Food in Guiyang

Natalie and I have enjoyed all the food we've had in China. The food at the school is wonderful and we've also sampled food in a couple of restaurants. I love to cook and so does the rest of my family, so I have been keeping notes on what we've been eating. I recognize some of the vegetables and meats, but not all. Many of the words are lost in translation from Chinese to English.

Yesterday Candace, one of the teachers of English at the school took us to dinner. We would have never found the fourth floor walk-up restaurant in the middle of a shopping mall without her. We had a difficult time finding a parking spot. Candace drove up to a parking garage and explained to the attendant that the two people with her were hungry. The attendant moved some cones on the sidewalk and that's where we parked. After we left Candace said the attendant thought we were "beautiful British" women, so she helped us out. We got a good laugh out of that one!

For dinner we had do-it-yourself spring rolls with special vegetables and roots only found in Guizhou Province. Instead of the rice wrap that I usually associate with spring rolls, we had a spongy, thin pancake. We also had an interesting sweet green bean and peanut soup. That's not all! Candace also ordered three types of grilled meat on skewers, sour noodles and of course, rice. I loved the sour noodles best of all. Thanks to Candace for doing all of the ordering.

Travel tip: Always carry tissues and hand sanitizer. Public places, including schools, do not provide either in the restrooms. Napkins are not available at tables.

Lizzy

Some assembly required spring rolls. Here are all the ingredients.

Natalie (left) and Lizzy (right) making our own spring rolls.

Today for lunch we enjoyed a sweet squash soup, rice, and a bowl of many different foods. All of it is prepared at the school for more than 1,000 people. For all meals, including breakfast, a giant bucket of red chili paste is available to be served with a ladle. People in Guizhou Province like very spicy foods.

Tuesday school lunch