Food, Glorious FOOOOD!

You may remember back at the beginning of our China excursion when my biggest challenge was food (here and here). I had the hardest time finding anything familiar to eat. Figuring out what was available and what we could cook for dinner was the worst part of my day. What used to be the simplest and cheapest options were suddenly either completely unavailable or ridiculously expensive.

I am pleased to report that this is no longer the case.

We tried new things. We learned new things. We talked with the other couples. We patiently combed each and every grocery store aisle and found hidden treasures. And we slowly but surely built up a collection of recipes that we could pretty easily make here in China.

We eat good. And no, I don't mean well (sorry Grandma). We eat GOOD.

So what exactly do we eat, you may ask? Behold, our list of regulars:
Hamburgers (technically pork burgers)
Sweet and sour chicken
Pancakes
Chili
Fried chicken
Spaghetti
Meatballs
Chicken Tikka Masala
Pizza
Chips and salsa
Breakfast burritos
Sesame chicken
Fried rice
Curry
Orange chicken
Tacos
French toast
Potato chowder

...Just to name a few. I have realized that the key to success in the kitchen here is to learn to make everything from scratch. And to improvise. Following a recipe exactly is a luxury we can't afford, so figuring out substitutions and making things work has been a requirement. But it has paid off, and I'm so glad that we don't have to eat the same three things over and over. Unless we want to. Which sometimes we do. Stop judging.