Taste for the Outdoors

After weaving through the crowds, my family claimed a shady patch of grass beneath a tree and tucked into some of the capital's greasiest offerings. Back in England, this would sound like a perfectly standard Saturday afternoon. In China, however, sitting on the grass and casually eating a burger in the park is still a relatively new sight.　

Even just a few years ago, inviting friends to a European-style picnic in Beijing would likely have been met with confusion, and probably a few questions about why anyone would willingly eat cold food outdoors. You could still see traces of that uncertainty at the burger festival itself. Some visitors looked slightly awkward without proper seating or utensils, balancing burgers and fries while cautiously lowering themselves onto picnic blankets. Yet despite the learning curve, everyone seemed willing to embrace it.　

Watching it unfold made me realize just how much Beijing's outdoor dining culture has changed since I first arrived in China more than a decade ago.　

Back then, outdoor eating here had a completely different energy. It was less about lazy afternoons in parks and more about lively evenings on crowded streets. Tiny plastic stools surrounded smoky barbecue stalls while vendors grilled skewers over charcoal flames late into the night. The atmosphere was loud and chaotic, and it was full of life. Groups of university students and office workers would gather shoulder-to-shoulder over lamb skewers and ice-cold beer, talking for hours while the smoke drifted through the air.　

To this day, China's outdoor food scene remains one of the country's great social experiences, and it deserves a place on any traveler's bucket list. But what makes it especially intriguing now is how quickly it continues to evolve. Traditional street barbecue remains hugely popular, yet entirely new styles of outdoor dining are steadily becoming part of everyday life.　

For me, the quintessential outdoor meal will always involve a paper plate, a burger or hot dog, and a warm summer evening. The longer I stay in China, the more I feel that same chilled spirit beginning to take hold here too. Many parks and campsites in Beijing offer grills, ingredients and picnic setups for DIY barbecues. Two such places are within cycling distance from my home. I have even noticed sandwiches beginning to appear during some of our outdoor gatherings - something I never thought I'd see when I first moved to China, considering that cold European-style eats have never been that popular here. But tastes are changing. Who knows what might take off next? Scotch eggs? Sausage rolls? As a Brit abroad, I can only dream.　

As outdoor dining grows, so too does the competition over who does barbecue best. The debate has become almost comically intense. I remember visiting Shandong Province, which went viral in 2023 for its barbecue wrapped in pancakes. I was enthusiastically devouring piece after piece when a friend from Northeast China looked genuinely irritated by how much I was enjoying myself. According to her, wrapping grilled meat in pancakes might be creative, but it could never compete with the superior seasoning techniques of Dongbei (northeastern) barbecue.　

In China, barbecue loyalty can be as passionate as soccer fans proudly wearing their stripes, with Shandong, Dongbei and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region all claiming culinary supremacy.　

And it's not just Chinese tastes that are changing - my foreign friends are constantly introducing me to new Chinese-style barbecue venues and spots. No matter which social circle I find myself in, outdoor dining seems to be encouraging everyone to step slightly outside their comfort zones and try something new.　

And perhaps that is the most enjoyable part of China's outdoor food culture. Whether it's Beijingers discovering the joys of picnics or foreigners getting a taste for grilled seafood, food provides one of the easiest ways for cultures to meet, mix and borrow from one another.