Is this Pork? The Food edition

For some reason, one of the first phrases I learned was "Is this pork? "Zhu rou?" I never had any idea of what they would say back to me after asking the question. Like whoa, not advanced enough to have an actual conversation man, please stick to head shakes of yes or no. So I'd ask and get some response and then usually gauge my hunger and availability of options before deciding if I cared or not. They eat a lot of pork here.
I can't believe how much meat I eat. I mean, all of the sudden, a few weeks ago I was vegetarian and now  I've been chowing down on animals like no tomorrow. Ugh, it's not the happiest thought. Oh look, I just got offered a little pork pastry as I am writing this.

typical dinner selection. noodles, noodles, or rice

It has just been easier to accept what is given to me than offend anyone or go hungry. I admit though, I can only get a few bites in before I've had my fill of meat for the day. Whatever meat it might be..
So far, I've had pork, lots of pork, different kinds of pork, duck, bacon, fish (the Whole fish), crab (the Whole crab), more pork, squid, chicken (but not the Whole chicken), and fried beef steak with mayo on it. Oh, and a scorpion as you learned in my Beijing post. Maybe other things. I just go with it usually. And with a smile.

"Korean BBQ" street skewers

Today at lunch, in the caf, I picked up a cube of meat and popped it in my mouth, but alas, it was a large hunk-o-bone. The local teachers at my table had a good laugh at that and got me a napkin. It was supposedly pieces of bone with meat on them, but this one was basically just bone. The teachers went and got me an extra serving of vegetables after that. Now whenever there is bone-meat, one of the teachers goes and gets me something extra. Lunch at school is hit or miss. It's a cube of rice, oiled lettuce, some meat, and something else vegetable/meat/tofu/oil related. And soup that often tastes like salt water, oil, and seaweed. Oh man, are your mouths watering? It's quite the sight when you go up to get your tray and see an entire fish put on it. Or entire slimy prawns (I said no to biting their heads off). At a teacher appreciation dinner, we were served entire boiled chickens. (I also said no..to the people offering and "no, no, no" to the little chicken head staring  up at me).

I know everyone who knew me when I was younger  is gaping at the screen right now.
WHO'S PICKY NOW??
Honestly though, my diet still consists of mainly fried bread things, noodles, and rice. Breakfasts and snacks (and sometimes other meals) are usually cheap dumplings or fried bread off the street. Though I sometimes happen upon roasted corn on the cob and sweet potatoes. Dinners are often rice or noodles at the Muslim noodle place by our house or a number of other small grub joints. Occasionally, I branch out to street skewers, soup on the street, and other fine restaurant fare. Chinese food is great like once a month, but day after day it gets tiring (especially the unholy amounts of oil) and we are all always scoping out ethnic restaurants or pub fare for a change. I have managed to stay away from classic Western fast food. I've only patronized Pizza Hut a few times.. McD's and KFC I stay away from.

a little more refined

the Indian food that nobody managed to get a photo of before devouring