I have mixed reactions for China - I loved it as much as I hated it! But I think, I loved it more than I hated it.
There are many reasons why Street Food is particularly enjoyable!! I never miss a chance to eat at the food stalls lining the streets - anywhere I go or sometimes even in my hometown India - that practically serves up thousands of varieties of it! Okay, more often than not, related issues like upset stomach does occur, but I have survived - and has thousands of people before me.
On my first solo international travel, I did have several thoughts of eating at places I didn't know about (A Sheldon Cooper Syndrome perhaps!), but once I took the first bite of street-Phad Thai in a dingy street at Backpackers Street in Bangkok (Khao San Road), I was sold on this concept.
And since then I made considerable global advancement - but this habit stayed. I have grazed the side walks of various countries - from South East Asia to Africa and countries in between - and yet I crave for more. I might add here that eating cassava and (acidic) fish procured from Lake Manyara in Mosquito River Town, Tanzania, was probably the worst - but it was really the fish that had gone bad - not the process of making it that caused considerable discomfort. Here is why I think street food rocks -- It always tastes better than restaurant food
- It is definitely cheaper
- It is fun to watch the cooking process - the smoke the flavours rising out of the not-so-clean wok or pan
- The chaos around adds to the charm - especially when you don't speak their language or cannot identify the food item
- You don't need to worry about how you eat, where you eat and if you are dressed for it!
- You can choose your flavours - the flavours actually reflect the culture
- Most of what you eat is "authentic", very local and never gets served at restaurants - it often becomes that "distinct mark" that makes you feel as though you are really in a different place (restaurant food can be so similar!)
It is strange how we as humans (though we like to call ourselves invincible adventurists) feel the need to bond with another human - and how it puts us back on track!