296332 Tue Mar 02 15:50:08 -0800 2004 6 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1631850 My Dad's visiting China later this week. This is his first visit so he's not sure what to expect. Is there anything he should bring back OR be looking out for? Tue Mar 02 15:50:08 -0800 2004 0 Hershey Bomar 1 1631887 Photographs (your own)and watercolors. Tea. Silk. Pearls. Jade. But don't buy from places outside the "attractions" - they will fleece you. In Bejing there's a big marketplace in which you can buy just about anything. We went with our Chinese friends, though, and paid about 1/4 of what we would have if not for their technique and the language barrier, of course. They live to banter about price. Banter, Banter, Banter. We were actually chased down when we walked away from the "final" offer. And - OMG, IMHO the food is spectacular. You can't drink the water, but a guide can take you to great, safe places to eat (not street food). It's some of the best food I have ever eaten. Ever. Tue Mar 02 23:36:45 -0800 2004 1631850 0 Sweet Pea 2 1631907 The street food is not safe? The stuff in the stalls is one of the pleasures of other asian cities I've been to so I'm surprised to hear Beijing is different. Wed Mar 03 11:45:30 -0800 2004 1631887 0 gj 3 1631908 When I went to China, the travel doctor I consulted told me if I could watch it being cooked, I could eat it..;) I took his advice to heart, and had no trouble at all my three weeks there, stopping at every wok over every roadside cast-iron drum I saw...people I was traveling with used me as their belwether of what to try..."Okay, Leslie ate it, let's go get some!" I was, however, scrupulous about water, and high-water content fruits, like watermelon. I may have lost some credibility when I bought the bottle of White Lightening at the roadside stand, but not because it was unhealthful ;) My favorite thing I brought back from China was one of the huge thermoses one find in every hotel room, for your boiled water, natch. The Chinese ones (Upside down triangle mark) or the Hong Kong manufactured ones (camel mark) are far supeior to anything one finds in Chinatowns in the US, or any US thermos...I keep coffee hot in mine til the next morning... Wed Mar 03 12:01:21 -0800 2004 1631907 0 galleygirl 4 1631961 I'd add another piece of advice that worked for us on fresh -- only eat what you have to peel. We wound up getting some sumptuous tangerines to eat on the flight home. As for what to bring back -- fiery liquor, get a chop made, a good silk rug (shop wisely!), and whatever strikes your fancy. It was quite some time back, but we found it useful to take a few things as gifts and barter. Nothing extravagant-- cigarettes were useful, good quality but everyday items (one vendor wanted to trade my pen for oranges), etc. I don't know if this advice is still true anymore though, things have changed, I think! David Cook Wed Mar 03 19:12:37 -0800 2004 1631908 0 David "Zeb" Cook 3 1631909 As the other poster said -- if it is being cooked in front of you, it's probably OK. The beauty of most Chinese food is the high cooking heat, which kills most bacteria. After living/travelling in China for almost three years, I can only trace one illness back to street food -- and that was in Xinjiang Province in the Northwest (no wok/griddle involved). That said -- I got dysentary, which was not fun. Street snacks and dining are one of the great pleasures of eating in China. It won't be like a dining experience in a "swanky" hotel/restaurant, but you can find great tastes nonetheless. I didn't spend much time in Beijing, but I seem to remember a huge outdoor dining/snack area there -- any fellow CHers know the place? Street dining (as opposed to snacks) is great for tourists because all of the ingredients are laid out on a table -- you point at what you want and they cook it up for you on the spot. These places usually spring up at night and are great spots to relax and people watch. Again, most street food is cooked in super hot oil, on a hot griddle, or in a hot wok. Find something that looks good, watch them cook a few things for other people -- then go for it! Wed Mar 03 12:23:56 -0800 2004 1631907 0 Nick Z 1 1631966 Hi Folks- This board is about food, not the discussion of travel souvenirs. By holding this discussion here you are diluting the effecitveness of this board for all other Chowhounds who use the board to discuss food matters. Do not add any more responses to this thread, as we will be removing it. Please take this type of discussion to the Not About Food board. Thanks. Wed Mar 03 21:16:03 -0800 2004 1631850 2 The Chowhound Team