Does dining cause any problem for a western tourist in China?
Please do not worry about it. Chinese and Western cuisines are both available throughout China. If you require special meals due to religious or medical limitation, please inform us so that arrangements can be made in advance.
What kind of meals will be available on my sightseeing tours?
At your sightseeing tours you will have a Chinese style lunch. The round dining table, accommodating 8-10 people provides an opportunity to get in contact with other tourists from your group, perhaps even from other countries. The meal variety is large but set and arranged by the restaurant. The guests do not have the possibility to choose from a menu. If you have any special requirements, please inform us so that arrangements can be made in advance.
Can we taste different food during our trip? Or eat Chinese food throughout the trip?
Almost all the lunches and dinners offered are Chinese food, but we defer to your preferences and opinions. Any suggestions would be welcome. For small groups, we always leave some dinners to your own arrangement. Our guide will help you to find some popular Chinese or western restaurant, where you can order the meals as you like.
Do I get vegetarian meals in China?
Yes, of course! You can get vegetarian meals in nearly every Chinese restaurant. Normally you can choose all dishes you want to have by yourself. Because you can not choose your dishes when you are on the sightseeing tours provided by us, we would recommend you to tell us your needs in advance. We respect our clients’ opinions and will try our best to cater to their needs.
How much do I have to spend per meal? Are the established credit cards accepted in China?
The meal price depends on the grade of the restaurant you choose and the food you order. Basically, in a regular restaurant the average price for a rich meal is about 7 USD for each person. This is also the standard meal our company will arrange for you, for example on the sightseeing tours.
Credit cards are accepted only in large hotels. For most restaurants you need to pay cash in Chinese Yuan.
Do I have to be afraid to accidentally eat something, which I actually do not want to eat?
No you don’t have to be afraid! We guess you have heard that some exotic kinds of meat are available in China. Beside the fact that these kinds are only available in some regions in China, especially in Guangdong (Kanton), we are sure that your host or your restaurant will tell you about this before. These kinds of meat are too worthy for them, to give them away to someone who do not appreciate or even want them.
But if you are not afraid of trying something new, it might be a good experience.
Is it possible to get knife, fork and spoon in Chinese restaurants?
Yes it is possible! Hotel-own and other big restaurants will lay out cutlery for you. If they do not do it directly, please do not hesitate to ask for it. They will understand that it is not easy for you to eat with chopsticks.
However, if you want to go to some smaller traditional Chinese restaurants, it might be that they have no cutlery available. If you see no other chance for yourself, then using cutlery, you have to bring by yourself.
(The restaurants visited on sightseeing tours, organized by Discover China Tours, will always have cutlery available for you).
