China Dining - May 5th to 18th

Standard Place Settings - for each person: a small plate, a small bowl, a very tiny little dish, a "soup" spoon, and (of course) chopsticks.
Family Style Meal - meals were usually served "family style", with the food on a large turntable in the center of the table. Here we are with our guide Lee and our first interpreter Liu.
So Much Food! - and a great deal of variety as well!
Begin with Fish - meals generally began with whole fish like this. With the gentlest of pushes, Lee turns the "lazy Susan" to share newly-served dishes with everyone.
Shrimp! - very tasty, but a little disconcerting to some of us. Who knew that shrimp have so many legs, not to mention those heads and antennae?!
Very Spicy! - chicken with vegetables.
Beautiful Presentation - with a very tasty sauce for dipping.
Roast Pork - with garnishes.
Tacos? in China? - not quite. This was one variation of a dish that we enjoyed very much - various fillings in a "tortilla" type wrap. This version featured slices of beef. Another version (at a different restaurant) featured fish.
Vegetables - and a delicious plum-type sauce.
More Vegetables - these were rather crunchy green veggies.
Eggplant - with other vegetables in a very good sauce.
Chicken - with garlic.
Chicken - with vegetables and mushrooms.
Beef - in a spicy tomato sauce, with mushrooms.
Soup - with shrimp, cubes of tofu, and black mushrooms.
Two Surprises - in the foreground, roasted peanuts!...and, in the background, hot water to drink, instead of tea! Tea was common only at breakfast. At lunch and dinner people commonly drink plain hot water.
Typical Meal - halfway through dinner! Clams, broccoli, mussels, chicken with vegetables, and a bowl of peanuts.
Rice - served only at the very end of the meal - to "fill in the empty spaces"...as though there were any "empty spaces" left after our huge feasts! But the blandness of the rice was a nice contrast to the rich and spicy dishes we'd just enjoyed.
Meals, a Time for Visiting - as well as for serious discussions.
VERY Serious Discussions! - Liu consults her bird guide during dinner as she, Lee, and Erik discuss the finer points of identifying one of the birds they'd seen.
This Is Erik's "Happy" Face - he's usually OK as long as he has Coke to drink. (Here: lots of Coke to drink!)
Meals, Also a Time for Celebration - we join our guide Lee and his uncle in a toast to new friends!
For a Great (and Successful!) Birding Trip - Erik gives a parting gift to our guide, Lee. Photo courtesy DongMing Lee