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Chinese breakfasts are almost beyond the imagination

asia.nikkei.com

11–20 of 22 posts

Re: Chinese breakfasts are almost beyond the imagination

#12
post #6

The article mainly focuses on the south-eastern cities near the coast. There are many more choices in the western and northern China. And nowadays, you can find all of them in big cities like Beijing or Shanghai.

I wonder why the author stayed out of the northwest, and a nice article about happy things in China was written [0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_internment_camps

Re: Chinese breakfasts are almost beyond the imagination

#13

I have never been to China, but I have always wanted to. Is it safe for a white guy?

I’ve spent a cumulative 6 months there (3 separate trips) including 3 months with a 1 and 3yo, and never was there a point where I felt unsafe. I am a tall white guy and stand out. Met lots of curious, friendly, amused locals that wanted to take pictures with me, especially if they were from the less globalized regions. There is a strong police/security presence everywhere. Even my apartment block had its own 8 person security team.

Re: Chinese breakfasts are almost beyond the imagination

#14

I have never been to China, but I have always wanted to. Is it safe for a white guy?

Quite safe. My wife (who is Chinese, I am white) actually becomes annoyed because everyone treats me so well. I never once felt unsafe in China, though I suppose there are parts that you may feel unsafe.

Re: Chinese breakfasts are almost beyond the imagination

#15
post #9

In Beijing 2019, I had this crazy fish soup that looked like porridge but salty and savoury, with a long fried dough, like a donut but no sugar and shaped like a stick. Really fatty. The drink was warm soy milk. The whole thing was very satisfying. 100% recommend.

Half-Cambodian. We have the same breakfast. We called it Bar Bar. The Chinese call it Congee. Other Asian countries have their own variants. I think even the Greeks have their own savory rice-porridge recipe (Avgolemeno). It is good for literally any time of the day/year. Especially good for colds.

In South India, we call it kanjee and I hated it.

Re: Chinese breakfasts are almost beyond the imagination

#17
Amazing breakfast options are something I miss about Asia in general. Relatively light, and doesn't give you the itis. Any recommendations of breakfast fare from other regions? I'm always on the lookout for good breakfast food, even though I rarely wake up for breakfast time, which meant missing out when I travel. North American breakfast I prefer for brunch, it doesn't "feel" like breakfast food, maybe that's why there's so many all day breakfast joints. I'm also impressed by how far western continental breakfast spread around the world via hotels. I wish there was more AYCE global breakfast options out there.

Re: Chinese breakfasts are almost beyond the imagination

#18
post #17

Amazing breakfast options are something I miss about Asia in general. Relatively light, and doesn't give you the itis. Any recommendations of breakfast fare from other regions? I'm always on the lookout for good breakfast food, even though I rarely wake up for breakfast time, which meant missing out when I travel. North American breakfast I prefer for brunch, it doesn't "feel" like breakfast food, maybe that's why th…

I usually go for french style of breakfast during weekdays - coffee, cigarette and a croissant - but one of my favorite more "oppulent" breakfast options for days off is Shakshuka/Menemen. It is a pretty spicy pan of tomato sauce, onions, bell pepper, lots of garlic and eggs. Very simple to make, but definetely great to start a day.

The north-german Mettbrötchen is what I go for if I have physical work in front of me. It is raw ground pork on white bread with salt, pepper, and raw white onions... Weird acquired taste and you need to be sure about your meat supplier, but it gets to you.

A few years ago I bought an electric grill that can be turned into a crêpe maker (?). It basically functions like an 70cm diameter pan that heats very evenly. Crêpe are usually sweet (kids absolutely go nuts over them), but there's also a salty variant called Galette. A Galette with sour cream and shives is quite light yet absolutely delicious.

Re: Chinese breakfasts are almost beyond the imagination

#20

In Beijing 2019, I had this crazy fish soup that looked like porridge but salty and savoury, with a long fried dough, like a donut but no sugar and shaped like a stick. Really fatty. The drink was warm soy milk. The whole thing was very satisfying. 100% recommend.

I used to go down to our local Chinatown for this exact meal as a midnight snack. Congee with salty donut, and some soy milk.
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