cocor

Hello all,

We are going to Beijing, Shanghai, and Xian this coming October. This is our first trip ever to China.

After hearing about all the news concerning food safety in China, could you please give us some advice? What kind of food or restaurants should we avoid?

Thank you.

LeighTravelClub

For us the issue was not so much food safety (though the hygeine is not what you are probably used to), but more the quality of what is presented to you. We found that much of the food was bland and just not very tasty. We also found that we had the same thing over and over in slightly different guises.

I expect I will be slated for saying this, but my advice is to visit the western type eateries now and then for a decent meal. eg. TGI Fridays, Pizza Hut etc. After three or four days of Chinese food you might kill for a nice pasta.

I'll duck down now to avoid the flack, but it's honest advice, from first hand recent experience.

rkkwan

I wouldn't worry too much about food safety as a visitor. Many (but not all) of the issues involve heavy metal or pesticides in the food chain. These things won't kill you in an instant, and if you're just visiting one place for a short period, the total amount you ingest is too small to have long-lasting effects.

Neil_Oz

LeighTravelClub, no slating from me. I'm too stunned to say anything.

Shanghainese

LeighTravelClub -- No slating from me either, I am floored.

poutine

I found the food in Beijing to be absolutely wonderful, and very inexpensive. I had to stop myself from eating more than three meals a day! I purchased the Lonely Planet Best of Beijing before going, which has restaurant recommendations, some of which I followed.

Remember than you can have bad restaurant experiences anywhere in the world - including picking up Hep A at your local tex mex place........

Really. I just came back from the south of France and the food was better tasting in Beijing.