Food Encounters in Asia

It's been awhile since my last post!  I have been traveling a bunch and am now suffering from major jetlag, as I have started to compose this post at 4:41am.  I just returned from a trip to China and Taiwan.  Some amazing sights and sounds on that other side of the world.  The food, as with my other Asia trips, was an amazing experience.

A few food findings on my voyage through China and Taiwan:

1) Asian portions are much smaller than American portions.  In Hong Kong, we went to a restaurant called Dan Ryan (named and served after my beloved Chicago).  On the menu, there was a citing that said, "Warning! We serve American portions here!"  Hilarious!  Lo and behold, when that hamburger came out, it was rightfully portioned for the typical American.  It looked like a pound and a half of meat.  However, even with the restaurant's conscious decision of serving American sizes, the fries and slaw were only half of typical portions seen at American burger joints.  Conclusion?  If you are a picky American eater, that is mainly stick to the familiar like meat and potatoes ("new" is not in your gastronomical vocabulary), and want to lose some weight, try taking a trip to China.  Few familiar choices will be just what you need to melt off a few pounds!  And, for those who eat for adventure or love Chinese food, welcome to yummy galore!

2) Not a whole lot of meat.  Meat is somewhat sparse, except in all the amazing dumplings I consumed, which in that case was complemented by the pan-fried or steamed dough, oh, I am drooling right now.  Perhaps meat is still a delicacy given all the mouths to feed in China and Taiwan, leaving hunger to be curbed by noodles, dough and rice.  I find that particularly in Shanghai, rice must be asked for and is even sometimes forgotten by servers even though we ordered it.  One huge added benefit to eating in Asia is that people actually order vegetables (not lettuce), like a whole plate of stir-fried vegetables.  However, I have been to Asia with vegetarians and it is not easy to find them food.  Although vegetables are available and more abundant than in the US, most dishes of substance contain meat or fish/seafood (tofu is not seen as a meat substitute, and was never intended to in Chinese cooking!).

3) Self-control is absolutely necessary in Taiwan bakeries.  We were hungry when we first arrived, and started to walk through one of the suburbs in Taiwan foraging for food.  We came across a bakery called How Sweet.  We nearly bought every item in that place.  Certainly, I cannot vouch for the oil and dairy that they use in their baked goods there (I am a bit skeptical on their ingredients, actually), but boy, baked doughy, buttery bread with pork shreds on top took the cake home for me.  I am still a solid believer in healthy eating, but boy, God has given some people talent in making bakery deliciousness that melts in your mouth.  Not for the everyday, or even weekly consumption, but every once in awhile, especially if Taiwan is on your itinerary, save your calories for those Taiwan bakeries!

Don't have access to my travel photos on this computer, when I do get access, I will post a few pictures.