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Shenzhen is mostly populated by immigrants from other parts of China. One hears Mandarin there more than Cantonese. In general, the immigrant communities probably eat fewer "weird" things than the long-established communities.
Hope OP is accustomed to eating rice, noodles and other staples of Chinese cuisine. Unless you have special dietary requirements, such as vegan, kosher or halal, "normal" food is very accessible in China. Just don't be super squeamish. I love eating chicken feet and squab (pigeons), both of which are very common in Guangdong. I don't like fish head myself, but if one panics at the sight of fish heads on their dining table, think twice about going to live in China long-term.
I just went on a trip to a tier 3 city in Guangdong, and people there are really fond of eating weird stuff. Our host asked us if there's anything we don't eat, and since none of us have any special dietary restrictions, we said we eat "everything." So out came sea cucumber, sea snails, sandworms and sheep offal. Our host said since she's not mainland Chinese, at least she understood that since she doesn't eat cats and dogs herself, eating "everything" does not include cats or dogs. Next time I go there, I better be careful of telling people that I will eat anything. Fried sandworms surprisingly do not look or taste weird. Looks and tastes like crunchy French fries :-) ...
People in France eat snails, people in Peru eat guinea pigs, Japanese eat dolphins, Eskimos and Inuits eat seals, Australians eat Witchetty grub, Americans eat cows (which is pretty awful to a Hindu) and pigs (which is pretty awful to a Muslim)--who gets to define what culinary tastes are barbaric? Why do your cultural preferences have more meaning or more civility than someone else's?
Yes, fine, but none of these are listed as CITES I endangered species like the giant salamander. The fact is that China's population is decimating the world's wild animal population either through eating or others. Rhinos? Elephants? Many many species of critically endangered turtles? Come on, folks, I can understand eating a domesticated animal, though it's disgusting to me. But my post was about a Chinese official who was hosting a party that was serving the giant salamander!!!! WTF! This scumbag official was probably also smuggling illegally poached elephant tusks into China too!
I am usually pro-China, but I call it like it is. China will ruin the world unless the Chinese government step up and control the still unevolved Chinese masses. At this point, the population just became prosperous and their attitude is..."I have money and I will buy it and do whatever I want". This is the selfish attitude that will ruin China and the world together.
Dog meat is still pretty popular in the north of China, especially during winter. During the olympics in Beijing, the government actually ordered all the local restaurants to take dog off the menu as to not upset all the foreigners. I think the popularity of dog meat is generally on the decline though.
Scorpions, silkworms, and other creepy-crawly things are eaten in many northern provinces too, so I don't think it is only the Cantonese who eat "weird" foods :-).
I went to university in Beijing and dog meat is far from popular there.
Yes such restaurants can be found if you know the places, but most likely a visitor will never be able to see one.
I went to university in Beijing and dog meat is far from popular there.
Yes such restaurants can be found if you know the places, but most likely a visitor will never be able to see one.
I have relatives in FoShan (佛山), and none of them ever eat dog. Dog meat has been banned in Hong Kong since 1950. I don't think dog meat is really that popular compared to other foods anywhere in China anymore, especially not in the cities, but you can still find restaurants that serve it in most, if not all, big cities. I also don't think that is is more popular in Cantonese cuisine than in other parts of China.
In fact the only restaurant that I have ever been too that had dog on the menu was in Tianjin (not too far from Beijing), although I have never actually looked for dog meat, so it is quite possible I just missed it in other cities.
Now cat meat on the other hand is definitely more popular in Cantonese cuisine (but still pretty rare, i think :-)
You all are sugarcoating this. I still remember the dog festival in Yulin where more than 10,000 dogs were slaughtered in the course of two weeks for a freakshow festival. There were people clamoring around looking at dogs that were still alive and dangling from ropes and snares. Other dogs were beaten right before they were slaughtered to be cooked. Dog meat is still very common in China, given that roughly half the population are still peasants and most people are still "peasants" minded even if they have moved to the city. This is in line with their terrible hygiene habits and their penchant for hanging laundry right out of their apartment windows. Take a look at Brooklyn NY where the Chinese live and you'll see all the laundry hanging out of windows.
My next door neighbor here in Quincy MA is from outside Canton, and she has told me several times that she ate dogs and how much she enjoyed it....and she knows I have two dogs! I try to keep my dogs as far from her as possible.
You all are sugarcoating this. I still remember the dog festival in Yulin where more than 10,000 dogs were slaughtered in the course of two weeks for a freakshow festival. There were people clamoring around looking at dogs that were still alive and dangling from ropes and snares. Other dogs were beaten right before they were slaughtered to be cooked. Dog meat is still very common in China, given that roughly half the population are still peasants and most people are still "peasants" minded even if they have moved to the city. This is in line with their terrible hygiene habits and their penchant for hanging laundry right out of their apartment windows. Take a look at Brooklyn NY where the Chinese live and you'll see all the laundry hanging out of windows.
My next door neighbor here in Quincy MA is from outside Canton, and she has told me several times that she ate dogs and how much she enjoyed it....and she knows I have two dogs! I try to keep my dogs as far from her as possible.
Yulin used to be a part of Guangdong (now it's in Guangxi). Yes, some places of China have a tradition of eating dog meat at certain times, but dog meat is far from popular over all.
Yulin used to be a part of Guangdong (now it's in Guangxi). Yes, some places of China have a tradition of eating dog meat at certain times, but dog meat is far from popular over all.
I know you love China and would support it. I also have great affection for the country because I studied there for a whole year when I was in grad school. But China has many many problems, and sugar coating them wont make the country better. The old adage that a civilization is only as evolved as the way it treats its most vulnerable members really is true. The Chinese are, in my experience, one of the cruelest and most selfish people that exist on earth. This comes from the Confucian emphasis on family and filial piety over all else, which means that the Chinese have practically no tradition of civil responsibility or a sense of communal sense of "us". Everything is for the clan and family only, and the country can go to the crapper and hardly anyone would care. This is why Chinese cities are so dirty and litter is normal in China.
Animals are so mistreated in China that it's just too horrible to even recount. This is not surprising because even many people are mistreated by others in China. The handicap and the mentally challenged are just abused, beaten and shunned. So, hanging a living dog and beating it to death before deep frying it in front of gawking and laughing kids make total sense in that context. China is still a giant peasant commune. The OP needs to know this before he heads over there. I was so shocked when I went because no one ever warned me.
I know you love China and would support it. I also have great affection for the country because I studied there for a whole year when I was in grad school. But China has many many problems, and sugar coating them wont make the country better. The old adage that a civilization is only as evolved as the way it treats its most vulnerable members really is true. The Chinese are, in my experience, one of the cruelest and most selfish people that exist on earth. This comes from the Confucian emphasis on family and filial piety over all else, which means that the Chinese have practically no tradition of civil responsibility or a sense of communal sense of "us". Everything is for the clan and family only, and the country can go to the crapper and hardly anyone would care. This is why Chinese cities are so dirty and litter is normal in China.
Animals are so mistreated in China that it's just too horrible to even recount. This is not surprising because even many people are mistreated by others in China. The handicap and the mentally challenged are just abused, beaten and shunned. So, hanging a living dog and beating it to death before deep frying it in front of gawking and laughing kids make total sense in that context. China is still a giant peasant commune. The OP needs to know this before he heads over there. I was so shocked when I went because no one ever warned me.
I'm just telling you a piece of truth: dog meat is far from popular in China. Other things are irrelevant.
Yes, fine, but none of these are listed as CITES I endangered species like the giant salamander. The fact is that China's population is decimating the world's wild animal population either through eating or others. Rhinos? Elephants? Many many species of critically endangered turtles? Come on, folks, I can understand eating a domesticated animal, though it's disgusting to me. But my post was about a Chinese official who was hosting a party that was serving the giant salamander!!!! WTF! This scumbag official was probably also smuggling illegally poached elephant tusks into China too!
I am usually pro-China, but I call it like it is. China will ruin the world unless the Chinese government step up and control the still unevolved Chinese masses. At this point, the population just became prosperous and their attitude is..."I have money and I will buy it and do whatever I want". This is the selfish attitude that will ruin China and the world together.
Oh yes, yes...the french too have foie gras too.....
^I just find it amusing that she actually considers eating animals the biggest problem of China.
Btw the other thread of OP shows that he has already chosen Shenzhen.
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