As mentioned in the previous post, we took a side trip to Ningbo during this China trip. Our first meal in Ningbo was at a cafeteria near the bus station where we arrived. Although choosing this place was more out of hunger, it turned out to be one of the more memorable meals this trip. Many meals were memorable, but, this one stood out because of its value; this was the first time I tried stinky winter melon (see previous post); and it tasted pretty good (except for the stinky winter melon). Here’s what the cafeteria looked like:
Cafeteria in Ningbo
Here’s what we (myself, The Cat, and The Cat’s brother) ate:
Stir-Fried Shanghai Cabbage
Cauliflower with Ham and Bell Pepper
Chives with Scrambled Eggs
Steamed Egg Custard with Dried Shrimp
Won Bok "Mash"
Bamboo Shoots with Preserved Cabbage
Pig's Blood Pudding
Belly Pork with Steamed Egg
Cucumber "Salad"
Fish in Shoyu Sauce
Mapo Tofu
Along with the previously posted stinky winter melon we ordered 13 dishes, not including three orders of rice. The cashier was a bit stunned to see three people take so much food. When I looked around, the local patrons had an average of one vegetable dish, one meat dish, rice, and maybe one bowl of soup. No wonder the cashier was scratching her head.
The total bill came to 60.00 yuan. At the time we were there, the exchange rate was between 6.7 and 6.8 yuan to one dollar (US). So our lunch was under $10.00. Everything except for one dish (I think it was the fish), was under one dollar each.
The Tab
There was a smaller cafeteria style restaurant near where we stayed in Shanghai. The prices were a bit higher (the cost of living in Shanghai is higher as compared with Ningbo). For breakfast, The Cat and I had eight dishes with rice and a mixed grain gruel for about 7 dollars (US):
The Mouse's Breakfast
Clockwise from the mixed grain gruel is tomato and eggs, squash with black fungus, bitter melon, and Shanghai cabbage with mushrooms.
The Cat's Breakfast
Clockwise from top left is celery and bean sprouts, Chinese mountain yam (shan yao), fish in shoyu sauce, and “lion’s head.” Here’s the Wikipedia article on shan yao: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_opposita.
The Cat and The Mouse ate good and cheap in China, yum.
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