China Chronicle 2 - My Culinary Encounter

When I started writing these Chronicles, thought of putting them in day wise account of happenings during my travel. But now even if I still remember each n every moment spent, it feels childish to express my entire journey, my experiences in a day wise account. 
So here onwards, I'm going to take liberty of expressing my experiences & thoughts as they occurred to me, as I felt them.
The prospect of visiting China was actually had a dark lining of my fear about real Chinese food. This thought was haunting me day & night. Someone advised me carry a bag full of Maggie and someone shared some experience about finding "Monkey Eyes" in some supposed to be vegetarian dish. So in a nutshell I was damn scared. 

When the air hostess in my flight to Shanghai from Hong Kong handed me lunch.... I realised what it's going to be there in store for me.  I had asked for  Chicken meal..... I got what I asked for but it gave me enough evidence to boost my worst of fears. I just gulped what I got and decided will have good American style dinner (like some sandwiches) once I check in the hotel, after all its a star rated hotel.

But God has planned something different for me to experience. 

Directly from airport, a supplier visit was planned. After the visit at around 7 pm I was escorted to a restaurant for dinner, offer which I couldn't deny otherwise it would have been an insult of host. 

It was nice typical chinese style restaurant from outside. Couldn't read the name though. When entered,  on ground floor there were tables laid down as usual & I  could see families engrossed in dinner. Having seen this, I was relieved for an instance. But next I was being lead to next floor and on this floor there were rooms on either side of a curved passage way. In flash of second, 1000 thoughts must have crossed my mind but I relied on my instincts. Then followed was one of the most elaborate chinese dinner.

I was lead into a small circular room alongside of that curved passage. This room had a large circular table. As we were seated, one by one exotic Chinese menu started unfolding in front of me. Starting from fried & jaggery glazed peanuts, Fried whole Okra, seaweeds, to Jelly fish, boiled prawns(with black eyes still on), Salmon on ice with Soy-Mustard sauce as a dip, then various kinds of soups & varieties of Chinese Green tea. Except for beef & pork I could eat anything n everything and I relished it but still it was not Poli Bhaji....to which I'm used to ....and who eats dinner at 7 pm??? That's my snacking time......

And that was starting of my expedition in Real Chinese Cuisine and it is not Haka Noodles or American Chopsey or Schezwan Noodles.... as we know....
Since then over next week I was being served elaborate Chinese dishes for lunches & some dinners...and there was no looking back. I went on exploring Crabs, Various Fishes, Sea Shells, and high light was baby lobster.... my first lobster....but it was just heavenly.....

While out for lunch with one supplier, I was lead into a shop looking like an Aquarium, I was confused & curious ..... why Aquarium of all the places in town or is it so special that I had to have a visit here in the middle of the day? Until, I realised that it was a FISH MARKET....just outside a fancy restaurant.... whatever I choose from live fishes to worms to snails to crabs.....that will be cooked and served to me in the restaurant. 

During all this excursion, couple of times, I was served preparations of Giant Fish Heads ( I learnt that Fish Head is a special delicacy) ....one was a Soup with fish head & Sea Shells served in a bowl size of a bucket....and other was some dry Fish Head preparation with various peppers and size of this fish head was even  bigger than earlier one.

And mind well all the food I ate was extremely healthy....everything was boiled and seasoned with low calorie sauces.... no frying, no cheese, no sugar, no dairy, no mayo... (I think there lies one of the secretes why I didn't see any beefy Chinese person)

Even in desserts I was served boiled Pumpkin, decorated Water Melons, varities of Melons & other fruits and even boiled sweet corn, boiled peanuts and even boiled Chestnut  (guess whst...it's Shingada in marathi)

Alas... all good things has to end very soon... it seems that I was destined to get to taste very best & very worst of Chinese cuisines in my first visit itself... but I don't want to detail here what was the worst... I can just say that Rice & Dry Garlic Chutney (which I carried from India) was my saviour for next week. ...
Oh, I forgot to mention, I learned to pick up a single peanut using chopsticks....

We can learn many things from Chinese folks about dining or serving... they make all their dishes extremely good looking which makes them tempting..... even a bland boiled pumpkin can look like a pudding made with extreme efforts...

Overall I my Culinary Encounter with Chinese Cuisine had oohs & aahas at the same time I said ouch also...

China Chronicle 1- How did it all started

For quite some time, I was being told by my management to visit Chinese suppliers especially heat treaters, coating suppliers & my company's China plant. But at times it turned out to be travel cost reduction or effective use of money being spent on my trip or non availability of Visa on time ....the trip got delayed for several reasons.

I too was not so willing to let it happen quickly....as there always have been some anxiety abt travelling in China at back of my mind. I was just letting it roll on its own.

Finally, I had to give in. After lot of deliberation I got my itinerary fixed just one day prior to my departure.
Meanwhile everyone was helping to raise my anxiety by sharing spoonful of advice & some culinary experiences in China they have "heard"...which included "Monkey Eyes" and that scared me most....

I don't know why, but I always feared travelling in China alone. May be because of language barrier or may be what I had read abt Chinese armed forces when I visited tibetan Monastery in McLeod Ganj last year or may be due to recent incidences on border.

Only my brother in law was da one person who at first instance told me that I would just enjoy the food.

My mother was more anxious than me. As I was travelling alone. She told me abt a cousin of mine living in Shanghai, whom I had met when we were kids. So I was supposed to call his parents and take their advice and try to talk to him. Frankly, I might not have done this, but my anxiety made me contact them and it turned out to be one of the most wise thing I did before landing in China.
Only person who stood rock solid alongside thru all this anxiety was Amod, he just kept my morals high.

So finally, here I was anxious, worried but all enthu for the roller coaster to start, with closed eyes and praying heart.