Suzhou Food: Why SO Sweet?! 🥹🥹🥹 Send Savory Snacks, STAT!
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I've just spent three days in Suzhou; overall, it was terrific!
First off, they say "above, there's heaven; below, Suzhou and Hangzhou" (a Chinese saying meaning the beautiful cities of Suzhou and Hangzhou are like paradise on earth). Suzhou has fully lived up to its reputation:
- The scenery here is absolutely stunning, particularly the classical gardens (large courtyards from ancient times with ponds, rock formations, and pavilions) and water town views (the picturesque bridges, streams, and traditional houses), which make for great snapshots no matter where you frame them.
- Getting around in the city is very convenient; it feels much easier to get anywhere you wish to go.
- The weather is also just perfect, neither too hot nor too cold, making my outings very enjoyable.
However, there's one thing I must warn you about, especially fellow foreign friends:
- The food simply doesn't agree with some of us! Suzhou cuisine is toooo sweet!
- Indeed, many dishes have a surprisingly sweet taste, including some meat dishes. This sweetness is a signature trait of Suzhou local cuisine (Su-style).
- If you usually prefer lighter flavors, or find it hard to adjust to sweet tastes (for example, if meals in your home country are typically more savory, spicy, or sour), you might experience some confusion, feeling a little overwhelmed by the sweetness.
- What can we do about it, though?
- When ordering, try asking the waitstaff if dishes could have "less sugar" (少放点糖/shǎo fàng diān táng).
- Or, intentionally pick dishes on the menu which appear less sweet according to Su-style cooking, like steamed fish or vegetables; make sure you confirm with the server about the flavors.
- Alternatively, just like me, you might have to drink more tea (or beer!) to balance things out, hehe!
In summary, Suzhou is definitely worth a visit, with great scenery and memorable experiences; just bear in mind to prepare yourself mentally for the "eating" aspect!
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Haha, Suzhou cuisine is definitely on the sweeter side! But sweetie, if you're not used to it after giving it a try, next time you visit, just go for what you like. I'm sure you'll find something!
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I came specifically to try Suzhou's local cuisine, hahaha! But I discovered most dishes are sweet. After three days, I'm still not quite used to it.
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Well, that's because our local cuisine is generally sweet here!
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Do you really add a lot of sugar to your everyday meals too? [Tears streaming down face emoji]
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There are so many more spicy dishes in restaurants these days. I really miss the time when spicy food wasn't so common.
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That just goes to show the increasing number of non-locals (natives are probably only about 20% now). Local Suzhou people don't really eat spicy food.
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But you can find non-sweet dishes... there are plenty of them!
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Our food in Shanghai also tends to be sweet, but last time I was in Xishan, I ate at a local farmhouse restaurant, and holy cow, their dishes were even sweeter than ours!
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It's like, the first bite is amazing, so savory and fresh! But then it starts to feel a bit too rich if you have more.
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Apart from the braised dishes, other things aren't that sweet, are they?
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They're sweet too! They even add sugar to vegetable dishes.
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You should try things in moderation according to your own taste and don't be stubborn about it; forcing yourself to eat something you're not used to can be quite emotionally draining. Also, while locals do add sugar to dishes, it's usually just a little to enhance the flavor, so most everyday food isn't overwhelmingly sweet. It's mostly the dishes well-known to tourists that are very sweet. For instance, Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish is a grand dish typically for festivals, but few restaurants make it well, and it's particularly sweet. Suzhou-style noodles are a major specialty, and their hallmark is a sweet and savory broth. Non-sweet dishes are usually part of everyday home cooking, which is why we locals don't often eat at Suzhou cuisine restaurants – we can make those dishes at home. If you're keen on trying, go to a farmhouse restaurant. For a regular restaurant, I like Xiangxuehai, though I can't guarantee all their dishes are Suzhou-style, I can say they're delicious. If you're unsure what to order, ask the waiter about their current seasonal dishes.
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Anyway, when my friends and I go out, we generally don't choose Suzhou cuisine restaurants; I'm not sure how it is for others. At most, we might go out to buy snacks like zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings), qingtuan (sweet green rice balls), tofu pudding, meihua gao (plum blossom cake), haitang gao (crabapple cake), or dongniangjiu (winter rice wine). On a side note, for many of those 'sweet vs. savory debate' items, people in our area often enjoy both versions. If you're curious, you can search for them (like tangyuan, zongzi, qingtuan, tofu pudding, spring rolls, soy milk…).
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I actually think Suzhou isn't too bad. Last time I was in Nanjing, I had xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) that were completely sweet!
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I actually prefer Nanjing's version.
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Wuxi: 'Excuse me? You think that's sweet?'
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Then just buy a ticket and hurry back home!