Chinese Food, Snacks and Trains, oh my!

Just read your blog and wanted to thank you for all the useful tips!
 We are Americans who have been living in India for the last 5 years.  I have a daughter, 11 and a son, 6, and we will be taking a family trip to China in April.
 I did have a few questions for you, if you don't mind,
 First of all, I am concerned about food.  My children are fairly picky eaters.  My son will eat chicken in any form.  My daughter will want to eat mostly vegetarian.  Both can be kept full at least with peanut butter and nutella!  (I probably sound like a terrible mother...but it is what it is!)  So first question -  are PB and Nutella available in China?  What about other basics like bread, crackers, etc?  
 Also, we plan to do so train trips (Beijing to Xian and Xian to Guilin).  What do you think?  How comfortable/clean are the trains?  Our standards are pretty low (remember..we are in India!)
 Any other tips you might pass on would be greatfully accepted!!
 
- Cammie, via email


Thanks for your email! Glad you like my blog and find it useful and I love getting questions. 
First I must say, if you and your family are happy in India, then you'll have no problems in China!
I always got a kick out of the label pictures on Chinese Skippy.
One of the uses shown is eating it with noodles, but no sandwich.

Yes, crackers, bread and other basics are available. The big brand for American style sandwich bread is Bimbo. It's no Oroweat , but it's sufficient. I have tried all the varieties except for the white bread and found the whole wheat kind to taste the most similar to home. Peanut butter and jelly is widely available and Nutella can be found at the foreign grocery stores around town. Skippy brand peanut butter is cheap and comes in small and regular size jars. If you can bring Nutella with you from India, that may be a good idea, especially if you will be going to smaller cities within China and may not have time to track it down while in Beijing or Shanghai. But if you want to do a snack run with the kids, go to any BHG (also known as Hualian) in Beijing, especially in the Wudaokou, Dongzhimen, Xizhimen, Wangjing or CBD areas and you will find many Western brand options. Carrefour also has a foreign brands section in their stores. Jenny Wang's (also known as Jenny Lou's) in Beijing is a foreign grocery store that also carries Nutella, popular American cereal brands and other kid's stuff, like Pop-Tarts. 
Your kids will love the food in China, if you can get them to have a taste of some simple dishes. There are so many chicken dishes that will be sure to please your son and your daughter will love all the veggie choices available. If all else fails, there's KFCs on almost every corner in China for your son. Being a vegetarian in China isn't a problem, just be extra clear when ordering that you do not want meat in a dish or ask to substitute tofu instead. If you have time and haven't done so already, look up some of my other posts about food in China for more detailed info. 
On trains in China: they can be as comfortable or uncomfortable as you want them to be. I really like this site because it gives very detailed info about train travel for beginners in China. Check it out. :) Seeing as you have lived in India, I don't think you'll be in for any rude surprises when it comes to travel in China. 
Have a wonderful trip and happy travels!

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