Tonight for dinner I went out with a few of the LDS youth in the area to a restaurant near People’s Square specializing in food from a province I like to call “Xing hmm hmmmm”. This province, which does have a real name that I just can’t say properly enough to remember, is predominantly Muslim and has a Middle-eastern feel to it, so their traditional dishes are like a cross between Indian food and Chinese food. The people from this province also have fairer skin and more western looking features, just another little tidbit. This restaurant was pretty tasty- they had amazing lamb kabobs and a Chinese version of naan and possibly the best sweet and sour pork I have ever had. At first I was hesitant to try the pork because I’ve never loved sweet and sour pork in the states, but thank goodness I did because it was literally life changing. No offense to all of you Panda Express lovers (I used to be one too), but I think I might go burn it when I get home.
This restaurant and the fact that we were eating “Xing hmm hmmm” food are just small examples of how distinct each province in China is. Each one has such a different character and its people are proud of their uniqueness. I think of provinces like states, but with a boosted pride that I haven’t seen in many of the United states (except maybe Texas). I can’t think of what a “Utah Restaurant” would serve that would be very unique from an “Idaho Restaurant”, but I could definitely tell you the differences between food from the Sichuan and Shanghai provinces. I think it’s really neat that each province has kept its own identity and I hope that this relatively new centralized Chinese government thing doesn’t ruin that for the people.
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