A Foodbeast Survival Guide To China [The Katchup]
When making traveling plans, you don’t often think about making your way to China. Whether it’s the language barrier, trouble with visas, or lack of internet freedoms, China isn’t exactly the tourist destination that other Asian countries such as Japan, or even Thailand are.
Some of the Foodbeast crew had a chance to explore the Chinese culture in Suzhou, Jiangsu, and tried to figure out why China isn’t explored more by Americans.
Our own Elie Ayrouth and Reach Guinto discussed the trip on the Katchup podcast, and detailed their hardships.
There were fundamental challenges, such as paying for things, communicating, and even getting around, as China isn’t exactly tailored to the American tourist experience.
While it took some work, and even accidentally getting sent to a Chinese brothel, the Foodbeast crew eventually figured things out, and enjoyed the spontaneity and unknown nature of the trip.
With their experiences, they were able to put together a survival guide, so that you don’t have to get in fights with scooter drivers, or wear green hats that apparently mean you’re a “cuckold” in Chinese culture.
Below is the episode’s timestamp. Listen, enjoy, and hopefully be encouraged to explore the unknown in an oft-ignored country.
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5:35- The difficulty of getting visas
6:48- Why Americans don’t travel to China
9:05- ATMs and U.S. credit cards don’t work in China
10:15- Importance of WeChat, for everything in China
16:00- China doesn’t cater to English-speaking tourists
22:10- The overall feel and atmosphere in China
26:27- Geoff teaches how to properly travel overseas
28:18- Why you should never wear green hats in China
32:20- Accidentally getting driven to a brothel
36:40- The crazy differences in fast food
38:56- Suzhou cuisine, jumping live shrimp
48:00- Suzhou has life-changing pork belly
52:06- Difficulty of finding restaurant info online
61:53- McDonald’s kills it in China
67:34- Exploring without relying on technology
69:18- Tours and guides are a good starting point
73:15- Exploring the unknown makes traveling to China worth it
