Food in Jinan

I am sure you would all agree that when moving to a new place, the last thing on your mind to pack are eating utensils. I know it was never on my list, didn't cross my mind until my first meal in Jinan.

The new teachers were taken out for dinner our first night at the Nice Lady restaurant (nicknamed by the foreign teachers). And not until I saw my delicious looking spicy chicken (anything would have looked delicious to me as the last time I ate was on my flight from Toronto) did it hit me I would be using chopsticks. I know, I moved to China, why didnt I learn how to use chopsticks before leaving blah blah blah … well I didn't.

Chopsticks skills

I struggled with eating with chopsticks that night which meant I didn't enjoy my meal and I needed to do something about the situation. I know eventually, I would learn and get used to using chopsticks but for now, I need to get cutlery I can use or employ my hands. Growing up, for some odd reason I didn't like eating with spoons so my mother bought me cheap forks I could walk around with. I guess I have to do as she did … oh wait, the forks at the supermarket are not cheap. I didn't have a choice so I got couple of forks and a pair of chopsticks. So, if you find yourself travelling to China, remember you would need chopsticks at some point.

Back to the food in Jinan …

There is no shortage of good food, healthy or otherwise, cheap and expensive, local and foreign, indoor and outdoor (street food vendors) but I still find eating out a bit challenging for different reasons. Main reason though is that I do not eat pork and up to the moment I moved to Jinan, I can say with 95% certainty that I have been able to avoid cross contamination as well. So for those that eat practically anything, you will have variety of food to choose from in Jinan. Couple of reasons in addition to not eating pig product is the amount of salt and oil in almost every meal. Which brings me to few of my "GO TOs'' …

Chicken Lady

Eat Street

Close to my apartment, there is Eat Street (not sure what the real name is) with almost any kind of food you need. These are street food vendors that are worth the time and money. On eat street, most of my friends including myself have few favorites. These are meals we've all had with no issues (no bathroom visit). There is the Chicken Lady right at the north entrance of the alley, the noodle place few stalls down, the squid guy (and his adorable son) are couple of stands down from our favorite veggie wrap lady who I believe is mid-distance from either entrance.

Veggie Wrap Lady

Also, close by are few halal restaurant that all serve the same exact dishes and all the same price tag attached to the dishes. There is one across the street from me at Li Sha Da Sha that I go to as a last resort as the people there are not very friendly. There is one few stores down from the entrance to Eat Street and one in the Eat street that I visit at least once a week. They are very friendly which is why I prefer them to the one closest to my apartment. For those off us that eat halal and would rather avoid cross contamination, you have nothing to worry about as there are Halal restaurants within 15 to 30 minutes walking distance in any direction.

Then, there is Food Street (again not the real name); this is also walking distance (about 30 to 40 minutes) but a short 10 minutes bus ride (k50 or 101 bus). The main entrance to the Food Street is right across from Zara clothing store (yep, same Zara @ Shimao Mall next to Parc 66). Food street is longer and has more variety compared to Eat Street but you need to leave your sense of smell at home. All you need is a bit of sight, your wallet and taste buds.

I have only been here for two months so I can't say more at the moment about other street food areas in Jinan but I doubt I would be disappointed.

In terms of fine dining or sit down meals, I have been to a couple and would like to recommend one for now. I don't have much to say as I have only been to a handful and so far only Taste Western is worth a return trip. They serve western food and as I have been told, the restaurant is fairly new. Food quality, customer service and wait time at this restaurant is way better than other places I have been to. Also, it comes with a decent price tag.

BBQ Chicken Salad from Taste Western

Some of my friends have other places they prefer like Melenas (on the north side of Parc 66) every Sunday night (usually for drinks) and sometimes Lazy's for both drinks and food. I have never had anything at Melenas so I can't comment but food at Lazy's is fairly OK. They offer membership card with different perks everyone you visit.

Big Daddy's burger @ Lazy's

Before moving to Jinan, I was never a fan of eating out but when you move into an apartment like mine (see previous post), you will be forced to eat out.

Home Cooked Meals

Although, I cooked sometimes, I eat out almost everyday. Eating out 2 to 3 times a day means more spending which means you need to find something feeling and affordable. Most time eating local gets you what you need at the right price compared to eating western (KFC, BK, McDonald's, etc.) So back to the issue of eating no pork or its by product, couple of phrases I learnt were ''bu Yao Zhu  rou (不要猪肉)'' which means I don't want pork, ''Wo bu xi huan zhu rou (我不喜欢猪肉) - I don't like pork. Plus I had to memorize the Chinese letters for beef (cow meat 牛肉 - Niu rou). There are more things I would rather not consume that I see everyday so I just stay clear of the vendors or these items when I see them on the menu.

This is based on my two months experience and should there be any changes, I will update this post with the new details.

Please note that this is my experience and others' thoughts and experience in relation to food in Jinan is bound to be slightly or totally different.

Still getting used to eating with chopsticks and the frowns I get when I order food - with one too many "bu Yao …/ wo bu xi huan …" (I don't want …/ I don't like …

Daily Commute experience - pedestrian crossing skills next.

Thanks for reading.

Houcaller - Steak meal