Eating Habits

Not much has been happening in Nanjing these days. For the most part, I have been gearing up for finals to start (they begin January 1st), and trying to finish up my thesis. My thesis topic has to do with popularity of food delivery services in China, their societal and environmental impact, and how to (potentially) change the system in a more sustainable way. 
In the mean time, I have been trying to make a huge effort to cut down on spending; this means that I have been cutting out a lot of expensive western food out of my diet (such as salads and sandwiches) since I haven’t been missing home so much lately, and have gathered the courage to eat at more hole-in-the wall restaurants, and to try more street food. My favorite meal of the day in China has to be breakfast; not only is the food cheap, but it's super tasty! Here's a list of some of my favorites:

Baozi!

Baozi: Baozi are large steamed buns stuffed with meat, veggies, or bean paste. My favorite flavors must be either the turnip or greens and mushrooms.

Soymilk: Soymilk in China tastes much better than it is in the States, most likely because, in the States, soy milk comes from a box. In China, oftentimes vendors will make it right in front of you, hot and ready. This means the milk is super fresh and foamy, and that you can ask the vendor to make it to your liking. I don't like that much sugar in my soy milk, and one vendor I go to will even add coffee!

Porridge!

I thought it was funny that this store
translated "rice porridge" to "gruel"

Rice Porridge: Rice Porridge is a great homey dish. This dish can either be sweet or savory (I always ordered the savory rice porridge, and you can ask to put just about anything in it. However, there are some classic ingredients that go in rice porridge, the most popular being perhaps the pork and thousand year old egg combination (don't knock it until you try it). 

Fried Stuffed Bread

Fried Stuffed Bread: This food item is exactly what it sounds like: stuffed bread (or pancake). Inside of the outer, almost thin crispy skin is usually a savory mixture of well seasoned meat and/or veggies.

Jian Bing!

The jian bing at this place tended to have more
cumin in it (unlike the most popular kinds of
jian bing), and the wrapper was paper thin. 

    











Jian Bing: Although this dish seems to be getting more and more popular in the West, still, many are unfamiliar with the jian bing outside of China. Many liken the jian bing to a Chinese version of the crepe, but I like to think of it more as a burrito. Basically, the wrapper is made on a giant flat surface, and the vendor puts whatever you want on it, such as eggs, hot dogs, lettuce, vegetables (even seaweed and kimchi), fried crunchy chips, and various sauces, and is wrapped up like a burrito. However, there are many different kinds of jian bing; on my block, there were (at least) three different jian bing vendors, and each had their own distinct wrappings and overall taste. So,if you have the opportunity, I would encourage you to not only try a jian bing, but try a few different kinds from a few different places, and see which one you like best!

Also, it's important to note also that what I eat in Nanjing is not necessarily what people eat all over China too; while I was in Yunnan a couple months ago, I ate rice noodles for breakfast every day (and it was soooo good), so don't get mad if I didn't post your favorites! That's the end of my post today, please feel free to comment which dish looked best to you, and what kinds of Chinese breakfast items you like to eat if I didn't list your favorite! Thank you for reading!