On the Road in China: Cigarettes and alcohol 

Source: ONE NewsMichael Burgess samples some of the local delicacies

My hotel is located on Yunnan road - which is also known as the Yunnan food street so I couldn't really miss out when it came to meal options.

Almost every type of Chinese cuisine is represented on this street and as a friend would explain later, because China has such a feudal history, the provinces built up such a strong tradition of their own.

Generally speaking food in Shanghai and the South can be charactised as "sweet". In Beijing and the North the cusine is known for being "salty", while the west is "spicy" (think Szechuan) and the east "sour".

While it is not easy to find such Kiwi classics as Lemon Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork and Combination fried rice, there is plenty more to get excited about.

My first lunch in Shanghai was certainly a memorable experience.

The menu was complete with photos and English translations, but I was still not completely sure what I had ordered.

It arrived and was sensational - chicken laced with a rich sauce and covered with garlic and ginger.

At the table beside me a couple tucked heartily into course after course.

Between servings they indulged in a couple of the old "lungbusters".

At first it was a real shock to the brain, struggling to process a sight I had not seen for many a year - people smoking in a restaurant!

It brought back dim, distant memories of the early 1980s, where ashtrays were commonplace in most Auckland dining establishments.

But it also served to make - in a funny sort of way - the whole dining experience that much richer.

Strange, I know, but bear with me here.

At the end of a long, hard week of work (one presumes), this couple were out to relax and enjoy themselves.

Camped at their table, the food kept coming and between courses they would enjoy a cigarette.

The man also chugged through a bottle of the local version of Jack Daniels.

The woman laughed a lot, and the discussion was animated and full of laughter.

This seemed the quintessential dining experience.

Not for them a quiet candlelit restaurant, private conversations and large plates with a tiny meal that we covet in New Zealand.

It was loud and raucous, with the food, fun and conversation flowing over the brim.

Apparently smoking in public places has been outlawed for the best part of 10 years, but publicans and proprietors lack the compunction to enforce it and life goes on.

Next time I'll try to opt for a 'buxiyan de zhuozi' (non-smoking table) but a small dose of second hand smoke was more than worth the trade off.

tvnz.co.nz's Michael Burgess is in China courtesy of the Asia New Zealand foundation and travelled there with Air New Zealand. He is aiming to investigate the impact and legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and will be writing about the sights and sounds of China along the way.