10 Ten Reasons Why it Sucks to Love Cooking in China

Hello!

This is my way of sharing my strange and animated adventures in my teeny tiny kitchen and endless Asian markets. I’m Rosalie. A 20 something ex-patriot who will go to great lengths for great food. As pesky and annoying as my limited kitchen may be, I love it. It’s my happy place. I dream of taking proper cooking classes, but for now reading any and all cookbooks, asking a million questions, Googling recipes, experimenting all I can, will suffice. 

That being said, my top “10 Reasons Why it Sucks to Love Cooking in China” (Apologies to my 7th grade English Teacher who made sure we would all remember to NEVER use the word suck, it truly is for lack of a better word).

1. It’s Expensive

…in comparison to restaurants. A cheap dinner around where we live can cost you anywhere from 5RMB-25RMB ($0.80-$4.00). Cooking materials here can be cheap but they can also range to outrageously overpriced. Yay imports! Maybe that’s just the low teaching wage talking, but hey 50RMB ($8) for a minuscule chunk of fresh lamb, sir you must be joking.

2. Produce can be questionable

There are countless news stories talking about food safety in and out of China. I take all precautions that I possibly can. I go through, what seems like gallons, of vinegar soaking and hopefully killing off any strange gross creatures I can’t see. It’s a pain in the butt doing round of produce soaks after a big shop at the market. It takes up an afternoon sometimes shopping and cleaning for everything. *grumble*

3. Meat IS questionable

Although I wouldn’t claim to be vegetarian by a long shot, I chose to not eat much meat. I truly NEVER know where it comes from, it’s expensive, and, thanks to my Father, I genuinely only know how to correctly cook beef (which is a bit harder to find and in turn more expensive). …More on family later 🙂

4. Smalllll Kitchen!

This is a normal complaint from city dwellers. So mine is no different…my kitchen is a large closet.

5. MARKETS AND GROCERY STORES ARE ALWAYS SO CROWDED

Holy people traffic batman.

6. No car (not every expat’s problem but for most)

Not having a car to just throw everything in when you’re finished shopping and errand running for the day is a little less than convenient  But YAY for smaller carbon footprints!

7. Chinese is hard.

I’ve only been here 6 months, so I should give myself a break.* I am a WHIZ at charades.* Bargaining for grocery items, blank stares, full on ignoring you, humph…insta-download Chinese in my brain meow please! All I want to do is speak to the adorable old couple who I buy my peaches from.

8. Spices have to be imported

You can’t find most spices here. Sometimes I long for the spices aisle at home….ooo Droool.

9. Baking doesn’t quite exist

I miss ovens, powdered sugar, and good old fashion quality butter.I have a puny little toaster oven that does the job for small cookies or roasted vegetables…it swears it can do a whole chicken. But I just don’t trust it enough yet.

And the worst part….

10. The cheese here is terrible if not, non-existent.

Yeah. I know. I meeeese Cheese so much. Food just doesn’t seem the same without that ooey-gooey-milky-wonderfulness.

And with all of that, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m in love with the challenge of making delicious meals with different resources. Whether it’s downsizing and changing a recipe completely or changing up the ingredients and doing makeshift tools; this is why I’ve started this blog. Learning and sharing about my mistakes and fortunes in the kitchen.

Hope you like it!

Rosalie