A Brief Explanation of Beverages (or the lack thereof) in China

Now that I have told you a good bit about what we ate in China, you are probably wondering, “What on earth did they wash it all down with?” Well, let me tell you.

Although I am far from an expert on Chinese beverages, I do have some observations to share. First of all is the conundrum of what people drink while eating dinner. I am an American, which means I am used to large beverages and free refills at almost any restaurant. Even the fanciest little bistros in the U.S. offer free water, and someone is usually roaming to fill your glass at all times. Let it also be known that I am in the habit of drinking a lot of water with dinner – food makes me thirsty!

It is my experience in China, however, that beverages are not so copiously consumed at meal times. Tea is often offered – especially barley tea. I am told that barley tea aids in digestion and helps you feel satisfied sooner. It has a nutty, toasty flavor, and is supposed to be quite good for you. Although it is hard to find in the U.S., it can be bought at some health-food stores – so it must be good for us, right? Green teas were also served with some meals. At some special occasions we were given wine glasses filled with juice or some other kind of fruit beverage (watermelon, plum). None of the dinners we were treated to featured alcohol, although we were offered it twice. When we asked our hosts if they were having any, they told us they were not, so we also refrained. Alcohol is consumed in China – beer, wine, spirits – but I am under the impression that this habit is not as wide-spread as in Europe and North America.

Even though beverages were consumed at meal times, I noticed that the waitress was refilling my glass or cup more often than everyone else’s. The weather in Chongqing is hot and the food is hotter, so this struck me as a little strange. I felt like I was thirsty all the time, and was mystified as I watched the Chinese take little sips from their hot tea as I glugged down glass after glass of tea, water, juice – you name it. But then I noticed something interesting. A feature that most meals in China do have is a bowl of soup or broth. After eating some of the dryer dishes our Chinese friends would often put some of this into their bowl and drink it – ah ha! I don’t know that this totally answers my question as to how the Chinese adequately hydrate themselves, but it seemed to be a valuable clue.

(As a note, one of our hosts did tell us that he believes that drinking with a meal dilutes the acid in the stomach and makes it harder for us to digest our food – a very interesting point.)

To be continued….