Being a tourist in China, one needs to balance between being careful about what you eat and enjoying your whole vacation. You don’t want to seem overly obsessive about sanitation. At the same time, you don’t want to be careless altogether and end up with unbearable stomach aches in your hotel room. Well, you just need to follow these helpful tips and you will be able to enjoy both the sceneries and cuisine in China.

Drinking Water in Hotels

Hotels usually provide guests with free bottled water for drinking and mouth hygiene. Bigger hotels usually have a sign in the bathroom indicating that the tap water is not potable. However, even in the absence of this notice, always assume that tap water is unsafe for drinking without boiling it first.

Drinking Water in Restaurants

Most restaurants have bottled water on the menu. Sometimes, it can be expensive (e.g. Evian or San Pellegrino), with the price around US $1 for 350 ml. If you are creative enough, you will be able to ask for free water from the restaurant. Proceed to the next item.

How to Order Drinking Water in a Restaurant:                       

First of all, you need to know that water in restaurants usually come from bottled Chinese drinking water. Here are a few phrases you should learn:

• Bing shui, pronounced “bing shway,” is water with ice;
• Kai shui, pronounced “kye shway,” is boiled water and it will be served hot;
• He shui, pronounced “huh shway,” is drinking water and it will likely be served hot or warm as Chinese believe it is unhealthy to drink cold water.

Drinking Water Here and There

If you are out and about, you can buy bottled water that is safe to drink from convenience stores everywhere. Or, drink stalls on many street corners are your second option. Convenience stores may have Evian or other imported brands, but if you want it cheaper, Chinese bottled waters are equally safe. Just make sure that the cap seal is intact if you are buying from a suspicious looking vendor.

General Precautions for Drinking

Follow the general rule: If the food has been standing out for a while, wasn’t cooked well, isn’t fresh or could have been washed in contaminated water, do your best to stay clear of it. Still, there are circumstances wherein you are not aware of the method your food was prepared. In that case, continue reading.

Eating Street Foods

Sampling street food in China could be one of the best parts of your vacation. It’s a shame if you skipped out on it for fear of getting sick. Usually, street food is the freshest available. The vendors prepare it quickly while you wait, so you don’t have to worry about your food sitting out in the heat. If you see people lining up for snacks on a food street, this is a good sign that the stall has a good reputation. Still, it is best to avoid meat snacks at the peak of summer and snacks that include anything raw. But dumplings, pancakes, and fried stuff are well recommended.

Dining in Restaurants

Chinese believe that fresh is best, so don’t be surprised if the waiter approaches you with a wriggling plastic bag containing the fish you ordered. He wants you to see it before it arrives at your table cooked. However, this is a case to case basis. Not all restaurants and orders come with this. To be safe, try recommendations or places that look busy.

The bottom line is, you have to keep a good balance between being a vigilant diner and a voracious eater. Have a safe dining experience in China!

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