Nathan Michaelson ‘14, Taigu Fellow

But I’m getting ahead of myself—what exactly is “Chinese?” Most Chinese immigrants in the USA either speak Mandarin or Cantonese, but in China, every place has its distinct dialect (or language, depending on who you ask), including Hokkien (闽南话), Hakka (客家话), Shanghainese (上海话).

Nathan Michaelson ‘14, Taigu Fellow

Before coming to China, I had decided to continue being vegetarian, despite multiple warnings from practically everyone I knew. “It’ll be impossible!” they said. “Nobody really knows what ‘being vegetarian’ means, and you’ll miss out on so much of the local cuisine! Plus, Chinese food in China is so much better than Chinese food in the US! Especially the meat!”