I'm Not Having A Good Time

Well actually I'm having a pretty good time in Qingdao.

But for me trips to China in the past have always meant food. Cantonese Dim Sum, Szechuan Fish, Hot Pot and dumplings by the dozen. I love Chinese food! The more authentic the better. If it has four or more legs and isn't a table, or has wings (and isn't an airplane) I have probably eaten it in China.

Although I've never had shark. I often see whole sharks on display in China and have never tried it. But I digress.

Chinese cuisine is fantastic. And while I would never begrudge Korean food, just the shear geographic size of China and fairly high mobility of its population means an incredibly large number of diverse tastes, dishes and cooking styles can be found anywhere and everywhere in China's cities.

Just today I saw a Cantonese Dim Sum stall next to a pair of Uigars (China's Islamic minority) selling flat breads (the smell was near orgasmic) both outside a McDonalds. (OK so McD's isn't Chinese, but at least you can get a Filet-o-Fish in China!)

I actually haven't talked about it here, (have a look at my Facebook) but over the last eight months I have lost a lot of weight. (Seriously a lot). And as a result I have to be very careful and watch what I eat, and more specifically how much I eat. These days I couldn't get through a shark fin let alone a whole shark. And 2 or 3 deep fried scorpions and I'm done.

Hence some of the fun has gone out of visiting China. And why I regret having that Filet-o-fish for lunch!