Returning to School… and the UDCC

It’s about that time of year again. I have to come back from wherever I am in the word to Ames Iowa, back to the same old place with the same old food. I just have to write this, as I think it three times a day six times per week while dining in the UDCC, MWL commons, or even Oak-Elm. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a hamburger and fries every once in awhile, and eating Iowa State pizza isn’t the worst thing in the world. However to tell you all the truth the food is nothing compared to that found in Asia. I have been to China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore and of all of those countries the biggest variety can be found in Singapore. Singapore boasts food from all of the above plus Malaysia and India.  Second in line would be China. Depending on where you are in China, you will find a different culture and a different taste. My personal favorite is the food of Guangdong, that is southeastern China. Hong Kong especially boasts some great ‘dian xin’, also known as dimsum. The most flavorful award goes to Sichuan, because in Sichuan food is so spicy it puts American ‘spicy’ to shame. In the north east, or ‘beifang’, you can enjoy noodles and ‘jiao zi’ dumplings. In Shanghai, you should try the ‘xiaolongbao’ , it is a type of dimsum that is filled with soup. Now having the most vareity doesn’t mean having the best food, and the best food award also goes to … China. The healthiest food award goes to Japan, since eating raw fish is obviously healthy as long as they don’t have mercury poisoning. All of Japanese food is healthy except for Tempura and Pufferfish, which could be deadly if cut the wrong way. Korean food is also great because for one, I love Kim Chi. Kim Chi is mouthwatering garlic and chili covered cabbage. Korean food also boasts some great teppanyaki style steak. Basically you get raw beef strips, which you can cook yourself and then put in lettuce and mix with sauce and eat.