A Summary of Local Eating Habits#

Most people in Foshan have three meals a day, but the timing and size can vary.

Breakfast (早茶 - Zǎo Chá or 早餐 - Zǎo Cān): This is often eaten between 7 am and 9 am. A very popular option, especially if people have more time, is having ‘Morning Tea’ (早茶). This involves drinking tea and eating various dim sum dishes. On regular weekdays, though, a quick breakfast is more common. This could be congee (rice porridge), noodles in soup, steamed buns, or sometimes rice rolls.

Lunch (午餐 - Wǔ Cān): Usually eaten around 12 pm to 1:30 pm. For people working or studying, lunch is often eaten outside at local restaurants or canteens. It’s usually a balanced meal with rice and maybe two or three dishes – perhaps a meat or fish dish, a vegetable dish, and sometimes a soup.

Dinner (晚餐 - Wǎn Cān): This is the main family meal, typically eaten between 6 pm and 8 pm. It’s common for families to cook dinner at home. Dinner is usually more substantial than lunch, with multiple dishes shared among everyone at the table, plus rice. Soup is almost always part of dinner.

Common Home-Cooked Meals vs. Street Food#

Home cooking in Foshan is about freshness and balance. Families often cook steamed fish, stir-fried greens (like gai lan or choi sum), steamed chicken, maybe a slow-cooked soup, and a stir-fry with pork or beef. Steaming is very popular because it keeps flavors light and natural. Ingredients are often bought fresh from the market that day.

Street food or eating out is very common for breakfast and lunch, and sometimes dinner if someone is busy or wants a treat. Besides morning tea with dim sum, you can find noodle stalls selling wonton noodles or beef brisket noodles, shops selling congee, or places offering simple rice dishes with toppings. Street food here isn’t always about grabbing food on the street while walking; it’s more about small, quick, local eateries.

Local Ingredients or Spices People Use#

Foshan food uses lots of fresh stuff. Since we’re close to the sea and rivers, seafood is very important – fresh fish, shrimp, crabs. Fresh vegetables are everywhere; markets are full of leafy greens, gourds, and roots. Pork and chicken are staple meats.

For flavoring, the key is often subtlety. We use soy sauce (light and dark), oyster sauce, ginger, garlic, spring onions, Shaoxing wine, and a little sugar to balance flavors. Unlike some other parts of China, you won’t find heavy chili or lots of spices in traditional Foshan cooking. The aim is to let the natural taste of the ingredients shine. Dried seafood like dried scallops or shrimp is often used to add deep, savory flavors to soups and stews.

Traditional Dishes Eaten During Festivals or Weekends#

Weekends, especially Sunday, are often when families gather for ‘Morning Tea’ (早茶 - Zǎo Chá). This is a long, relaxed meal with many small dishes of dim sum like siu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings), har gow (shrimp dumplings), char siu bao (BBQ pork buns), and various pastries and fried items.

During festivals, special dishes are made. For Chinese New Year, families might have a large feast with symbolic dishes like fish (symbolizing abundance), chicken, and sometimes poon choi (盆菜), a large layered dish with many different expensive ingredients. Mid-Autumn Festival means eating mooncakes. Dragon Boat Festival involves eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings wrapped in leaves).

Popular Snacks or Drinks#

Snacks aren’t usually eaten between meals as much as in some Western cultures, but there are popular options. Sweet soups (糖水 - Tong Sui) are common desserts or late-night snacks. These can be red bean soup, green bean soup, or something with fruits like mango sago. Pastries are also popular, like egg tarts or wife cakes (lo po beng).

For drinks, tea is essential, both with meals and throughout the day. Herbal tea (liang cha - 凉茶), which is supposed to be cooling for the body, is also very popular, especially in the hot weather. Sugary drinks and fruit juices are also readily available.

Cultural Food Taboos or Unique Rituals#

There are a few simple customs around eating. It’s considered bad luck to stick your chopsticks straight up in your rice bowl, as it looks like incense offered to the dead. When someone pours tea for you, it’s polite to tap your fingers on the table (this is called kowtow with your fingers). When sharing dishes, people use their own chopsticks or serving chopsticks provided. It’s good manners to offer food to older people first and make sure everyone’s rice bowls are full. Finishing everything on your plate is generally good, but leaving a tiny bit can sometimes signal that your host provided plenty – depends on the situation! Also, tipping isn’t traditional in most local restaurants.