Don't be very happy yet. I've been in Kunming a short while and my personal experience with 10 Yuan per meal is as follows:

Stir-fried 4 oz. of veges with 1 oz. of meat served over a plate of rice. The locals call it "cover rice". Some restaurants may throw in a bowl of clear soup with a few slivers of veges in it, plus a very small spicy hot pickled vege side dish. Coast: 8 to 12 Yuan each plate.

About 4 oz. of rice noodles in a bowl of soup with a few small pieces of meat (you can count the pieces with one hand), diced scallions, chives and coriander. Cost: average about 5 Yuan a bowl, so you can order 2 bowls, each with a different taste and meat.

Dining out for 2 in a Chinese restaurant will likely cost 50 to 100 Yuan for a not too fancy meal. Thought a meal for 2 in a restaurant with a bit of so-called ambiance, but not necessarily better quality food, can cost 200 to over 300 Yuan.

Thanks you. However, you are a day late. Thanksgiving was yesterday. This American holiday is celebrated always on the last Thursday of every November.

In the spirit of the original feast, the Pilgrims gave thank to God for their survival and to the North American Indians for their help some 380 years ago. Today, our Thanksgiving is a day to reflect and give thanks to the Supreme Being (if one has such a belief) and give thanks for everything that we have in our lives, and in particular, to our friends and loved ones.

I tell them I have an acute medical condition and do not want to eat the wrong food and die in the restaurant for all to see! I do that with a smile and with a serious face. That sometimes helps to get what I ordered.

As it is "romanized" (spelling?) here as "chao" (炒) is best equated with the French word "saute". 青炒 (qing chao) does not mean with green peppers, though 青 (qing) means green but it also means "plain" or "simple", depending on the context of the subject matter. So, 青炒 (qing chao) here simply means stir-fry (saute) without the intolerable amount of garlic (a practiced all over China, except in traditional Guangdong cuisine, which only uses a fraction of the amount).

I cannot tolerate my vegetables covered with more white sprinkles of garlic than the natural color of the vegetable itself, because it'll over-power the taste of the vegetable and gives me a stinking garlic breath for days after. I always tries to order my vegetables 青炒 (qing chao), but none of cooks seem to comply with my request. So, if you also prefer 青炒, you need to be adamant about you request, repeat it to the waiter over and over, if necessary.

I am a newbie in Kunming. I relocated here in late August, then went "home" in mid October to take care of some lose ends and came back in mid November. GoKunming Forum has been a great source of information for me on the good and bad side of life one might encounter in Kunming. I believe if we are obsessed with looking for the "bad", we'll never see the "good" and vice versa. I'd like to share a bit of the good with the following inspiring story of hope with you all:

Two months ago on Sunday, September 19, 2010, a Kunming native I know (I'll refer to her as "XL") got a call from a friend in need of help at the airport check-in counter. Upon arriving at the terminal, XL was on the way to look for her friend and encountered the following:

A seemingly 1.9M+, 150Kg+ (6-foot+ and 330-pound+) elderly male traveler in his seventies or eighties suddenly dropped onto the floor with his cane assisted wife stood immobilized in shock by his side. Everyone in his large Norwegian tour group, including the local Chinese tour guides seem helplessly hypnotized.

XL immediately rushed over to the man lying on the airport terminal floor and found he had no pulse and not breathing. His face was paper white. XL, in a semi-panic reaction, screamed out in English: "Somebody help me, please call 114"! (114 is China's directory assistance number, she actually meant 120, one of China's equivalents for 911). The whole airport terminal population became curious spectators while XL, without missing a beat, recalled what she had learned back in her pharmacy college days on Chinese pressure points relating to this type of situations and applied them on the man's face & hands. With the photo images I had recently shown her on the Heimlich maneuver, that included the CPR hand position, flashing freshly in her mind along with what she had read on the internet, XL started to administer CPR with all the might her diminutive 43.5Kg (90-pound) self can muster. XL's little hands and physical strength were being challenged beyond belief because the man was nearly a foot taller and nearly 3.5 time XL's weight.

Miraculously, after a very long 60 seconds or so, the man started to breathe, regained his pulse and opened his eyes. The airport spectators instantly came out of their trance and applauded in unison. XL shyly took a bow and with much pride in her heart softly uttered "Thank you." to the admiring crowd. Just as miraculously, the EMT showed up minutes afterward.

As the EMT transported the man towards the ambulance, XL pressed the man's hand and asked: "Are you OK"? The man did not answer but blinked his eye as if to say: "I am fine". The above is another story you hear about and think it only happens to others in the news or see in the movies. Not so, because I am proud to announce that the heroine in the story is my girlfriend and future wife!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!