So my work situation is fairly nice. We are paid quite well, given free dorm-style apartments, and a meal card that covers meals Monday to Friday. Since it does not cover meals on the weekends, it forces me to explore the city and find places to eat.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I can be somewhat picky about the types of foods that I eat. At home, I eat mostly raw foods, so very minimal meat, especially pork (I don't like the taste of most pork, except bacon. Bacon is in its own category, lol!). In addition to these limitations, guess what my least favorite cuisine is? Yup, you guessed it...CHINESE FOOD.
I am Simone, and I have chosen to live in China for 15 months, despite not liking Chinese food.
Ok now that little tid bit is out of the way, you all can imagine my food struggles in China. It was very bad initially because I knew no restaurants, was not very familiar with the metro system, and struggled to take taxis because they rarely spoke or understood any English. Luckily, my boss has traveled abroad and experienced the same thing. She always invited me out for meals and showed me a few places in the village that were affordable and tasty.
Over the course of a month, I found that I liked to keep it cheap and simple on the weekends; noodle shop or rice shop. I liked the noodle shop because it served huge bowls of noodles for 7 RMB (slightly more than $1). I liked the rice shop because it was close, filling, and had veggies that came with it for only 10 RMB (~$1.75). Following the Dragon Boat Festival, I was much less inclined to go out looking for new places to eat, and became a regular at either of these places. It was at the rice shop where I became a regular. While small, I can usually enjoy my food without "much" trouble.
I like to describe this place as being a real life "Diner Dash" experience. When I initially went there alone, it was quite interesting. The menus were falling apart and had no pictures or English. My sure fire method became "the look and point" method; you find the 1st or last thing on the menu, point to it, and hope that it's edible. By my 4th week I found a rice bowl that was mostly veggies. It became my go to each week.
Now, as I have described many times before, many people stare at me. It's a constant thing, and I tell myself that they are mostly curious, and attempt to ignore it. This always happened to me by the cooks. I get my food. I look up. I smile and wave. They keep staring. I go about my business.
I found some comfort in my routine, but I noticed small changes with my food each time. I always ordered the same thing, but my food was slightly different. I figured out that the cook was watching me eat. He noticed if I liked something, and the next time I ordered it, there would be more of it in my bowl. After a month or so, my bowls were meatless and filled with egg, green beans, and jalapeños! It was exactly what I wanted, despite being unable to tell them.
I also noticed that small improvements were made throughout the restaurant. One week all the menus were replaced. The next, the AC units were being used. The week after, the cook had a hair cut and a new uniform. The next, the was a fridge full of cold cokes and sprites. Heaven on earth I tell you!
While these little things may seem like nothing, I found them to be so encouraging. I struggle a lot with being foreign in the village. There's always a lot of pointing and laughing and shock. Its very often not fun, but I can say that people always pay attention to me. Though it takes a while for me to get things done here, persistence pays off. Despite not actually "doing" all that much, not giving in to the temptation of staying locked inside allowed me to find foods that I enjoyed. I will take any progress because it means that I am at least moving forward!
