Some Like It Hot
If I had to leave China tomorrow, (which as an expat is always a possibility!), the one thing I would truly miss would be Hou Guo - Hot Pot. Although I love eating barbecued lamb and sauteed eggplant, Hot Pot ...

Beware the Business Dinner
This is what I posted on my Facebook page Monday night: "Drank a little too much beer at company dinner. In China, this is not only accepted, but expected. Only place I've ever been where it is okay to pass ...

The Place For Food
Before I moved to China, I lived in Toronto's Chinatown. Before that, I was a frequent diner at Victoria's Dragon Palace. I somehow believed this meager experience would have prepared me for dining in China, but it did not. Because ...

For More on China
If my blog posts so far have piqued your interest in China and you're just dying to know more, National Geographic has some informative articles and photo galleries you might enjoy. Don't you just love National Geographic? In a quest ...

American Fast Food is a Hit
You might recognize these... The Chinese love the Colonel! KFC is known as "Ken De Ji" in Chinese, which funny enough, sounds a little like "Ken Dodgy." KFC is seriously popular here. The first restaurant opened in Beijing in 1987 ...

BBQ - China Style
Texans know barbecue. One need only see the monster barbecue pits in every Texan's backyard or maybe even on a trailer in the driveway. I could argue that Texas barbecue is the best in the world, but I am sure ...

Your Total Comes To...
I hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend. As you can imagine, Easter is not a recognized holiday in China. There are Christians here, however, both Chinese and foreign, so the day was observed quietly without all the chocolate eggs ...

HEB It is Not
Shopping can be a lot of fun in China, especially when you are an expat with a little available cash in your pocket. In Linyi, there isn't too much to do for entertainment, so on weekends I often find myself ...

Wal-Mart?
Yes, Victorians, there are Wal-Marts in China: And yes, everything in them is from China. Okay, actually, that is not correct because there is a foreign food section! In Linyi, we have RT-Mart, which is just like a Wal-Mart. See ...

Be It Ever So Humble...
There's no place like home. And here's my home, be it oh so humble! I live in a large apartment complex composed of over 50 concrete apartment blocks, each 5 stories high. I live in building 51 on the 4th ...