My Stomach’s Weekend in Hangzhou (杭州)

November 10, 2010

Last week, a friend of mine frantically called me with a captivating piece of information. No, she wasn’t relaying news from home or a local headline. The recent office drama wasn’t worthy of a mention, either. Instead, she felt compelled to share a recent development in the Hangzhou culinary scene: The Toilet Restaurant.

In most places, the grouping of toilets and food is not exactly appealing. In China, I was certain that it would be a recipe for gag reflexes and la duzi (拉肚子, or diarrhea). After all, while my stomach does grumble when I’m hungry, squatters and open troughs seem to result in a whole different series of stomach pains. I was not only disinterested, but nauseous.

My friend, Amanda, quickly offered clarification, sharing an article with amusing photos of customers who appeared to be both happy and full:

I was sold.
Our friend Jake was sold.
Amanda had always been sold.

Just a few hours later, after reserving a hostel room and purchasing train tickets, I searched for The Toilet Restaurant’s Hangzhou address. When my browsing was unsuccessful, I sent an email to the restaurant’s website. A man abruptly responded with devastating news: “抱歉我们目前还没有分店在杭州” (“Baoqian women muqian hai meiyou fendian zai Hangzhou”, or “I’m sorry, we presently don’t have a branch in Hangzhou”). The article that had started it all was, quite simply, wrong. Believe me, my disappointment was not alleviated by the triumph of translating this message with my handy dictionary.

Of course, the lack of a bizarre dining experience couldn’t deter our weekend plans. Hangzhou is a popular tourist destination, revered by visitors and locals for its beautiful scenery. Not only does it flaunt endless acres of tea forests, but it is also home to the West Lake (西湖, or Xi Hu). Toilet Restaurant or not, this city was highly ranked on my travel to-do list.

This lake's breathtaking views even landed it a spot on the back of China's one yuan (元) bill!

Upon arriving in the city, we spent hours roaming through its street markets. Qinhefang Market (清河坊路), a historic street flanked by Ming and Qing Dynasty houses, offers countless trinket shops and food vendors. We slipped into the stream of Chinese tourists, and ended up with some adorable purchases and delicious snacks.

Qinhefang Market: by day...

...and by night!

Knife-and-fork chopsticks

Personalized phone charms

Glassblown phone charms

Chinese paintings

How did I ever live without paws?

鬼菜煎饼, or guicai jianbing: a Chinese burrito!

Pineapple fried rice, the way it should be

龙须糖, or dragon whisker sweets: chewy candy with a peanut filling

南宋定胜糕, or nansong dingsheng gao: a spongy and relatively flavorless cake

Believe it or not, we managed to find even more stomach space for some of the city’s well-known delicacies throughout the weekend: chicken wrapped in lotus leaves and baked in clay, tofu-wrapped bamboo shoots (though not the exact dish recommended by Lonely Planet and my neighbor), and 东坡肉 (dongpo rou, or fatty pork slices flavored with Shaoxing wine).

And, well, judge all you want: sometimes an expat needs a break from local cuisine and chopsticks.

We even squeezed some sightseeing in between our Hangzhou feasting. For the second time in China, I opted to tour by bike. And for the second time, I was not disappointed.

On the same day as the New York City marathon, we got a chance to see the annual Hangzhou marathon! Apparently, though, this city doesn't support blocking traffic and pedestrians from the runners' paths.

Biking through the city’s outskirts offered the optimal perspective; the scenery truly epitomized what I’d imagined prior to arriving in this country.

We visited the acreage of China’s National Tea Museum…

…then headed to a local tea village for a sampling of the leaves.

We passed local butcher shops’ “display cases”…

… affectionate Chinese children …

… a bamboo forest…

… and a romantic sunset.

Finally, as the weekend drew to a close, we made our way to the famed West Lake. Sitting on a bench by the water, I was overwhelmed by the view. It’s true that the appeal of many tourist destinations do seem to be exaggerated; I can honestly say, however, that the West Lake lives up to its reputation.

At the end of the weekend, we hadn’t eaten dinner on a toilet or tasted Shaoxing-braised bamboo shoots. Sometimes, trips don’t turn out exactly according to plan; this never means a city isn’t worth a visit. As I reflected on Hangzhou’s happenings during the bus ride back to Shanghai, I couldn’t help but feel a stir of excitement in my stomach: in just a few weeks, I will have months and months of traveling to enjoy. Even if I eat every meal on a regular old chair, I can’t wait.