We went on two tours today. The first was of the city planning area. This was interesting because they talked about how Tianjin has been split into districts for specific reasons and how they intend to continue to build Tianjin to expand and grow.
The next was the Master Kong food company. Here they crank out cup noodles like it's no one's business. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in the factory area, but it was definitely mind boggling to see. I can understand why instant noodles can be so 'cheap' now. I'm surprised as to how much quality control goes into the product, though... but I suppose it is required for something that gets so massively produced for ingestion.
It occurred to me today that through everyone's different cultural backgrounds, foods can seem exotic or natural to them. Having grown up in a Chinese household, most of the foods we have eaten here are commonplace for me. While I am still able to try new things, I am finding that I have already tasted most of the things that are 'out of the ordinary' for the other students. I find it interesting that, despite being raised in America, I still can find my roots on the other side of the world.
Every culture also seems to put emphasis on different kinds of food. In America, there are countless types of burgers (among other foods). From the type of meat used in the burger, to its preparation, to the way it is cooked. Here in China, that can also be said about noodles. While at Master Kong's, we saw the different product innovations developed for just instant noodles. There are different flavors, packaging styles, and cooking methods for pretty much the same product. You can cook it in a pot, the microwave, or even just put boiling water in a pre-prepared cup. The noodles may also be served in a soup, or some packaging allows you to cook it then easily poor out the liquid for the noodles to be served 'dry'. Each culture seems to emphasize specific foods that they prefer, and innovate various different ways to cook those foods.
Here are the highlight pictures of the day:
Mini city scape
Group picture at the city planning place
Monica in front of Master Kong
Group waiting in the food testing area
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