Imagine walking down a crowded street packed with parked bicycles…traffic jams…friends holding hands…an abundance of individuals on cell phones…various street vendors…trendy and stylish shops…and the aroma of freshly cooked food.  Where do you picture yourself?  My reality is a street in Nanjing, China, where I lived for 5 months.

As a first-timer traveling outside the U.S. on a Purdue internship abroad program, I was filled with emotions as I walked down streets like this, asking myself if China would turn out to be a good destination for me.  How would I adapt to life here?  Little did I know that my time in China would be extraordinary, the experience of a lifetime that I relive time and time again.   

One feature that stood out to me and made China unique was the cuisine.  From the quick-service markets at the side of the road to the upscale restaurants in the cities, I have never seen any other place that could measure up to the variety and excellence of China’s cuisine.

Sometimes my colleagues and I would stroll down the street from the hotel where our internship was based to a small barbeque stand a few blocks away.  The smell of seasoned chicken, beef, and a few other less familiar items would instantly have us yearning for a taste, our mouths watering. Three sticks of roasted meat was our typical order.   

My favorite encounter with Chinese cuisine occurred at a restaurant two hours from Nanjing.  The five other Purdue students, my two sponsors, our bus driver and I sat down for what we thought would be a typical pleasant lunch.  With the help of the driver, our sponsors ordered a wide variety of dishes.  There were fifteen or twenty different items, including cold dishes, meats, noodles, vegetables, rice, crabs, soup, you name it, on a Lazy Susan. 

But one dish was covered, and this intrigued me and the other Purdue students.  When the waitress removed the lid, we were a little let down to see that it was nothing more than a bowl of shrimp. But a second later, the contents of the bowl began to move – the shrimp were alive!  The bus driver grabbed a few with his chopsticks and began chowing down.  One of the shrimp jumped out of the pot and I thought it was going to land on my plate.  I jumped back from the table and started screaming.  Needless to say, the waitress took that dish away.   

Overall, China’s cuisine amazed me.  I went there with the thought of being a vegetarian, but I think I left 10 lbs heavier from enjoying the intriguing and delicious foods that I found.  Before I left, I made sure to pick up a few recipe books.  I hope to be able to recreate my culinary experiences back home, even if it is with an American twist.  

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- Lindsay Vaughn is a graduating senior in Hotel & Tourism Management.  She took part in the Fall 2005 China Internship and Study Abroad Program, in Nanjing, China. 

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For more information please contact: lmvaughn@purdue.edu

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