Taking a culinary tour of China, without ever leaving Beijing, by Ann Mah

In Beijing, it is possible to taste China’s panoply of regional cuisines without ever leaving the city. Each of the country’s 22 provinces and five autonomous areas have representative offices in Beijing and almost all offer eateries that serve the dishes of their regions … Those seeking to recreate the meals at home can combine a lunch out with a shopping trip. Most government restaurants also have stores that sell hard-to-find ingredients from their regions … in spite of the authentic food available, dining at state-run restaurants has a downside: absolutely no ambiance and poor service.

I’m hip to the provincial rep. office restaurants, and so is Bill.

Related: The Great Restaurant Hop, by Jen Lin-Liu (December 31, 2004)