So...I'm in China...

[Klinglerware]

on business, and I am pleased (but a little disappointed) to report that the FOFC has not pissed off the powers that be, enough to have the site blocked. I'm accessing it fine from here. The "Ivy League Sports Board" for some reason did not meet as lucky a fate...

Being away is pretty cool, and you get a very different perspective on what is going on in the world (i.e., I didn't hear the name Katie Holmes once while I was here). Anyway, the decision not to get the hep shots is really grounding some of my culinary adventurousness, but it is probably for the best. I would be interested to hear if anybody here has been to Guangzhou and can recommend any good restaurants...

[Daimyo]

I've been to China three times and always love it, but I've never been Guangzhou. If the trip takes you to Beijing you have to try Beijing Duck...

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by Daimyo

I've been to China three times and always love it, but I've never been Guangzhou. If the trip takes you to Beijing you have to try Beijing Duck...

Beijing Duck is very good (that's the place with the yellow duck outside right?).

[HomerJSimpson]

Originally Posted by Klinglerware

(i.e., I didn't hear the name Katie Holmes once while I was here).

Godless communists.

[sterlingice]

Not on the top of my list of places to visit (that would be Russia, go figure) but it would be an interesting cultural experience. Got any stories to share with us from your time there?

SI

[Runtheball]

Had my first trip to China last fall. Absolutely loved the country and the people! Food was great everywhere we went...surprisingly so. I was in Guangzhou only one night and can't recall exactly where we ate.

[Klinglerware]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Not on the top of my list of places to visit (that would be Russia, go figure) but it would be an interesting cultural experience. Got any stories to share with us from your time there?

SI

I'm still in Hong Kong at the moment, so I haven't gotten a chance to digest the experience (that's what the 20 hour trip back to the US is for). I've travelled quite a bit globally, but this China trip was a pretty eye-opening expereience for me. I had a few preconceived notions about China that were really blown out of the water. First of all, I expected people to be packed in like sardines, but that was not case--China is a vast country with more arable land than the US: picture the population density of the Northeast (US) Corridor and expand that population density to half the US, that's why China can hold 1.5 billion people without looking ridiculously crowded. Also, I didn't see a single person on a bike in Guangzhou. I did see quite a few luxury car dealerships; a testament to the rapid economic growth going on.

I'm also taken aback by how little policing there actually is in China. Don't take me wrong, the Chinese authorities do try to control the flow of information and penalties are severe if you break the law, but there is actually very little they can do to interfere with the everyday lives of people: foreign TV channels are available in the affluent coastal regions, and Chinese people can travel to places that are freer (Hong Kong, universities in the US/Europe, etc), so it's pointless to control things too tightly. The authorities won't bother you if you don't stick out, they can't really police 1.5 billion people very tightly. It's interesting that you mention Russia: I went the year after the fall of the Soviet Union, and we were still escorted everywhere by the police. No such obvious presence when I was in China...

The food was interesting to say the least. I said earlier that I was going to be careful, but when your client takes you out to lunch--you better eat what they serve. Lots of interesting stuff: goose, frogs, chicken feet. I've also heard that gator and various dishes of the insect or reptile variety were also available (but I elected not to sample the stuff). I don't think you can get American-style Chinese food in China, but Western food is available if you have a hankering (at least in major cities)...

[sterlingice]

I had some gator in Louisiana and it wasn't all that strange. You should be ok, as long as you're good with different types of food. Tho, there's always something to be said for preparation- I had it in gumbo and etouffee and a couple of other dishes where it wasn't all that different from a white fish.

SI