Report from Asia--Chinese Food

Right now I'm in Penang, Malaysia, an old East India Company port city on the Straits of Malacca. It's a mostly Chinese city. Or at least the part I'm staying in. I've been trying to eat mostly at street stalls. Here of course they are Chinese street stalls. Unlike in Thailand, I have no idea what I am eating. It will be noodle based or something but I probably know what 1/2 of the ingredients are. Kind of scary.

I've also given up my vegetarianism for this trip. At home, you really aren't missing much by not eating meat I think. Here you would be. You could do it, but you would be eating almost entirely at hotels for westerners where you would be paying significantly more for food of far less quality. That sounds lose-lose to me. Of course, you would probably have some idea of what you were putting into your body.