Don't worry about the food in China

Discover how to order the BEST DISHES at ANY restaurant WITH EASE

Confidently get GREAT FOOD every time, no matter where you travel in China

Hello Friend,

Are you planning a trip to China? Are you heading to the Beijing Olympics? Have you been offered a job working in China? Whatever your reason for coming to China, I am sure that you are somewhat nervous, and probably a little bit excited, about finding yourself in a strange, new and alien culture.

One of the most daunting tasks that faces any newcomer to China is finding food that they like. We have all heard horror stories about people eating some very unappetizing food. Many people worry about the procedure for ordering food and, worst of all, that they might end up eating dog!

It can be with some trepidation that you step into a Chinese restaurant ready to order your first meal. I know, a few years ago I was in those same shoes.

It's nearly seven years since I first arrived in China

I arrived in China back in 2001 as a tour leader. I didn't speak or read any Chinese. At first I was overwhelmed. My job involved a lot of traveling and I was often on my own in a strange city looking for a place to eat.

Of course, I had guidebooks and recommendations from colleagues but they only got me so far. In the end I ended up ordering the same dishes over and over again. The food was tasty, but I was disappointed not to be able to experience the local dishes and house specialties.

Occasionally I would find a restaurant with an English menu, but many times the translations would leave me wondering exactly what was in the dish. I learnt from friends that many didn't include some dishes on the English menu, thinking they wouldn't be suitable for 'foreigners'. Some unscrupulous places even increased the prices for the same dish on the English menu. Dumb tourists could pay more!

Food Is A Central Part of Chinese Culture

Gradually, I made more Chinese friends and I would often go with them to great out-of-the-way local restaurants. Of course they had no difficulty ordering some fantastic dishes. The food in China is truly amazing and a central part of Chinese culture and I was glad to be able to take part.

I began to make a note of all the dishes that I liked. My friends would write down the name of the dish in Chinese characters and tell me some interesting stories about the dish and the best way to enjoy it. I started to organize all of these notes into a small book that I could take with me whenever I had to travel.

The Best Way to Get Great Food. Everytime

Using my trusty notebook I started to find some great restaurants in all the towns I visited. I always found some great food to add to the list and interesting facts to tell my groups. Many of the restaurant staff were happy to see someone taking an interest and they would often make great recommendations.

The Guide is Born!

When some friends of mine came to China to travel, I thought it would be useful to make them a copy. They loved it! After they got home they told me how useful they had found the book. They encouraged me to publish it. "It will be so useful to anyone traveling in China", they said. And so, the Eating Out in China guide was born!

The Eating Out in China guide

I wanted to make the guide book as simple, clear and informative as possible.

You will find:

• Over 60 popular dishes that you can order across China. Each description has the Chinese characters, the pinyin transliteration and of course the English name. There is also a short list of the standard contents of the dish, and another section pointing out any special instructions on how it should be eaten or interesting points of cultural or historical significance. With most dishes you will also find a full colour photo, so you can know exactly what to expect!
• An easy Reference sheet that lists all the dishes above (and variants) in a compact form that you can carry with you to every meal.
• Handy restaurant phrase sheet. Sometimes the simplest of things can be difficult to explain in an unfamilar language. This one page, designed specifically for restaurants, should save you from most potential problems.
• Regional styles. China is a vast country and as such the food varies tremendously from region to region. For instance, the southwest is renowned for it's tongue burningly spicy dishes. You will be guided through the different styles of cooking and preparation and learn the best dishes to try no matter where you are traveling.
• The Five Tastes. A successful and enjoyable meal should encompass every one of the five tastes. Find out what they are and recognize them in each meal.
• History of Chinese food. It's great to be able to order tasty food but Chinese food is steeped in tradition and an integral part of the culture. A greater understanding of the food will give you a better understanding of China and it's people.
• Food symbology. Did you know that peaches represents longevity, or that walnuts symbolize flirtation?! Almost everything that can be eaten has a hidden meaning. It's not essential that you know these things to eat well but, if you do, it will certainly add to your enjoyment of the food - and be a great topic for future conversations!
• Etiquette. Learn what to expect at a Chinese restaurant, from the moment you enter: seating arrangements; how to use chopsticks; table manners. These are things that you definitely should know when Eating Out in China.

SPECIAL BONUS:

Over the past few months I have given the Eating Out in China Guide to a number of people as they began their travels through China. I really wanted to make sure that the book was as good as it could be. What better way than to have it "road tested" by some first-time travelers?

The feedback was very positive. In fact you can see some of their comments later. They had a couple of requests: they wanted more for vegetarians and more about the weird stuff that they were too scared to try. I'm glad they asked. It's been fun researching the necessary.

Thanks to this feedback you will now get two additional guides free with the original Eating Out in China.

Vegetarian's Guide to Chinese Food

The concept of 'Vegetarian' isn't consistently understood in the west. It's not much wonder then that restuarants in developing countries don't always understand requests for vegetarian food.

With this bonus guide you will learn how to let staff know that you are a vegetarian and even clarify what you mean by that.

You will also find lots of extra dishes - all purely vegetarian. You won't find all dishes in all restaurants - but you will get more variety during your travels.

China's Exotic Food

Eating for fuel is only the most basic function. The main guide should get you eating for pleasure. This one will get you eating for thrills!

Read what is available - then set yourself the challenge of ticking off as many of these strange dishes as you can.

This is one guide that I hope will stimulate lots of interesting feedback, and free updates.

In summary: when you get The Eating Out in China guide for $24.95 you will be getting information about the food in China and a long list of recommeded dishes. You will also get the two bonus guides: 'More dishes for the vegetarian in China' and 'China's Exotic Food'.

What's more, the guides will be updated with new dishes thereafter. You will be entitled to get any new version at no extra cost.

The guides are available in pdf format. This means that you can download them instantly, wherever you are in the world. Don't worry about leaving home without yours!

If for whatever reason you don't feel that this book is useful to you, contact me anytime within 8 weeks of purchase and I will gladly refund your money in full.

Eat and be Merry!

Ian Ford

PS: You are getting THREE guides for your money as well as the promise of subsequent updates wherever feedback highlights an issue. You won't find anything quite like this elsewhere.

You can relax and enjoy your time in China that much more if you don't have to worry about the food. You know it makes sense to ...

... Get a copy now