What is a typical Chinese lunch?
A typical Chinese meal will have two things - a carbohydrate or starch like noodles, rice or buns, and accompanying stir fries or dishes of veggies, fish and meat. They use a lot of fresh vegetables like mushroom, water chestnuts, bamboo and even tofu.
Chinese daily meals consist of four food groups: grains, vegetables, fruit, and meat. Because of lactose intolerance, Chinese do not consume large amounts of dairy products. Instead, Chinese substitute these with soymilk and tofu, which also contain large amounts of protein and calcium.
Ordinary home-made meals usually consist of meat dishes and vegetable dishes. Soup may or may not be served. In northern parts of China, the staple food is wheat-based products including noodles, and steamed buns. However, in the southern part of China, rice is the dominant staple.
- Rice is a major staple food in China. ...
- Noodles are a basic staple food in China. ...
- Tofu contains little fat and is high in protein, calcium, and iron. ...
- Chinese people basically eat all animals' meat, such as pork, beef, mutton, chicken, duck, pigeon, as well as many others.
For many of the students, the free school lunch is the best meal of the day. A study last year found that malnutrition has stunted the growth of 12 percent of China's poorest children. On a recent day, the children receive a tray full of rice, stir-fried pork with celery, spicy tofu and greens with mushrooms.
People usually have lunch between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm. In small towns and rural areas of China, people go home for lunch. In the large and medium cities, due to the far distance and limited time, some people have their lunch at the canteen, whole some eat in nearby restaurants or fast-food shops.
The three-meals-a-day practice became widespread and directly drove prosperity in the catering industry. And now the three-meals-a-day practice is fixed and has become a way to show the Chinese love for food.
China launched the Free Lunch for Children (FLC) Initiative in 2011 because students in remote poverty-stricken villages had to endure hunger because their families were too poor to afford lunch or their families were too far away from their schools.
Chinese dinners typically fall between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. In China, most workers return home at around 6 p.m., which marks the beginning of the dinnertime hour. On average, the Chinese eat their largest meal of the day between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Starch-based dishes are the most popular type, such as noodles, congee, dumplings, plain or stuffed buns and bing/饼 (oven or pan-baked flatbread), etc. Deep-fried items are popular with Chinese doughnut stick being the most typical example. Eggs are cooked and seasoned in many different ways.
Why do Chinese eat so many eggs?
Many Dongyang residents, young and old, said they believed in the tradition passed on by their ancestors that the eggs decrease body heat, promote better blood circulation and just generally reinvigorate the body. “By eating these eggs, we will not have any pain in our waists, legs and joints.
The Chinese school day is a very long day: It starts at 7:30 in the morning and mostly finishes at about 4:00 in the afternoon. In case the students still attend classes of optional subjects, they might stay even longer. After the fifth lesson there is a long lunch break of two hours.
The school year in China typically runs from the beginning of September to mid-July. Summer vacation is generally spent in summer classes or studying for entrance exams. The average school day runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a two-hour lunch break. The school system in China requires nine years of education.
Colorful Shrimp Crackers are the favorite savory Chinese snack for many Chinese people, especially children. They are made from shrimp juice and starch. Chinese usually buy ready-made shrimp crackers and fry them themselves. Take a bite, and you'll hear a crunching sound.
Various rice bowls and noodle dishes are popular for lunch. For example, ramen, soba, udon, and gyudon beef bowls are popular. Many people take bento lunch boxes to school or work. Dinner is usually the main meal of the day and can range from sushi to tori katsu, which is like a chicken cutlet.
Lunch/Dinner/Supper - 20–80 yuan (3–12.5 USD) Rice and noodles are the main food staples in China and they often appear on the table for mid-day and evening meals. You can also order dishes and rice, which cost about 20–40 yuan per dish. Reckon on one dish per person.
