Hey, This Does Not Look Like Chinese Food!!

There is a lot of talk about food, what to bring in terms of snacks, etc. I can say that we never had problems with the food in China. Yes, there were things that we did not want to eat, but you find that everywhere. Almost every group meal was a buffet type setting where we could pick and choose. Many times you could visit your meal before you sat down!

The hotel food was always good. A friend took pictures of a more "exotic" buffet, something that would scare most people! That is octopus in the background!

Many of our meals were like this, a "spinning" circle with all sorts of yummy dishes. There was always rice, a good filler for anyone.

A little more of the exotic buffet. Can you guess what this is!?!?

This is another one of my favorite photos. It was very Griswald of me to take it, but I could not believe this was a "salad"! The Great Wall of Cucumbers! We found a Pizza Hut in Guangzhou, and there was a great salad bar. You paid per trip so people really got their monies worth! I would encourage you to eat here one night. It was great and the cab ride was cheap (two dollars).

We did not bring a suitcase full of snacks, and we were never hungry! We did bring a few things, and I would suggest something along these lines. There is a good chance that you will catch an early morning flight to your baby's province, Guangzhou, and the day that you fly home. I'm a breakfast person, and we did not have time to eat at the hotel before the bus pulled away. I had Oatmeal on the Go containers, and they were great. Not only did I like them, but Anna enjoyed them as well. You can tell an adult that breakfast will be served on the plane, but a baby could care less! They want to eat NOW!

I brought a couple Cup O' Noodles, and we ate them when we were too tired to go out. This was our first meal in Beijing!

We had cheese filled crackers that were great snacks for the mid-morning and mid-afternoon. After we got Anna, I mostly ate Cheerios and Rice Puffs. I have developed quite a taste for Gerber Banana Rice Puffs!

There are little vendors all over that sell ice cream bars. I had an excellent chococlate and almond dipped vanilla ice cream bar at the Summer Palace. Yum. It was so hot and it tasted sooo good.

There is coffee in the mornings at the hotel breakfast buffet. I was told to bring coffee on one of the lists, and I'm glad we did not.

Yes, soda does not taste the same in China. I loooove Diet Coke, and it's different in China. Oh well. I had the child I'd been dreaming about for years. I could handle it. Sprite was served at our buffets and it tasted great. Water was everywhere and as we all know, it's the best thing for you! :)

The breakfast buffets in the hotels were great. Plenty of everything you could ever want: fruit, cereal, juice,eggs, pastries, etc. I was plesantly surprised.

We ordered room service a few times and it was typical of what you would get in the US. It was good, but a little cold. We were able to get things that we "missed"; a turkey sandwich and a hamburger.

We often had dinner in the hotel. Sometimes it's easier to stick "close to home" when you have a baby. The food was fine, and in Nanning, I developed quite a craving for what they call a hamburger. In the US, it would be called Black Pepper With Some Ground Beef. Speaking of black pepper, don't forget your Pepto!

In Guangzhou, there is a place called Danny's Bagels that serves "American" food. They deliver, to your hotel room, pizza, hogies, spaghetti, soups, etc. It tasted great, and it was nice to not go out for every meal. We ordered the potato soup for Anna, and she loved it!

Food- wise for baby, we brought little. If I had to do it again, I would add rice cereal with formula to our list. A friend let us borrow some, and Anna loved it. She gave it to us because her daughter would not eat it. So it's really a guessing game until you actually get your baby. We brought Bitter Bisquits because my boys loved them. Anna would not touch them so we let them in China. The Cheerios and Rice Puffs are a must. Think about what you want to feed them on the plane ride home. Oatmeal would be a great option. Add some hot water and you have a great meal.

So relax and enjoy the dining in China! Bring your camera because you never know what you may see!