In China I ate: Cong You Bing (葱油饼)

Ok, Cong You Bing (葱油饼）actually means onion bread, which sounds kinda weird, because the bread isn't made of onions. Actually, Cong You Bing is a round flat dough that is fried with a filling of scallions. There are other versions of this fried dough. The halal restaurant near my school in Jimei would also serve Niu Rou Bing (牛肉饼）- aka dough with beef filling and Huluobo bing (胡萝卜) - aka dough with carrot filling.

My preference was the beef, but the most popular version that one can find everywhere I guess is the scallion. This would be my snack on the way home from the flea market nearby when I didn't know what else to eat. I could always go to the Qingzhen (清圳）- halal - restaurant and order this delicious goody.

In China, I ate: Minced Beef Noodles

I went to Zhongshan road in Xiamen once and was so hungry that I begged my friend to stop at the nearest restaurant and sit down for a meal.

Well we actually stopped right at a Chinese muslim restaurant (they are called qingzhen 清真 over there). If you see those characters, then the restaurant serves halal food. 

I ordered the first dish I saw on the menu, which was plain noodles with minced beef topped by a tomato sauce. I believe the dish is called Ban or Pan Lamian. I still to this day have no idea how to spell it in Chinese characters, as I've only had it once. 

This dish tastes very similar to spaghetti bolognese, except that the greens are from scallions, not from Italian herbs. Of course, the noodles aren't pasta, but well, when you are desperately hungry, anything will do.

So if you are in China and are craving spaghetti bolognese, go to a qingzhen restaurant. Order this cheaper alternative. Usually a large plate would be 11RMB. A smaller plate 9RMB. 

In China I ate: Braised Beef Noodles (红烧牛肉面)

When a brand new mall opened in the district of Jimei where I went to school, my friends and I immediately went to visit and tried out one of the restaurants (everything was 50% off!). We eventually went to a place called Chengdu Snacks, which I guess would have food from Chengdu.

I ordered the braised beef noodles. On the menu it is called Hong Shao Niurou Mian (红烧牛肉面). I liked it, as I love spicy food. The broth was infused with dried red chili pepper, giving it a very blood-red color. Of course there was also beef and coriander leaves in the broth.

I went on a few websites and have read that this dish actually originated from Taiwan, but I am not sure. Whether it is from Chengdu or from Taiwan, it tasted darn good.