Originally Posted by LapLap
I've never found any Japanese food to be that strange - and I've eaten pickled entrails, small fishes that seemed like nothing more than a crispy and bone ridden shell for a cache of termite eggs, all kinds of dried sea flesh and egg pouches, gelatinous beans and root vegetables with threads that extend for metres, musty pickles that I've picked out myself from a jar of fetid ricebran that's been fermenting for generations, etc, etc, etc.
Yeah, that's what I meant about "strange" food.
To a Westerner (or at least an American), you simply don't have that experience in China. While I'm sure there's a ton of Chinese dishes I wouldn't try, the vast majority of dishes are quite "accessible." It's much harder for me to find things to eat in Japan. I've been known to patronize those Western bakeries, and even (gasp) McDonalds from time to time.
I can't imagine while you'd search out Western food in China, unless you were living there for months.