-- tekila's--- it was a mexican oasis in a sea of bad chinese food and McDs... i do rec. staying at the garden-- it's closer to LOTS more eating places- there's supposed to be a killer irish pub right behind it i think?

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  7. Sorry never been to China...only Ethiopia :). But you did totally yank my chain, because I was like- WHOA WAIT A MINUTE....then I went back a post to see that you get to go with your friend! :) HAVE FUN!!!!!

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  8. I will hopefully be at The Garden at the end of January! If you see a very tired mamma holding a very beautiful 18 month old girl who has a nevus on her face, that will be me. If I am looking like a hot mess, please feel free to pat me on the back and tell me that it will get so much better once we are home! (If that's not true, you can lie to me. It's okay.)
    OH... and I will be coming back to this post, so I can see where I should eat/not eat. Thanks!!!!

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  9. Tekila's was okay. Since I had my 10 and 6 year olds with me they wanted McD's EVERY SINGLE NIGHT!! I compromised with them and after eating I would get them a Oreo Blizzard each night..10 RMB! I really liked the Italian restaurant on the 4th floor by the Garden. If you go out the front door of the Garden you will walk to the street and then turn left. Go across the street and continue straight down the street a ways. There will be a couple of girls standing by the door with the sign for it and they will catch the elevator for you. We ate off the menu the night we were there, but they did have a buffet. My girls had pasta and I had fried rice! As for Pizza Hut..I was NOT impressed. Way over priced and not good. It is above the McD's. I didn't know about the "back" door of the Garden for a few days. When you get off the elevators you take an immediate left and go by the high dollar shops in the Garden and past the Fly Thai shop. Then once you go out the back door take a right and go to the gate and turn left. At the street there is a place you can cross the street. Take a left once you are on the other side of the street and you will see McD's about a 1/2 of block down. On the other side of McD's is the 7-11..they are both down a set of stairs. If you continue down the street you will see a Watson's which is kind of a WalGreen's and if you continue on down the street and cross another busy street you will see Tekila's. There was several small Asian places to eat along the way and if you turn right down a couple of the smaller streets there is Muslum food that I heard was good. I would fill up on the buffet in the mornings and then just have a snack in the evenings or fried rice. Wish I had other adults along so I didn't have to eat at McD's all the time!! It was about 55 RMB to take a taxi to the Cow and Bridge or Lucy's on the Island. I was also told that the restaurant on the 5th floor of Jusco was very good. There is a Dunkin Donuts up there too!! Jusco is straight down the street from the Italian place...but four stories of shopping..no bargaining.

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  10. We ate at the Pizza Hut and liked it...McD's is very busy. The breakfast buffet rivals the White Swan's (just no pizza) We ate noodles in the room quite often.

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  11. OK so totally not food in China related... but I always joke hat coffee is my love language so I totally think food is a legit love language as is coffee

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  12. WE went back to island as often as we could and ate at Lucys- we had the skewers of beef, pork and chicken (I just accidently typed children in place of chicken- aaahhhhhh) with friend rice and a beer! It ws good and made us happy!! The breakfasts are good whereever you are- eat up!!

    In country we had our guide write up the foods we liked then we showed it to our waitress- such as beef and broccoli, sweet and sour chicken - no bone, watermelon and sprite- we ate this often! Have a stash of chocolate and munchies in the suitcase!!

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