Food and Restaurants

Diversity is the catchword on Bao'ai Lu and Huguo Lu, there's something for every mood: Western, rustic country and ethnic Bai cuisine, to name a few. Modern Bai cuisine is a mixture of southern Chinese and the Bai flavors. Barou ersi,one of Dali's local specialties, is made from pig's knuckle and a vegetable unique to Dali called er cai. The Erhai Lake area is famous for its fresh and plentiful fish. Try some Dali plums called diaomei. The plums are preserved for months in brown sugar and honey, the sweetness from the sugar and honey contrast with the sour plum make it a yummy treat.

A unique tea is the "Three Courses of Tea", which symbolically mirrors life's progress – first bitter then sweet. The first course is slightly bitter; the second course a trifle sweet (walnuts and candy area dded to the tea), and the third course is unforgettably satisfying. If you feel like a martini or a beer, head to Yangren Jie where there are Western bars and menus written in English. Go to the restaurant-lined Jinxing Mingshi Jie at Shangduan Canglang Lu in the Dali Economic Development Zone for a local atmosphere.