Eating Out

Eating out in China is really interesting.   The first time we ate in a restaurant was in Beijing.  We sat down and the waitress brought a menu.  Not 2 menus, just one.  I kept waiting for her to bring another because it was taking too long for Bill to decide.  Since we could only order by the pictures of the food inside, we really needed two.   Finally, I got up and grabbed another one.   We lucked out this time and got a really good meal.     Later, after dinner,  I 

was reading a book I bought in the airport about 101 things a foreigner needs to know to understand the Chinese.  It clearly stated that only one menu is given per table no matter how many people are seated.  It is expected that the main person will order for everyone!

The last couple of times we've eaten out, I would go to pay the bill according to the check, and the server would tell me I was off by 2 yuan.  I kept checking the bill and could not figure it out.  However, since a yuan is only .16 it really wasn't a big deal.   Finally, it dawned on me.  In these restaurants the dinnerware is sealed in plastic wrap and includes a glass, bowl, saucer, spoon and tea cup.   When your meal arrives you usually have a bowl of rice or noodles and you both serve yourself from the entree.  Therefore, you really don't have to use the other stuff. If you open those, like we do to use the glass for water or the saucer as a plate, they charge you 1 yuan each.    Rather strange but common.  By the way, Bill and I had dinner tonite for $6 total which included 2 sodas, 2 entrees, rice, and dinnerware.    Lunch today was $2.50 for the same.    It is definitely cheaper here.

So far, we have found about a half dozen places I am comfortable eating at.    I have also ordered at least a half dozen dishes that made me want to gag.  So it's a hit or miss thing but eventually you get the hang of it.  The school gave the teachers Chinese menus with food written in Chinese as well as English.   The servers get a kick out of it when we pull these out and point to order.  It is a lot safer this way for sure.      Well, this is just one of the many eating out chapters.  There are many other to share as well, but too many to cover in one night.