Where is Roberg?

Peking Duck or KFC?
I am not much of a food connoisseur and rarely care what I eat, but being in a different country is, well, different.  One of the things I always try to do is go to an “authentic” restaurant in each country I visit (instead of normal street food or food cooked by the hostel I’m staying at) to try the local cuisine.  Tonight, I decided to head to a restaurant that was recommended by two separate travel books with a friend I met today.  His travel book said that the restaurant had some of the best Peking Duck in Beijing for under $15, so off we went in search of “real” Chinese food in Beijing.

After a 15 minute subway ride, we hopped into a taxi and called the restaurant so that they could give our driver directions.  Twenty minutes of slow moving traffic later, we arrived to find a very nice restaurant with fairly well-dressed and wealthy-looking clientele.  I had a bad feeling about this, so suggested we look at a menu first.  As the hostess led us further into the restaurant we saw high ceilings, chandeliers, and big tables with lots of Chinese patrons, which was a good sign about the food, but a bad sign about the price.  When the waitress brought out the menu, it was over an inch thick!  As we flipped through, we saw all kinds of gourmet meals:  the kind that barely fill the plate, taste out of this world, and empty your wallet all at the same time.

After browsing, we asked about the Peking duck.  The waitress proceeded to turn the page to that showed a beautiful platter of finely carved Peking Duck.  Below was the price of 210 yuan, which calculates to $28.  Considering that the average meal in an average restaurant cost at most 50 yuan ($8) and my average train ticket for an eight hour trip including a bed for the night has cost about 140 yuan ($20) , it was immediate sticker shock.

We decided to give up and try to find a cheaper alternative closer to the hostel.  On the way back, however, I started to think about it.  If I was out to a really nice dinner and ordered a steak, I probably would pay $20.  Was it really that much more expensive to pay $28 for what was reputed to be the best Peking Duck in the whole city?  Did I just give up on a great experience because I had become accustomed to Chinese prices for everything (40 cents for a ride on a subway, 15 cents for a bus ride, 25 cents for a bottle of water and 50 cents for a soda) instead of seeing it as a terrific opportunity that might cost a little more?

I started to regret the decision a little bit.  But I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I was wrong and convince my friend to go back.  Instead, I decided that I had to have another great experience to replace the one I had missed.  As we emerged from the subway, the answer struck me like a sign from heaven.

Well, it wasn’t exactly from heaven… it was more like a sign from a bespeckled  old man from Kentucky with a funny little beard.  I had seen KFC all over China, and had long ago decided that I would make a pilgrimage there before I left, since it’s the most common fast food restaurant in the country, often with multiple locations within a mile of the city center.  As I emerged from the subway tunnel, the white and red sign with the picture of the benevolent colonel seemed to beckon to me.

When I explained to my friend what I had in mind, he admitted with a heavy guilt that is sounded really good, but that he was going to head back to the hostel.  I was going to have to substitute Peking Duck with KFC chicken all on my own.

As I entered the gleaming, spacious KFC, I scanned the menu for the familiar offerings.  I was slightly surprised to find that there were no wings, thighs, and chicken breasts to be seen.  There were pictures that looked like fried chicken on rolls and other unfamiliar choices.  And then I saw it… the Seven Shrimp Burger!  Now this was a local specialty that I had to try.

I ordered a #5 meal (which looked like a chicken on a bun, fries, and soda) to accompany my Seven Shrimp Burger and paid a total of 39.5 yuan ($5.50).  As I bit into the “chicken” on a bun, I found that it wasn’t chicken at all - at least as far as I could tell.  As I looked at the inside of the fried exterior, I saw a kernel of corn, a piece of carrot, and some white gelatinous material that didn’t taste like anything I knew, though it didn’t taste bad.  Finishing the unknown sandwich, I finally decided that I was ready to try the Seven Shrimp Burger.

Unsure of what to think about eating shrimp in a KFC (do the Chinese know that KFC stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken, and if so, would most of them even know where Kentucky is?), I bit into the Seven Shrimp Burger with the bravery borne of eating many meals made of unknown ingredients.  The first impression was not too bad, though the bun and the fried outer coating overwhelmed the taste of what was contained within.  The second and third bites were much more revealing, and I was pleasantly surprised.  The shrimp was tasty and had a normal texture - not too rubbery but not too liquidy either (I know liquidy isn’t a word, but it fits - I guess I could never be a professional food critic).  As I looked at the shrimp within, they even looked ‘normal’.

As I enjoyed the sandwich, I thought about the irony of sitting in a Beijing KFC eating a shrimp burger after having given up on the best Peking Duck in Beijing.  What kind of choice had I made?!  The answer was …

the kind of choice that makes a good story.   If there’s anything I’ve learned from traveling and making “tough” choices, it’s that some of the worst choices and awkward situations turn out to make some of the best stories for later on.  So don’t be afraid to splurge on the Peking Duck during a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Beijing… but if you choose not to, I’m sure there is a KFC right around the corner.

Filed under: CHINA, Travel