For the most part the wacky foods are a myth. Every once in a while you may happen upon dog being served, but never in a nice restaurant. Generally the pets and rodents are served by the folks that troll the sidewalks with wagons of seemingly delicious meat. I’d suggest avoiding them.

The oddest thing I’ve seen served at a nice restaurant was chicken feet. But, honestly, they aren’t that bad. Try everything once – that’s a good standard to live by.
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Try to get Kung Pao chicken. It is delicious, and generally every tourist or foreigner gets a chance to try it while they are in China. It gives an accurate sense of Sichuan cuisine, although it isn’t very spicy compared to other Sichuan dishes. It is cooked in several different ways, but I have yet to taste Kung Pao I didn’t like.

I’m a bit foggy on the name of this next dish, but if you have any translator or native with you (or even if you just have a picture menu), you’ll be able to spot it. Basically it is a heaping serving of diced apples (or sweet potatoes) with molten sugar poured over them. You grab a piece of the fruit and quickly dip it in an accompanying bowl of water. The sugar instantly crystallizes, making the whole thing taste like some sort of candy. But watch out – it is still deadly hot inside! This is also a personal favorite…I’m sorry that I can’t come up with a name – I didn’t have too much time out and about during my most recent trip.

I’ll let you know as I remember more.
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Wow, this comment is long. Haha, I hope I’m not boring you.

Learning the tones is tough. Give yourself some time. It took me a few months to feel comfortable with my pronunciation, and it took me the better part of a year after that to acquire pronunciation that satisfied my tutor. Learning with Chinese Pod can be tough – I’d strongly suggest that upon arriving in Beijing you track down a copy of “Chinese Made Easier” by Martin Symonds, published by Shaanxi Normal University Press. That series (five books in total) was absolutely instrumental in my learning of Mandarin. It does a fantastic job of introducing characters and getting you familiar with them very quickly.

If you can’t wait until you go to China to get the series, you can order the first book here: http://www.chinesemall.com/chmaea2edvo1.html

It costs $24 per book from that site, compared to roughly $7 in China. Ack, sorry. But do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy ASAP.

Oh, and I wish I could say that tones aren’t very important…but they are the most important thing of all.

Just an example here, using the word “Ba”.

neutral: a particle indicating a suggestion
first: eight
second: to pull out
third: (uh-oh, I don’t remember)
fourth: father

That may sound horribly intimidating, but that’s the example my teacher first gave me – and it stuck with me. Tones are important, and it is easy to get lazy with them.

For me personally it helped to make the motion of the tone with my hand while I spoke. Yes, I looked like a total idiot, but it was extremely effective. Having my tonal inflection follow the path of my hand made the pronunciation much easier…maybe I’m just crazy, but it is worth a shot. :)

Don’t stress out too much. You’ll get there.

Remember – having a native speaker correct your pronunciation is imperative after a while. Try to seek someone out either now or as soon as you move out there. Most Chinese folks are more than willing to help out us ignorant foreigners. ;)
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Again, my comments are far too long. I’m sorry.

“Thanks for your great answers! I would love some more info on food !! What are the MUST eats…”

A: I posted that and more on this page. Enjoy! (^_)

Q: “Is it true that dogs and donkeys and all sorts of animals are included in meals or is that a myth???”

A: For the most part, it’s a silly stereotype. However, is it true that pigs/hogs, cows and all sorts of animals (like rabbit, oyster and crustacean lobster) are included in meals in America, or is that a myth? {hahaha} you get the point. It’s quite silly to make a generalization about a culture / group of people like that.

Q: “How important is the tonal thing…?”

A: Very. It’s fairly simple, though, considering there are only 4 tones in Mandarin Chinese (compared to 6 in Cantonese) and words are usually 1-3 syllables long. Sentences have even less grammatical rules than in English. Chinese is not as difficult as some people make it seem.

“I can’t seem to repeat and learn words let alone add the tone…” You need practice and specialized instruction, preferrably from a native.

Yes, you can. It’s all about the state of mind you’re in. You just need to be motivated. There are only four tones. Once you get them, speaking is a breeze. Words are usually short in Chinese.