Lost & Found: My Shanghai food adventures are coming to an end...

...obviously since I only have a week left here...and I don't think I want to continue trying the snacks here, as I will later explain:

I tried two more of the chip snacks here, this time both made by Cheetos. The first was Turkey flavoured. First, I should say that the standard "Cheetos" here are in the same form as the "Cheetos Crunchy" in Canada (but different in texture), but cheese flavour is not the standard here. Did the Cheetos actually taste like turkey? Not even close...the best way I could describe the flavour and texture are as almost identical to "Humpty Dumpty Rings" in Canada...so if you've tried them before, you'll understand how completely off the flavour is. The second flavour I tried was strawberry!...yea, strawberry flavoured Cheestos! Except they didn't come in the usual Cheetos form we're used to Canada, they were in the exact same form and texture as the Corn Pops cereal. It definitely was sweet, but the best description I could give is salty "fake strawberry" flavour...quite strange. But now to get to why I won't be trying any more chips...I recently found out that all the chips here had a NINE month expiration date...imagine the amount of preservatives they use (definitely can't be health for you)!

I went to the Domino's to try their pizza. I can definitely understand why I was only the second table in the entire restaurant that night: compared to Pizza Hut here (which usually is quite busy from what I've seen), the selections are less varied and the prices are a little higher. But they still carry the same great Domino's quality I've had in Canada. I didn't get to try any new flavour though. Their menu doesn't have any English (like Pizza Hut does)...I planned to order the Tuna pizza, but I must have pointed to the wrong item on the menu, because I ended up with a meat lover's type pizza haha. I also went to visit another Pizza Hut the other night. This time, I tried their "Surf n Turf" pizza with stuffed crust, and it was delicious...way better than Pizza Hut in Canada (and surprisingly not as oily). Half the pizza was the "surf" - fake crab meat, shrimp, corn, and green peppers - and the other half was the "turf" - basil sausage (quite tasty), pepperoni, chicken, red peppers, and onions - all served in cheese and tomato sauce. Very very tasty! And the stuffed crust was great, very cheesy! But they make the stuffed crust in a different design here compared to that found in Canada...I'll be sure to post pictures of it when I can!

I've also been continuing to visit the local specialty drink shop near the school from time to time (the place where I can buy "bubble tea" and the likes). There is so much variety, so I've been trying to try a different flavour each time. Yesterday I tried "Lemon honey tea with aloe"...how does aloe taste? Well quite sweet in the drink, with a texture similar to that of a citrus fruit...I didn't think you could even eat aloe? But besides the great drinks and awesome tapioca, the price of course is cheap! An average of $1 CDN for their drinks, the most expensive being about $1.33 CDN! Sure beats the overpriced, overrated "specialty bubble tea shops" in Toronto!

Some of you might be wondering why I haven't really been saying much about the Chinese food here hahaha. I'm sure the question that comes to mind is, 'Is it more "authentic" here (compared to that in Canada)?' Truthfully? No, there is no real difference to most of the Chinese (non-Westernized...so I'm not talking about places like Spring Rolls) restaurants in Toronto and the GTA. Besides the food being more oily here, the lack of vegetables served, the overcooking of the vegetables that are served, and the tendency for meats to be cooked to medium, there is no real difference. There may be slight differences in textures in certain food, but nothing noticeable enough to be worth mentioning. So if you like eating Chinese food, you're not missing much in Toronto and the GTA (in fact it's definitely healthier since the restaurants in Canada tend to use less oil, don't overcook the veggies as much, and cook the meats a bit more well-done)!

UPDATE: