Chomping Thru China

King of Vegetables; Chinese Cabbage’s Magical Powers

Chinese cabbage, or Da Bai Cai (大白菜), may be to most people, boring and insignificant. That it is even on the table for this month’s column may ignite some serious yawning from readers. Before giving up on this humble...

Imperial Cuisine for China's Upper Classes

Since this column is dedicated to the discovery and discussion of quirky and unusual Chinese food, it makes it quite the challenge to keep looking off the beaten track, but so worth it. So far, we have had a...

The Great Debate: Noodles or Pasta; Which Came First?

Xi’an, meaning “Western Peace”; the first of China’s four great capitals and what remains the country’s noodle mecca. Known as Chang’an during the Tang Dynasty, it became the gateway for travellers of the Silk Road, whom came baring foreign...

To Ma or La; That is the Soup

Best described by Carl Hanson writing for Allrecipes, “When eating Sichuan pepper, you may feel a bit…well, odd”. This month I’m looking at possibly the only food stuff in my 30 years that I’ve eaten that has actually made...

Spring Bamboo Shoots (Stay away from the Cyanide!)

If you were anything like me, when you first arrived in China, you would never have known that one can actually eat bamboo. Scaffolding sure, furniture of course, heck even bedding why not, but as a food, it seemed...

The Trusty Lotus Root (Even Finds its Way into TCM)

There are two kinds of lotus varieties; one with pink or white flower (Chinese lotus), Nelumbo nuceifera, which is found in Asia and northern Australia; another kind with yellow flowers (American lotus), N. pentapatala, found in the Americas. The existence of lotus...

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Shanghai’s Railway Map Shifts East; Cross City to Hongqiao soon but a Memory

For years, Shanghai’s high-speed rail map has pulled passengers towards Hongqiao. That balance is beginning to change. New stations...

Shiseido Sues Aldi over a ¥24.9 Primer that Resembles Its ¥540 Rival

Shiseido has sued Aldi China, the product's manufacturer and an Aldi Shanghai store operator over unfair competition, arguing that...

Forty Tables Became Twenty; Then the Bookings Stopped

Susu has sold wedding banquets at one of the biggest hotels in her small town in northern China for...

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