Why do Chinese tourists abroad refuse to sample local cuisine?(2)

Critics encourage Chinese tourists to be more open-minded about sampling local cuisines and learning about local food cultures when traveling. (Photo: GT/Li Hao)

Close-minded Chinese eaters

Wang said that Chinese travelers were more insistent on eating food from home than travelers from anywhere else in the world.

He said that on one occasion, while traveling through Russia with a tour group, the members of the group insisted on driving two hours back to a Chinese restaurant where they had lunch, just so they could have Chinese food again for dinner.

"We always say that Chinese food is the best in the world, but this kind of mindset is wrong," said Wang.

"More than 30 countries have [local variations] of dumplings. How can we say that Chinese-style dumplings are the best in the world [without having tried the others]?"

He noted that the regional bias of Chinese travelers applied not only internationally, but also domestically, with frequent arguments over regional variations of dishes such as whether zongzi (rice dumplings) should be sweet or salty, or what kind of fillings should be inside mooncakes.

Li Yang, a Beijing-based businessman in his 30s, said that whenever he goes traveling with his parents, who are from Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, he would have to bring an assortment of foodstuffs from their hometown, such as noodles and pickles.

"They want to eat Chinese food and sometimes we have to drive a long way to find a place," he said. "In particular, they want to eat Cantonese dishes, like blanched Chinese kale."

Wang said that younger generations of Chinese travelers, who have grown up being exposed to more diverse cuisines, were generally more open-minded, but those in the middle-age and older tended to be set in their eating habits.

Appealing to Chinese appetites

During an official visit to the Maldives last September, it was widely reported that President Xi Jinping exhorted his countrymen to "Eat less instant noodles and more local seafood."

With the travel industry eager to capitalize on the growing number of Chinese travelers, Xi's call has been heeded, in a manner of speaking.

Domestically, travel agencies have been offering group tours abroad that promise to provide Chinese catering.

In addition, last August, the Associated Press reported that in certain popular destinations for Chinese, local business people were making an effort to meet tourists' desire for food from home by providing things like congee on breakfast menus.

While such measures arguably help prevent Chinese travelers from resorting to instant noodles, and make use of local ingredients, the fact remains that Chinese people are eating Chinese food abroad.

Wang spoke out against such business strategies, saying that while it might appeal to some tourists, particularly those in the older generations, it also meant that tourists were missing out on an essential part of the experience of traveling.

"Food is an important part of any foreign culture," said Wang.

"A lot of older people might think that it's great [to be able to eat only Chinese food abroad], but ultimately, they're losing out."

Wang suggested that rather than providing ways for Chinese travelers to more easily have access to Chinese food while abroad, travel agencies and tourism boards should try to educate travelers about foreign food cultures to make them more palatable.

Yao however, was not convinced. She said that upon returning to China, she had a greater appreciation for Chinese food than ever before, and even found the food at her work canteen which she used to hate to be "delicious."

Having not taken any Chinese foodstuffs with her on her trip to the US last year, she said that for her next trip abroad, she would consider bringing Chinese-style buns with her.

"Food is an important part of the experience of traveling abroad. But sometimes, you find that [the local cuisine] is not to your taste, and you just yearn for something that is familiar and that you like," said Yao.

"Thank God America has a developed Chinese food industry and lots of Chinese restaurants!" she said.