WEIRD CHINESE CAFETERIA FOOD

Experience with university cafeteria food can be a mixed bag. Some may have had the luxury of enjoying gourmet meals in the swanky parts of their university. But unlike those with unlimited financial backing from their sponsors, most of us have to stay nourished on a shoestring budget.

Fortunately, Chinese university cafeterias offer a wide range of dishes all at a low cut price. Students regularly chow down on a couple of dishes with rice and soup for between ten and twenty RMB (~ US 1.5 to US 2.9 )

Of course with cheap dishes, prices may have to be paid in other ways. It could be the result of some innovative kitchen experimenting or just the need to utilize expiring products, but here are some of the weird dishes that students have found being served in their cafeterias. You may or may not want to try them based on your level of hunger, curiosity, and masochism.

WATERMELON, BANANA

Separately, these two fruits are almost unmatched in their innuendo capabilities. However, together, and when cooked in a greyish stew, their attractiveness sharply declines.

As for taste? One can only imagine.

SWEETCORN, GRAPES

Visually, this dish is probably the most appealing out of all the ones included in this list. Flavor-wise it probably wins as well. The sweetness of the corn and the grapes juices make for an enticing combination. Let’s just hope the grapes aren’t too sour.

ORANGES, MEAT

The oranges look like they are more a relish sprinkled on afterwards, which make it more conventionally acceptable. However, just looking at these two together often causes reactions from the digestive tract.

CHICKEN HEADS

A fairly boring inclusion, given that Chinese eat chicken heads anyway.

But just chicken heads? That’s pretty rare.

Also just the way that this dish is displayed is pretty hilarious.

ORANGES, CUCUMBER, FRIED FISH, EGGS, BANANA, TOMATOES

This fairly colorful dish is visually comparable to sweet and sour pork. A fact that has probably led many a student to order such a dish, believing it to be some variant.

However, closer inspection of the ingredients leads to a unanimous sigh of confusion. Simply by excluding two or three of these ingredients would improve the edibility exponentially.

MOONCAKE, TOMATOES

A festive dish perhaps? Or maybe they simply overestimated that year’s mooncake demand. Either way, the combination is too extreme for conventional tastebuds.

However, one has to admire the addition of parsley/cilantro to increase its visual appeal. Almost fooled me.

Source: theworldofchinese