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Food is the first necessity of subsistence - by Louise Lu

After being 'tortured' by British food and 'British Chinese food' in the UK, I have decided to enjoy authentic Chinese food as much as I can.

I prefer spicy food. So before I came back I phoned my mum to prepare scented spicy crab, my mum said regretfully, 'I'm sorry, but there is no crab in this season.' I said, 'Scented spicy prawn will do.' My mum was even sorrier, saying, 'I'm afraid I can't find any prawn alive either. But how about oyster?' I was dumbfounded. You see, my choice became smaller and smaller. The reason for this is that we would rather buy this kind of food alive than frozen.

The other day a British friend called me when I was having lunch. I was asked what I had. I told him that we were having chicken. Before I finished, he was so surprised that he exclaimed we had too much food.

Chinese people do pay a lot of attention to food. Compared with the traditional British breakfast, Chinese breakfast has many more choices, noodles, porridge, sweet tender beancurd, deep fried twisted dough stick, fried dumpling, shaomai, stuffed bun..., to name a few. In south China where 'morning tea'(breakfast consisted of not only tea) is popular, one who has never experienced it will only be amazed at the variety of breakfast.

Usually supper is more formal than lunch because supper is the time when family members come back home from work. Due to the fast pace of modern life, the dinner table is the only place where they can see each other, share their experience and exchange information. Many families prepare as many dishes as the amount of people who eat.

Unlike British tradition, fruit is after the meal while soup is either with or at the end of the meal. However, in south China, soup comes before the main course.

Even the ways of cooking are too many to be detailed. Take fry for instance, there are pan-fry, stir-fry, quick-fry, deep-fry, soft deep-fry, crisp deep-fry, etc.

Another phenomenon reflecting the importance that Chinese people attach to food is markets everywhere. Besides the emerging supermarkets, traditional markets exist all over the city providing daily food and necessities to people. Although people have gradually accepted the idea of buying food in supermarkets, traditional markets are still many people's first choice. In the morning it is normally the most crowded period in a traditional market. This is also the hotbed for thieves. Soon after I came back, I had my mum's mobile phone stolen in a market. I was so frustrated with this.

In the winter Chinese households will bloat meat, sausage and fish, and then dry them in the sun for the coming Spring Festival. There will be enough to last till late spring. So when I came back I still had the luck to taste this kind of food. I have been fed too much these days, and I can feel my waist getting rounder. Everything needs some price, I guess.

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