Chinese food is wonderful. I have enjoyed it home in Australia - in restaurants and my own style created in my own kitchen. But eating Chinese food in China is an extra ordinary experience. I have lived on Chinese food for four months in China. We have dined in restaurants known for their food - with the experience somewhat soured by the lack of cleanliness. We have dined in top restaurants that make one start dreaming that this is the lifestyle that we wish to be accustomed too, it's just that we need to be blessed by the gods and somehow win millions of dollars. The experiences has been wonderful.

College food - the college canteens feed 8,000 students and teachers each day. It is basic, interesting, and different. Some canteens have different "concessions" so the variety of food is great, but it gets a little boring even so. One canteen is a little more upmarket, and a little more expensive. We eat at the canteens most days.

Street Stalls - are everywhere. Little barrows with all sorts of foods , cooked to go, pop up on every street corner, every alley way. Some of the food looks good - plenty of fresh fruit, and vegetables. Food hygiene? Mmmm. Not much.I avoidpurchasing at these places. However, I do buy pineapple - fresh, peeled in an extra ordinary way and on a skewer. Beautiful. Other fruits on a stick covered in toffee (fabulous!). Stinky tofu (the local delicacy) - the smell is so off putting I've never tried it. In Shanghai they sell, at night, slices of a wonderful fruit cake. Massive cakes are on the back of bicycles in the streets, and you purchase slices of it.

Fast food - yes, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut and others are scattered around China and are popular, especially with young people. Most fast food though is Chinese and in little stalls all over the place. The number of food outlets is amazing - but then the Chinese eat out nearly all the time. I know people who live in their own apartment but never cook. Even breakfast. They go out - to a street stall, or a little corner food place.

Restaurants - plenty of Chinese of course, but Turkish, Indian, French, Irish, and so on. Variety is the spice of life here. Most Chinese restaurants have their specialty. Maybe seafood, or a regional food. Many have banquets - where all variety of food comes.

Upmarket Banquets - perhaps the best ones are at top class hotels. This is where we like to be. Especially as the guest of someone! We have attended many amazing banquets. The photo is of one we attended on Saturday last (June 14th) at Shangyu. It was amazing. Very upmarket. We had our own private room, complete with own bathroom too!

The flowers on the table were exceptional. The service was top grade. The food was to die for. I mean, we would like this food as our last supper. Much of it we cannot identify - but the photo shows the lobster dish.

Foods we do not like Frogs, turtle, snake, pig gizzard, duck head, some shell fish, dog, some rice dishes, boney chicken (often called chicken fillet but not),

The Chinese people seem to be eating non stop - and they are slim. They walk a lot, and they eat a lot. Pretty healthy lot though.