Yangshuo Resort Hotel, Yangshuo, China

Ordered in the restaurant at the Yangshuo Resort Hotel in Yangshuo, China.

The ride from Guilin to Yangshuo was an easy hour and a half.  A gorgeous hour and a half. An hour and a half that we wished had been slowed by traffic. Sprawling karst formations, lush greenery, bountiful farm land… it was wonderful being in the heart of China’s most beautiful countryside, especially coming from polluted Beijing.

As we wound through the tight center street of this lovely town, we were overcome with joy and excitement. Yangshuo was clearly everything we’d hoped it was; a true treasure of China. We were teeming with excitement for our evening cooking course on the river, followed by a day of biking through the countryside. However, as beautiful and awe-inspiring as Yangshuo was, as designated team leader of my family trip and the one responsible for doing all communications (in Chinese!), I was going to need an energy injection to keep my vitality strong.

We checked into the breathtaking (literally – this resort was perfectly nestled in a valley by the river outside of the town) Yangshuo Resort Hotel and made our way to the restaurant for lunch. As the sun broke through the clouds, we basked in fresh air and golden rays while we perused the menu.

There she was again: a club sandwich, no ingredients listed, was staring at me on the menu. Should I got for it? Will I be left even hungrier? I was hesitant – after yesterday’s cruddy club in Guilin at a western branded hotel, how could a Chinese hotel outside of a small town do any better?

Once again, my mind was preoccupied with a silly, uneducated question. Shame on me.

While the parents and Rachel all ordered Caesar salads, I decided to go for it: “jùlèbù sānmíngzhì” I told the waiter, who giggled at my Chinese and hurried off to place the order.

Even though I had gone for it, I had set the bar quite low for this club sandwich and was not expecting anything. At least there will be French fries, I kept telling myself.

Sometimes you find the most wonderful things where you least expect them. I’ve heard that 1000 times. I’ve often tried to remind myself of this, but I still lower my expectations and think my premonitions are accurate. I need to stop doing that, and the club sandwich was proof of just that.

I let my mother eat the pickles and I slowly began to feast on the Yangshuo Resort Hotel club. Yes, this was a small sandwich and yes, the ingredients were quite thin, however all of them tasted great. My family could tell as a smile beamed across my face. Moist, nicely seasoned chicken. Perfectly toasted and decrusted bread. Ripe tomato paired with crispy lettuce. A simple fresh fried egg to top it off. This was the perfect energy injection I needed. And the French fries were such a hit that I ended up being forced to share them with the family. Thank you Yangshuo Resort Hotel for delivering successfully on such a staple dish. From the perspective of purely food, you made me a happy man. From the perspective of a hotel guest, you made us all feel welcomed.

During our visit I fell back in love with China – Yangshuo really stole my heart. I cannot wait to return to this magical destination. I will be back; I will stay at the Yangshuo Resort Hotel; I will eat this club sandwich.

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