Chinese Teahouses: How to Visit One
How to visit a Chinese teahouse: Sichuan park houses, Beijing show rooms, Cantonese morning tea, gongfu ritual, prices, and the etiquette to know first.
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Chinese Spices: What They Are and What They Do
A field guide to Chinese spices: Sichuan pepper, dried chilies, star anise and cassia, cumin, the blends, and how to buy, toast, and store them.
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Chinese Soups: Clear, Thick and Everything Between
A plain guide to Chinese soups for visitors: clear broths, thick geng, and Cantonese double-boiled dun tang, with the dish names and prices you can order.
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Chinese Seafood: What’s in Season and How to Order It
From Qingdao crab to Shanghai hairy crab and Hainan garoupa, here’s what’s in season across China’s coasts, how it’s cooked, and how to order without overpaying.
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Chinese Sauces Explained
The Chinese sauce shelf explained: light and dark soy, oyster sauce, doubanjiang, XO and shacha, and how each sauce enters a wok or a braise.
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Chinese Rice Dishes: From Claypot to Congee
Fried rice, congee, claypot rice, rice noodles, sticky parcels, and Hainan chicken rice: how China turns the humble grain into the main event of the meal.
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Chinese Pickles: Suan Cai, Pao Cai, and the Pantry Jars
Chinese pickles like suan cai and pao cai are a structural ingredient, not just a relish. Here are the families, their uses, and how to bring them home.
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Chinese Transport Phrases for Getting Around
Mandarin for trains, metro, taxis and buses in China: buying tickets, finding the right platform, telling a driver where to stop, and fixing things gone wrong.
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Chinese Food Phrases That Actually Work
The Mandarin you need for restaurants and stalls: how to order, ask for no chilli, handle dietary needs, name cooking methods, and get the bill without waiting.
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Chinese Noodle Types: A Field Guide
A field guide to Chinese noodles: hand-pulled wheat, knife-cut, rice noodles from Yunnan and Guangdong, starch noodles, and the six bowls that cover the map.
