Spolit for choice and still wanting more

The food here is good. Really, really good. First class. Sichuanese cuisine is certainly living up to its reputation as one of the best amongst “The Eight Culinary Traditions of China” (The provincial capital Chengdu was the first municipality in Asia to be declared by UNESCO as a "City of Gastronomy"). The cravings have, however, stared.

Yesterday, in a slightly drunken haze, all I could think of was meat heavy with saturated fat, laced with dairy products, served in a way that does not require cutlery to consume. In this highly lactose intolerant nation with preference for white meat, these delicacies will not be easy to track down. Burgers, burritos, cheese, beer with an alcohol content higher than 3.3%, Guinness. All there things and more I desire, but currently they are out of reach. Self pity is not an option, as I knew exactly what I was signing up for when I opted to move to a small provincial city. The peculiar part of it is that these items (other than the booze) fairly rarely constitute a part of my daily diet.

The Chinese have a perception, gained form television and Hollywood I assume, that us Westerners survive on a diet of food that could have come straight from a McDonalds menu. I feel slightly guilty about lending some credence to this notion.