IN Nanjing

1. Where is the best place to buy imported foods?

While when I first came to Nanjing 1998 there was a very limited source of foreign foods, now you can find most things you are looking for most of the time.

Best overall selection has to be Metro, but the 30-50 RMB cab ride may deter some. You can also take bus # 86 to the last stop; the bus station is right next door. You can get all of the things you can generally find in the hyper marts (see below) as well as harder to find items like cake mixes, a huge selection of cheese and cold cuts, fresh herbs, avocados (seasonal and about 15-20 RMB ea.), imported beers and wines, frozen pizza and pasta dinners and much more.
The hyper marts(RT Mart, Carrefour, Walmart, Auchan) in town (see shopping and map for locations) also have a pretty good selection of imported items. You can usually find coffee, cereal, frozen French fries, ketchup, mayo, mustard, canned goods (beans, soup, tuna) BBQ sauce, pasta, pasta sauce and some cold cuts and cheeses.
Hankou Xi Lu is a closer (to town) option that has a lot of basics. Skyways Deli has freshly baked bread, cakes, cookies, cheeses and cold cuts, pasta and pasta sauces. Check for seasonal goodies like Christmas cookies and Easter candy. Across the street is Suguo (Chinese supermarket) with basics like ketchup, mayo, peanut butter, jelly/jam, bacon, ham and frozen chips. Underneath is a vegetable market where you can buy fresh produce. Also on this street is Exotic Foods which sells things like alcohol, cereal, pasta sauce, canned goods, snacks, and a few other odds and ends.
Another somewhat useful place is Ivy foods, selling mostly alcohol and candy, but also some snacks, cereal, sauces and pasta as well. There are many locations, but a few are on Hunan Lu, Zhu Jiang Lu, Beimen Qiao and Guangzhou Lu.
Finally there’s city shop, a service based in Shanghai that will deliver a huge selection of foreign goods to your door. They deliver every Friday to Nanjing, make sure to order at least one day in advance. www.cityshop.com.cn

Great new Foreign foods store selling many name brand western products.

TIMES GROCERY STORE
No.48 YunNan Road，Nanjing
Hot Delivery Line: 83685530
TEL: (8625)8368-5530

FAX: (8625)8368-5663
E-mail: times_grocery@yahoo.com.cn
南京泰晤士杂货商店中国江苏省南京市云南路48号
电话：(8625)8368-5530
传真：(8625)8368-5663
电子邮件：times_grocery@yahoo.com.cn

2. What do I do if I lose my passport?

Generally, you need a police report from the Chinese police station saying it was lost or stolen. Then you need to go to your countries embassy to apply for a new one. You really need to check with your embassy for details to make sure.

3. What are the Chinese names for common drugs: e.g. aspirin, paracetamol etc.? A guide to buying pharmaceutical products would be useful.
Here’s a list of common medicines and ailments. Anything else, just send us a message and we’ll find out for you.
Aspirin 阿司匹林 ā sī pǐ lín
Paracetamol 扑热息痛 pū rè xī tòng
Tylenol 泰诺 tài nuò
Tylenol Cold &Flu 泰诺感冒药 tài nuò gǎn mào yào
Anti-itch cream 止痒膏 zhǐ yǎng gāo
Antiseptic cream 消炎膏 xiāo yán gāo
Band-Aids 创可贴 chuàng kě tiē
Claritin 氯雷他定（抗过敏） lǜ léi tā ding （kàngguòmǐn）
Ibuprofen 布洛芬/必多芬 bù luò fēn / bì duō fēn
Anti-biotic 抗生剂 kàng shēng jì
Tampons （月经）卫生棉条 （yuè jīng）wèi shēng mián tiáo
Condoms 避孕套/安全套 bì yùn tào / ān quán tào
Heart burn 烧心 shāo xīn
Diarrhea 腹泻/拉肚子 fù xiè / lā dù zi
Athlete’s foot 脚气 jiǎo qì
Head ache 头疼 tóu téng
Stomach ache 胃疼 wèiténg

Upper backache — 背疼 bèi téng
lower backache — 腰疼 yāo téng
Tooth ache 牙疼 yá téng
Yeast infection 宫颈感染/宫颈炎 gōng jǐng gǎn rǎn / gōng jǐng yán
Mosquito bite 蚊子疱 wénzipào
Allergies 过敏 guò mǐn

4. What are the Chinese names for the different products at McDonalds?!

Here’s some general fast food terms.

Hamburger 汉堡 hàn bǎo
Cheeseburger 芝士汉堡 zhī shì hàn bǎo
Chicken burger 鸡肉汉堡 jī ròu hàn bǎo
Chicken wings 鸡翅 jī chì
French Fries 薯条 shǔ tiáo
Ice cream 冰淇淋 bīng qí lín
Milkshake 奶昔 nǎi xī
Super size 加大/超大 jiā dà chāo dà
Coke 可口可 乐 kě kǒu kě lè
Pepsi 百事可乐 bǎi shì kě lè
Sprite 雪碧 xuě bì
Seven-Up 七喜 qī xǐ
Diet Coke 健怡可乐 jiàn yí kě lè
Diet Pepsi 清怡可乐 qīng yí kě lè

5. How can I find out my credit balance on my mobile phone if I’m with China Mobile?

Dial 10086 for China Mobile. China Unicom is 10010. China Telecom 10000.

6. Where can I find a cooking and shopping guide to Chinese cuisine in English (I’ll take French, Italian, Spanish, German if there is one available). A one-day cooking class offered by a hotel doesn’t help me to learn to shop and prepare food in China.

Your best bet for foreign language cook books would be Foreign Languages Bookstore 外文书店 218 Zhongshan Dong Lu 中山东路218号. I don’t know if they have cook books, but this is the largest selection of foreign language books that I am aware of in Nanjing (other suggestions anyone?)
They have historical books, novels and some magazines (mostly French). It’s mostly very popular titles but you can find something decent if you are just looking for something to read.
Your other option is the internet. There are a multitude of sites for Chinese and Western recipes. Some even let you search by ingredients, which can be helpful when what you can get in Nanjing is limited. One I’ve used is: www.allrecipes.com. Also check out www.howtoorderchinesefood.com. This is a great site and provides translations of all ingredient names as well as descriptions of dishes.

7. What’s the best way to make international calls?

If you have a computer with a decent connection speed, a head set (or a mic and headphones) and a credit card I highly recommend Skype. It’s easy to download and use and you can change the language so there’s no hassle. You can call other computers anywhere in the world for the cost of a local call and you can call home phone or mobiles for very cheap prices (prices vary by country, check out the site for a complete list). Quality is generally good, I find if you get a bad connection, just hang up and try again, you’ll usually get a better one.

You can also buy international calling card pretty easily at many places around town. Usually any newspaper kiosk or soda snack and cigarette shop sell them. You need different cards for different countries and prices vary. You can buy them in different denominations and they usually have an English option to make dialing easy.

8. Where can I buy salt and vinegar crisps in Nanjing?

I wish I knew. Anyone? You can however now buy Doritos at RT Mart, possibly other places too.

9. Who can I call in a medical emergency - i.e. someone who speaks English?

You an call the International SOS clinic for English speaking foreign doctors.