Jiejie, as usual, is spot on with her advice.

As i am wide bodied, tall person:

Seats: I choose an aisle E+ seat for the extra knee space. I do NOT choose bulkhead or exit row seats because the food tray is in the arm rest which makes the arm rest fixed (can't raise the armrest) and narrower. It may be a small difference In seat width, but for me I feel pinched into the seat.

Food shopping: Unless you must have some Western food brands, stay away from the Western food stores as they charge very high prices. I can usually find something close to what I need at places like Carrefour (food, soap, appliances,etc) and Watsons (over the counter drugs, moisturizers, shampoo, etc ). I actually enjoy going to local supermarkets to check out what they have.

Having said that, I'd stay away from local "wet" markets where they have live birds for slaughter and sale. With the bird flu jumping to humans you want to avoid exposure.

Personal favorites: I'm a popcorn freak (having grown up in the Midwest US). I pop my own popcorn at least once a week in the US. So I actually take a supply of my favorite unpopped popcorn with me to China and put it in my condo freezer. I also took my own special popcorn popper with me. (Talk about obsessive). My point is that if you have something like that to obsess over, you might consider if you can find it in China and if not, take action.

China is a fascinating place. Explore, enjoy and have a great time!