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First Impressions

William Ellis School Summer School trip to China, 2005

First impressions of China - pictures and diary

China pictures and diary contents | Read introduction | Fuller account of school trip to China

One of our students, Hugo, inspects the spices. Chillies are a big feature of Yunnan cuisine
One of our students, Hugo, inspects the spices.
Chillies are a big feature of Yunnan cuisine.

4. Food & Drink

  • Mushy pea ice-cream is the weirdest ice-cream ever.

  • The hot pot was amazing – dipping our food in to hot water to cook it at the table – I have never done that before.

  • I don’t understand why the Chinese don’t eat salad; I’m dying for some raw vegetables and am considering selling my soul to a Chinese devil to get some! Also greasy food three times a day is very queasy making. I used to think  I could eat Chinese food 24/7 but now I think I won’t be able to look at a plate of fried chicken and egg fried rice for the next five years at least! However sugar and water rock ice lolly v.v. yummy.

  • They (Chinese staff) went straight for the cake/dessert and then put the meat and fish on the same plate and ate it all together.

  • I loved the Chinese profiteroles  -  yummy, yummy, yummy
  • CHEAP!! CHEAP!! CHEAP!!  A huge bowl of noodles was only 60p!

Roadside stalls offered numerous delicacies including stuffed pancakes, steaming bowls of noodles and Chinese-style burgers
Roadside stalls offered numerous delicacies
including stuffed pancakes, steaming bowls
of noodles and Chinese-style burgers.

  • Tutti Frutti sundae Chinese style – strawberry jelly, topped with mushy pea ice-cream, hom mao dang (?), plums and TOMATOES!

  • Chilli, chilli, chilli, chilli, ... Everything has chilli in it!

  • Chickens’ feet – they aren’t too bad actually but they don’t taste of much.

  • Condensed milk on bread – sounds interesting, I’m going to try it.

  • The preserved mandarin peel was spicy and sweet at the same time - absolutely horrible!

  • The grape juice was delicious. 

  • The cakes are very creamy - delicious!

Beijing bakery. The rice bread rolls were very round, very white and very tasteless but beautifully complimented the hot pickles for breakfast. In Kunming students frequently supplemented their diet with fancy cream cakes.
Beijing bakery. The rice bread rolls were very round,
very white and very tasteless but beautifully
complimented the hot pickles for breakfast.
In Kunming students frequently supplemented
their diet with fancy cream cakes.

  • The fruit salad really was a salad - the melon, pineapple, water melon, etc was all covered in salad cream.

  • I heard that the mum of one of the Liverpool girls – they didn’t like the food - suggested that she go out to Tesco’s and buy a take-away meal!

  • At every meal there was so much food – plate after plate kept arriving at the table but the rice always came last.

Tea house. In the old quarter of Kunming one traditional tea-house remains. To the sound of other clients shouting over cards and slamming dominoes down on the tables, we took tea
Tea house. In the old quarter of Kunming one traditional
tea-house remains. To the sound of other clients
shouting over cards and slamming dominoes
down on the tables, we took tea.

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