I'd have to say my experience differs from Mouldy's recount.

One of my absolute favourites was the sweet and sour fish on the lazy susan, with the skin scored in a cross hatch so that you can pick up the tasty bite-sized morsels with your chopsticks (howver, I learned quickly that in China and even more so Korea, those not adept at chopsticks should not wear white clothes). They will give you a fork though, in most places serving Westerners, if you ask.

I did not find the people at all "wary". I never felt uncomfortable or unsafe or "watched". Well, maybe "watched": I would draw stares from all around (I'm quite tall, with long fair hair [whitening slowly] and a beard, and this certainly engendered curiosity if not outright stares when I walked the streets). When we went to a theme park, there were even two young Chinese women who wanted their pictures taken along side of me; they're probably regaling friends with tales of the rock-star they met right now. . . . But I never thought the government was keeping tabs on me.

The chicken feet were not my favourite, but they were OK. Dim sum there is to die for. As is the Szechan hot pot (which may also kill the faint-palated as well).

An interesting country. I'd say many problems, but also more potential than some others I've seen.

Cheers,

-- Arne Langsetmo