When people ask me about my recent trip to China, many of them ask: What do people eat in China? Well, lots of things. First off, really none of the things you can find in Chinese restaurants in America – and if they have them, chances are they taste very differently. Secondly, many, many more parts of the animal than we usually eat in the Western world. So, I decided to start a series about different types of Chinese cooking, dishes in China, and Chinese restaurants in China. I’ll get to the crazy delicacies like chicken feet and hundred year old eggs eventually, but let’s kick it of with one of China’s most famous dishes that is suprisingly not all that well-known in Europe or the US.
What Do People Eat in China? Braised Pork Belly = Hong Shao Rou
Why is it so famous? Well, it was Mao Tse-tung’s favorite dish. Basically, it’s pieces of pork belly glazed with sugar and rice wine and cooked until the fat and pig skin turn super soft – probably one of the fattiest dishes you have ever eaten. As you can see below, there is a tiny bit of meat at the bottom, a large chunk of fat in the middle, and the pig’s skin on top. Being a little bit of a finicky eater (ok, a lot of a finicky eater), I have to admit that this dish did sound kind of gross to me… Pork skin?! But, it is one of Marco’s favorites when we travel to China, so I gave it a try. I mean, I like bacon and it’s basically from the same cut of meat. Guess what… it actually tastes really good! It’s really juicy, full of flavor, and super soft. I wouldn’t advise eating a lot of it since it’s really heavy, but give this dish a try next time you’re in China. That is, if you are a meat eater… which I can probably assume given that you didn’t stop reading quite a few sentences back 
On our recent trip to Guangzhou, our friends took us to one of their favorite places whose name unfortuntly escapes me at the moment. Here’s how they serve Mao’s ultimate favorite:
By the way, did you see the noodles in the backround of the first pic? Remember how I mentioned communicating in China is not that easy if you don’t speak Chinese? I know, insert big duh here… Anyways, these were the noodles that I ordered as my “safe dish” based on the menu pictures. Well, they didn’t picture the fish eggs (which I detest) they were coated in 
Luckily, there were plenty of other delicious dishes for me to feast on.
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I adore pork belly!
Ana (Ana Travels) recently posted..Lisbon, warts and all
Isn’t it good?
It sounded so weird to me, but once I tried it, I was hooked. Where have you eaten it?
I love pork belly too – yum!
Andrea recently posted..What We Do In Perth
I was surprised how good it was
Didn’t sound so appetizing at first.
I had to write about this when I was doing some articles for a Chinese travel company. It sounds delicious! And something I really need to try one of these days. It just looks so fluffy and rich!
TexaGermaNadian recently posted..Texas Trip Update: 2012 Really Will be the end of the world
You should try it! Really fatty and rich, but also really good
Pork Belly has been showing up on so many restaurants menus in Northern California. I order it every time I see it, YUM
Annette | Bucket List Journey recently posted..A Stinky Pig & Fried Pickles in Texas
It has? How cool! Do they have a local recipe they use for it? Or is it the Chinese version?
I had a gall bladder attack just looking at the photos. I thought Chinese cuisine was supposed to be light! I must confess, that dish sounds good though in small doses.
Cheers.
R. Sherman recently posted..IF . . .
Hahaha
Hope your gall bladder has recovered! Chinese cuisine light? Not in Guangzhou where the Cantonese cuisine is traditionally pretty heavy and greasy. Good, don’t get me wrong, but greasy. I do think that pork dish is made like this all over China, so even in other regions…. not all is light.
I was so timid with the food in China and it has been a BIG regret ever since!
Claire recently posted..Murphy’s Law Strikes Again
I hear you. Luckily, I’ve always been there with Marco and since he’s an adventurous eater (to say the least) he can always try these things and tell me if I should give it a shot