10 things that will shock you about China

I love China--I love the people, the culture and most importantly, the craziness. If you are planning on  going to China, these 10 things will definately shock you about China.

1. Squatters! You don't sit on the toilet, you squat over these squatters! These squatters are considered cleaner than normal sit-on toilets because there's no physical contact with the toilet seat. I had friends telling me they "totally forgot how to pee" using these squatters!

2. No toilet paper! Chinese just simply don't like to provide toilet paper in the bathrooms. So BYWTP-Bring Your Own Toilet Paper! Buy a dozen of napkins and put in your purse at ALL TIMES!

3. No fortune cookies! Nope, there is NO fortune cookies in China! Those little thingy were created in California. So please don't expect fortune cookies in Chinese restaurant, the restaurant owner probably don't even know what that is!

4. People use umbrella even though its not raining! Chinese love their skin pale-it's beauty. Girls pay thousands of dollars in makeup and whitening lotion so their skin would appear whiter. So people used special made umbrellas to block the sun so their pale skin are protected. 

5. Kids wear split pants! Split pants were super popular in the old days when diapers wasn't introduced. Now it has died down a little bit. But you will still see here and there little kids wearing split pants.

6. Girls are holding hands! It's normal for girls to hold hands in China. It's called friendship. Don't think too much! 

7. Funny English signs! Well, at least they are trying. 

8. People mountain people sea! You will know what that means as soon as you landed in China and how accurate that phrase describes the "people situation" in China. China has a lot of people! Just so you know, I am from a medium-sized city of EIGHT MILLION people!

9. Chinese loves to take pictures with foreigners! Chinese think it's so cool to have a picture with people from outside of China. So ready? Say "Cheese"!

10. Crazy Chinese Driving! Remember that one time you were laughing at Asian drivers? Well, now you are back at their hometown. Instead of one Asian driver on the road, there are tons and thousands of them on the road all together! There's no such thing as "check your blindspot" in Chinese driving. It wasn't even taught at driving school(Been there done that)! Everybody only minds their business in the front. I heard people saying that Chinese driving and traffic is kind of like a high school hallway: It looks like a completely chaos from the outside but somehow it works seamlessly.

I hope you are having a wonderful summer and doing all sorts of fun things. Put China on your travel bucket list and I promise you good old China won't let you down!

XOXO,

Mia

Photo Credit: Internet

Favorite Asian Summer BBQ Sauces

I just love summer! Think watermelon, beach, sunshine, most important of all, Barbecue! Food just tastes good on a grill!

Chinese Street BBQ

I got tons of compliments on how good my meat tastes on BBQ parties. These 3 sauces are my secret weapons: Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce, Korean BBQ Bulgogi Marinate and Black Pepper Sauce.

Veri Veri Teriyaki 
I discovered this sauce last summer and now I can't live without it! I love to use it on my Kabobs. This sauce has soy sauce, dried onion, sesame seeds, dried garlic and ginger puree. The combination of these ingredient is simply perfect.

Korean BBQ Bulgogi
Bulgogi (Korean Beef BBQ),  is my favorite Korean dish! Bulgogi sauce has a unique kind of sweetness to it. This sweetness is actually come from Korean pear and apple! It's said on the bottle" Pear and apple puree creates a naturally sweet and fruity flavor, enhancing the tenderness of meat!" How amazing is that! This sauce is great for steak, stir fries or any meat marinating.

Black Pepper Sauce
Black pepper steak has always been my all time favorite! I love the spiciness of the black pepper. This can be used as "a gravy for your favorite steaks and as a condiment for stir-fries and marinades." I also used it to make black pepper chicken wings. So delicious!

What's your favorite BBQ sauce?

XOXO,
Mia

Finger-licking Coke Chicken Wings

Fourth of July is this weekend! This Finger-licking Coke Chicken Wings is perfect for your party! Super easy and super yummy!

Caution: Your whole plate will be gone in less than 5 minutes. Seriously, is that good. 

And yes, we are cooking with coke!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of chicken wings
• 1 bottle of Coke (or Diet Coke)
• 2 tablespoon of olive oil (or regular vegetable oil)
• 2 tablespoon of soy sauce 
• Some sliced ginger 
• Some green onion
• 3-4 Star Anise (you can find these in regular grocery store by hispanic spices section)

Directions:

1. Poke some holes in the chicken wings using a sharp knife. (Allowing better absorbing the flavor)--this can be a great anger management method:)
   
2. Heat the oil in the wok (or regular pan)3. Put ginger, green onion and star anise in the heated oil.
   
   4. Add chicken wings to the wok.
   
   5. Add coke to the wok just enough to immerse the chicken wings. (You don't have to use the whole bottle)
   
   6. Add 2 tablespoon of soy sauce.
   
   7. Put on high heat and let it simmer till the sauce is dense. It takes around 20 minutes.
   
   8. When the sauce is dense and bubbly, remove it from the heat! (We are dealing with sugar here, so always remove the mixture from the heat before your eyes tells you to. Sugar is so easy to burn!)
   
   9. You are all done! Time to enjoy! 
   
   
   Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July weekend! Let me know how you like this easy yummy recipe! I love comments!
   
   
   XOXO, 
   Mia