Eating in China is not an easy task to some extent. If you are going to this country for the first time, it is better to prepare in advance in order to have at least some idea of Chinese cuisine in general and the peculiarities of visiting catering establishments (inexpensive street cafes or expensive restaurants never mind).
First, you should be aware that the Chinese perceive food not just as a means of satisfying a primitive need - hunger, but as a kind of medicinal potion. The philosophy of Chinese cuisine has drawn a large tablespoon of knowledge from Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Therefore, what Europeans unknowingly perceive as banal spices and various silage has a certain meaning for the Chinese, each dried herb added to the dish has its own usefulness.
Secondly, with regard to food, there is the same division into "yin" and "yang" as in other areas, the harmony of these two principles must be observed in the menu.
Thirdly, we were able to taste and identify two varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese and Sichuan. And I suspect there are actually many more.
General characteristics of all traditional dishes in a few words: crushed, multi-component, incompatible tastes in one set, a lot of spices.
In my mind before the trip Chinese cuisine steadily associated with rice, tea, pork and the famous "Peking" duck. Of course, for the most part it is, but how much important details was lost, we realized only when we found ourselves in the land of the rising sun.
Looking ahead a little, I will say for those who will be puzzled by the search for food at a Chinese airport - you can eat not only traditional fast food there. Departing from one province to another by plane, we dined at the airport. Here is a photo of the menu for two adults:
Noodles with meat and vegetables, soup with meatballs, beverages. The bill for two is 420 rubles. The food is quite edible, of course, not a celebration of taste, but you can satisfy your hunger.
Before listing the possible food options in detail, I will make two general points:
1. If you do not know how to eat with chopsticks, buy disposable forks, you can immediately at the airport. You can talk long and at length about how easy it is to learn to eat with chopsticks, but we failed, but we wanted to eat. The forks saved us.
2. Write in your phone "yao lad" - spicy, "yao bulade" - not spicy. It's in Chinese, I don't know the characters, but that's how it sounds. And comment on your order, you will be understood. English is not known in all cafes.
Now more about where to eat and how much it costs. The abundance of restaurants and cafes is ubiquitous, but on the first day we experienced some difficulties. This, however, is not surprising, we do not know Chinese, English is practically the same (the minimum supply of spoken language). Rescued the program-translator in the phone.
The first day we ate fast food and the food that is sold from numerous stalls on the street.
In the stalls, they bought only what they could somehow identify. Prices for various delights of a kind of Chinese fast food are from 3 to 20 yuan.
Away from the busy city center, on small streets there are very small cafes, almost homemade, very colorful, the food is primitive, but very cheap and tasty. As far as I understand, they eat mainly local residents, so the cost of food is low. You can eat for two up to 30 yuan. Many offer a very varied menu of delicious seafood.
There was a funny situation in one of the cafes - soup and meat were served separately on a plate, when the husband began to drink broth from a cup - the hostess's eyes became the size of this cup) Somehow we understood from her explanation - "soup" is such a very spicy sauce in which meat is simply dipped. For the second, we ordered local dumplings, with vegetables and shrimp.
From drinks - tea. Lunch bill - 40 yuan, 28 - dumplings, 12 - "soup".
On the evening of the first day, before going to the hotel, we found a supermarket. We bought several servings of sushi to take to the hotel, we were told by a friend who often visits China for work. Sushi is put on cold shelves in vacuum packs, the cooking time is on the tag, after a certain time the system of discounts is activated, the more time they are in the window, the cheaper the price. Since we did not plan to store them, we were satisfied with this option. The amount for the purchase (there were also sweets and drinks) with a 50% discount on sushi was 100 yuan, the assortment is huge, as it turned out later - the taste is wonderful.
From the hotel we contacted our very friend, who often visits China (including Guangzhou) and asked us to orient us where it is better to go to eat. He drew our attention to some establishments. It turned out that we simply did not notice some restaurants. When there are hieroglyphs on the sign, but there is no picture, it is rather difficult to assume that when you enter an ordinary entrance and go up to the second floor, you can find an excellent restaurant there.
We visited one of these the next day. ordered rice noodles with beef, two types fried dumplings, baked buns with grilled pork, appetizers, dessert and tea.
The total bill for two is 92 yuan, we didn’t eat all the food, the magic word “tabao” (means “wrap”) and the waiter collected food for us in boxes so that we could take it with us.
If you have children with you, then you can feed them in numerous restaurants with European cuisine, which is more familiar to them. Although I observed children who enjoyed eating steamed dumplings, noodles and something else from the local cuisine.
In one of the remote provinces where the Internet did not work and we could not explain ourselves, we just had to take a photo of the food from the person at the next table and ask them to sell us the same thing.
Later we visited many more different establishments, bills may be different, you can pay $ 50 per person for lunch, or you can buy delicious pancakes 1 yuan. The main thing, summing up, I can say that almost everything was delicious, with rare exceptions, but this is simply due to the fact that food traditions and our habits are different.
Guangzhou is famous for its Cantonese cuisine. There are restaurants for every taste, there are also very exotic ones for Europeans.On Shamen Island, in the center of Guangzhou, there is a Liqin Restaurant. Even from afar you will see its attraction - a powerfula tree growing through its roof. And near the embankment, if you cross the Pearl River - the eight-story restaurant Datong -coolness from the river and wonderful views. Surrounded by the greenery of shrubs and the colors of flowers, there is a four-story Guangzhou restaurant.
V you can taste exotic shark soup, crab dishes, in general, a lot fish dishes. This is one of the most famousrestaurants. Unusual and delicious meals The North Garden restaurant is famous for poultry. For example, stewed duck legs withoyster sauce. And if you want to eat something completely unusual - you are in two large and famous in Guangzhou (and not only inGerman!) Restaurant "Wild Animals" on Beijing Street. There you will be offered dishes from bears and other wild animals, as well as fromdogs and cats, and even snakes. As for the latter, there is also a special Snake restaurant with a showcase of crawling future dishes. Canchoose your favorite. It is located in the same area. And quite exotic dishes will offer you evening Guangzhou stalls.
We will not list: look at the photos. But these stalls sell not only “delicacies” that are inedible for Europeans, but also a real treat - strawberries in caramel, strung on a stick, like a kebab. Sweet tooth! This is for you! In the northbeijing street old restaurant Taipin (World) is Guangzhou's first European restaurant. Missed Russian cuisineshopping - in the Chinese city there is also a Russian restaurant. Look for "Arbat" in a new, rapidly developing area - 天河区 byAddress: 广州市,珠江新城兴盛路17号首层G6铺俄罗斯欧洲美食餐厅（猎德地铁站D出口）. And if you don't eat meat, eat vegetarian restaurant CaigenxiangVegetarian. And all over Guangzhou there are familiar logos of McDonald's, KFC. There you will always have a snack, however, with Chinese accent.
On the (so far!) highest building in Guangzhou, on the 72nd floor, there is a cafe and a buffet. You can combine food with the sight of Guangzhou"above".
If the restaurants have, in addition to dishes on the menu and "Buffet" - for a fixed fee with unlimited access to the table - without a drop Do not hesitate to choose a buffet - you will not regret it.
The hallmark of Cantonese cuisine is pork in sweet and sour sauce. Very tasty! Wherever you see it, try it!
The cost of food in Guangzhou is low. Resting in this city, you can have a great meal and spend a rich leisure time with minimal financial investment. Even though products in China have a low cost, this does not mean that you can buy them for next to nothing. Chinese prices have much in common with ours, and in some cases can be a little higher. Let's try to figure out how much food costs in Guangzhou.
Cost of food in Guangzhou
Many people believe that prices in the south of China are very low. In fact, the cost of groceries in Guangzhou is slightly higher than in Beijing. Walking through hypermarkets and markets, it is quite easy to notice this. In restaurants and cafes, the cost of dishes is almost equal to that in the capital.
Lunch at an inexpensive cafe costs around $5. To have a delicious dinner you will need to pay $15. In this case, you can count on alcohol. This cost cannot be called high, if only because the portions in China are very large.
You can save money by buying food in the markets. Its cost may be slightly lower than in stores. Without knowing the approximate cost of products and the language, it is better to give preference to stores that set a fixed price for products.
The cost of drinks in Guangzhou
- Mineral water - $ 0.5;
- Drinking water - $ 0.3;
- Juice - $ 2.5;
- Carbonated drink - $ 2;
- Milk - $ 2;
- Drinking yogurt - $ 2;
- Beer - from $ 0.5;
- Wine - from $ 3.
In Guangzhou, there are quite a lot of inexpensive alcoholic drinks. In almost every store you can buy inexpensive wine, whiskey and beer. The quality of these products cannot be called very good, but it is not worse than what we sell for a little more.
Fruits and vegetables
- Potatoes - from $ 0.5;
- Tomatoes - $ 1.5;
- Cucumbers - $ 1.2;
- Cabbage - $ 1.5;
- Apples - from $ 1.5;
- Grapes - $ 4.5;
- Peaches - $3;
- Bananas - $2;
- Cherry - from $19.
Food prices in Guangzhou in 2017 depend on the distance of shops from the central part of the city. Food is more expensive in touristy places. The cheapest fruits and vegetables are in the markets. In supermarkets, an acceptable cost, at least a little higher than ours. The cost of fruits and vegetables often depends on the season. Imported vegetables and fruits can cost more than ours.
If we consider the cost of meat products, then their quality will play a decisive role. In China one can find very cheap chicken- about $ 2.5, but now it does not have a good taste. Quality product has a value of more than $5. The same can be said about lamb and pork.
The cheapest food in China is fast food. Its value matches ours. Although in small cafes You can have a delicious meal for under $5. If you cook on your own, you can meet $ 200 per month, and in some cases even less.
Holidays in Guangzhou can be called a budget option that will allow you to get a lot of positive impressions. There is a wide choice of products and entertainment for people with different incomes.
Guangzhou is the most famous city in China. It is the center of Guangdong province, the city is home to about 10 million inhabitants, which is about the same as in Beijing and Shanghai. Despite the popularity of the city, the prices here are affordable, as evidenced by the reviews of numerous tourists. As in other cities of the Celestial Empire, here you can have an inexpensive lunch in one of the catering establishments, which are presented in a wide range. With a little analysis, you can understand how much food costs in Guangzhou, which is especially important if you want to visit this city.
Price Analysis in Guangzhou Catering Establishments
Among tourists coming to China, there is an opinion that prices in the south of the country are lower than in other cities of the country, but this is somewhat not true. In Beijing supermarkets, they can even cost less than in Guangzhou stores, the same goes for catering establishments. However, this is all purely arbitrary, since food prices differ in different parts of the city, and if you want to eat cheaper, you will have to move away from tourist crowds. Consider the prices for food in typical establishments:
- There are many in China inexpensive cafes where the food is always of high quality and cheap. So, in one of these establishments, you can have a modest breakfast for 1-1.5 dollars, and a full meal will cost you 5 dollars here.
- The Chinese, like tourists, like to have a bite to eat at McDonald's, where a standard set of Big Macs, French fries and cola will cost about $5.
- More expensive, and this is natural, is food in restaurants where you can dine with alcohol for about $15. At first glance, the prices are not the most "democratic", but the portions in China are huge, and the quality of food deserves attention.
Particularly popular in China, and Guangzhou is no exception, are dumplings, in which you can take two deliveries with a variety of dumplings for $ 1, spices and salt in this case are given free of charge. If you do not trust your health to chefs and prefer to eat on your own, you can buy groceries in local stores, but it is even cheaper to eat by buying food in the markets, where, in addition, you can bargain. However, if you do not know Chinese, then it is better to buy groceries in stores with fixed prices. Prices here may also vary depending on the area of the city.
Grocery prices in Guangzhou supermarkets
In order to understand how much food costs in Guangzhou in 2016, it is worth visiting one of the stores of a popular supermarket chain, and it is advisable to choose just such stores. One of the most popular products in the Middle Kingdom is chicken, but its choice must be approached carefully. You may be offered chicken for $2.50, but it won't taste the same as the $5 chicken. The same applies to other types of meat. In China, vegetables are traditionally inexpensive: a kilogram of potatoes costs about $0.5, a kilogram of tomatoes and cucumbers will cost $1.5 and $1.2, respectively. Fruits are also not particularly expensive, and you will be offered to buy a kilogram of apples for $1.5, while a kilogram of peaches costs $3, and bananas are sold for $2 per kilogram. As for drinks, the bottle mineral water will cost $0.5, yogurt will cost $2, a bottle of beer will cost around $0.7, and a bottle of inexpensive wine will cost $3. The experience of Russian tourists shows that self-catering in Guangzhou will cost about $ 200 per month, and in some cases even cheaper.
Each city is divided into two parts: tourist and non-tourist. Tourism is what tourists come for. It can be objects of architecture, some cultural things, exhibitions, museums and everything else. Non-tourist - this is what is usually hidden from the eyes of an ordinary tourist who goes everywhere for a guide and listens to him. But as soon as he turns from the central slick street into the gateway, a completely different picture appears before his eyes. Walking around different cities, you can often witness how the same city can look completely different. "Every artist sees in his own way" - this is a well-known axiom, which plays an important role in this matter. Someone in the slums and ugliness sees only something terrible and annoying, while someone, on the contrary, sees something special and unusual.
In any case, I saw enough of various things in Guangzhou, walking around the sleeping and some kind of wild quarters, but I can say one thing - I felt much safer there than in Biryulyovo at the same time. Since there are a lot of photos of such places, I decided to make several posts. Happy viewing!
1. Typical backyard. The most striking thing is that he was located directly outside the gates of the temple complex, about which he wrote in the previous post .
2. Typical lanes in our understanding in Guangzhou. Everything happens in them: children play, bicycles are repaired, and, as you can see in the photo, things are dried. 
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4. Cheerful mailboxes. There are none in Russia. Because, as the Russian Post wrote, "The letter should be long-awaited." In front of the entryway. 
5. Curly once wrote about wires. The situation here is terrible with them - it’s completely unclear to understand where which cable goes sometimes without 100 grams. Another thing that surprised me is that the transformers are open right on the street. 
6. Typical local lane, but very cozy. In general, I noticed that the Chinese do not care at all about how something looks around them. They can both eat and sleep, as well as relieve themselves directly in almost the same place. Correct me if I'm wrong. 
7. One of the Guangzhou markets. I didn’t see any difference with ours, except that the currency is not rubles, but yuan, and everything is written in hieroglyphs. The only thing that is different is the larger range of different fruits and vegetables that you can't find in Russia or you can find, but at insanely high prices. 
8. Asians, and in particular the Chinese, are among the most gambling in the world. The number of such tables with games is simply amazing. In Russia, something similar happened in the 90s, but with confidants. Here it is a common thing. I immediately remembered a scene from the movie "Urgent Delivery". 
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10. This altar of glory was spotted on a busy street in Guangzhou. Everyone gathered here: Vladimir Ilyich, and Iosif Vissarionovich, and Mao Zedong, and Karl Marx. Who is on the left in the shadows, I did not understand ... It is strange that there is no Kim Il Sung. 
11. I understand that I may already be tired of the same yards, but for some reason it seems to me that for all their ugliness, there is something in them .. 
12. And this, what do you think? This is the making of a B-52 cane juice cocktail. Production is simply outrageous: a reed stalk is taken, put into such a meat grinder, and at the output we get awesome juice dark greenish hue. It tastes very sweet despite the fact that nothing but cane was used! Recommend for review. 
13. And this is behind the counter. The picture is depressing to say the least... 
14. Street food in Guangzhou is something incredible. These are not whites with pasties on the square of three stations. For all the ugliness and unsanitary conditions, food in such places is in great demand. When kitchens are often organized directly on the street, there is a cafe with tables. People come after a hard day's work to taste meatballs or something else. I never tried Chinese street food, but I really wanted to. I also noticed that there are a lot of McDucks in Guangzhou. If I didn’t know that the country of origin of the McDuck is the United States, I would have thought that China. There's a lot of it there. 
15. Both the kitchen and the cafe rolled into one. Everything looks very appetizing. 
16. Cooking. View from above. 
17. Do Moscow homeless spoil the view of the city and disgrace the capital? Welcome to Guangzhou! It is at the crossroads with one of the busiest and most touristic streets - Beijing Street. 
For Guangzhou, it is quite an ordinary picture. Especially in poorer neighborhoods.
18. I was quite used to such pictures on the third day of my stay. 
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20. The contrasts are striking: on the one hand, a pile of garbage, on the other - expensive cars worth more than one thousand dollars. This is all of China. 
21. In such places, packages are collected and sent to all ends. 
22. This, as it may seem, is an organized area with tents, chairs and various eateries, but this is only at first glance. In fact, this is an ordinary piece of a pedestrian street. And after 18:00 - it becomes a kind of square with cafes and other entertainment, where the working Chinese people rest after a hard day's work. Tables, chairs and a kind of barbecue are brought in literally in seconds and the street turns into a spontaneous square. It's interesting to watch all this from the outside. Already half an hour or an hour after the opening, there are so many people that it is difficult to walk between tables and chairs, since they are placed in a chaotic manner. 
23. Some meat is being prepared. Right on the open fire. Haven't seen this anywhere. 
24. Someone eats in the square, and someone sits serenely in an armchair in the alley. 
25. Some more local contrasts. 
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27. Approximately all the cafes in Guangzhou, more precisely in the sleeping quarters, look like this. It is not customary to eat at home here. That's why people spill out and eat outside after work. We lived in a hotel where you can live. There is a large refrigerator, microwave, but there is no conventional stove. Electric or gas. They said that eating on the street in such a cafe is cheaper than cooking at home. 
28. Evening haircut on the streets of Guangzhou. This is quite normal here. 
29. Local gopota. As I already wrote - in such places I felt more secure than at the same time in Moscow. 
30. And again cooking, and again on the street. 
I liked non-touristic Guangzhou. This is a kind of place. In Russia, everything is somehow different than here. Huge skyscrapers coexist with slums, where life flows from day to day, unlike anything else. In the near future I will make several more similar posts about the non-tourist side of the city in southern China.
