If you visit China and happen to get hungry, there are a variety of nutritional options available.  By no means is this list complete, but it does include most of the important food groups in that pyramid thing.

1.  Pizza

2.  Street food

3.  Hooters

Surprisingly, the street food in China is reasonably safe to eat.  In Cambodia we were warned by numerous folks not even to consider thinking about considering the street food.  Maybe that was true, maybe not, we didn’t take the chance after our issue with the big little Stockdale.  In China, I rolled the dice and came up a winner. 

Almost every street is filled with food stands and tiny restaurants.  I would never refer to any of these establishments as clean, hygienic, or sanitary.  However, don’t let this deter you.  If the air hasn’t killed you before you get hungry, the food won’t do anything worse to your body.

Ordering on the street is not what I would call simple, easy, or predictable, but pointing and smiling will get you most of the way.  If there are no prices listed, you will probably get charged more than a local, but not by much, so don’t worry about it.  My only recommendation would be to keep an open mind and frequent places that seem to have lines.  The more the food turns over, the better.

However confusing the ordering of street food may seem, ordering off a menu with pictures won’t necessarily simplify the process.

If the big little Stockdale and the middle little Stockdale can survive two weeks in China, pretty much anyone can.