Just in case you were wondering, we aren’t in any danger of starving to death. Food is a major element of the culture here, and we’re happy to participate in any way possible. Restaurants are plentiful and relatively cheap. We’ve even realized our goal of having a favorite noodle shop already.

Before coming, everybody was telling us how incredibly hot and spicy the food in Chengdu was. I may be about to jinx myself, but here’s a big secret: It’s not that spicy! Or let me rephrase that - if you’re used to spicy food (think Pueblo green chili, Indian food, etc.), it’s not that spicy. A few dishes that induce forehead sweat and hiccups, to be sure, but nothing so hot as to be inedible as of yet...

...Unless, of course, you happen to be one of the three fifth of our family members who is aged six or under. Then, Sichuan cuisine presents more of a challenge. We have had several meals where, between the three of them, our kids have eaten a grand total of two small bowls of white rice, three raw cucumber slices, two scoops of corn fried in egg, and one greasy piece of pork soaked in a glass of water.

Fortunately, there are several solutions. Sichuan places do offer some non-spicy dishes, so at lunch, our group has had a steady stream of tofu soup, the aforementioned corn fried in egg batter, greasy potato strips, and so on. There are also many Muslim restaurants, including our favorite noodle shop, that specialize in lamb and (non-spicy) noodle dishes. Other restaurants sell jiaozi (potsticker-type dumplings), which everyone likes but Zekey. When all else fails, we raid the grocery stalls for a wholesome old-fashioned meal of yogurt, peanuts, bananas, and bubble tea smoothies.

There is so much more to write about (for example, the first time we ordered in Chinese by ourselves!), so watch this space for much more on the wide wide universe of food in China...