A foreigner living in China shows off a typical Chinese breakfast buffet and reveals one of its secrets: “It’s called Xiaomi.”

There are few better ways to understand a culture than by observing the very first moments of the day: how people wake up, interact with their surroundings, and choose certain routines over others reveals a great deal about their worldview and that of those around them. In this sense, breakfast plays a key role.

That is why Maxynoeliaoficial, a TikTok account run by Max and Noelia with more than 850,000 followers, decided to dedicate a specific video to breakfast in China. And there is a clear context behind it.

The Mexican couple uses the platform to share their adventures throughout the Asian country with their large online community. Many viewers had been asking for a video explaining what Chinese people eat for breakfast, so they decided to deliver.

“This is what a breakfast buffet in China looks like,” says Max at the start of the video, in which he is the sole on-screen presence. He then presents a wide range of dishes that highlight how diverse Chinese breakfast options can be, at least in the early hours of the day.

A country reflected on a buffet table

“One thing everyone eats here is churros, which are called yóutiáo, but they also have a huge variety of fried foods. For example, these donuts look really good,” he explains.

He then moves on to the eggs: “Here, the yolk always has to be fully cooked because people eat with chopsticks.” He also points out another essential item: “Another thing you can’t miss are baozi. They are like buns filled with meat or vegetables, and they’re amazing.”

The breakfast looks very different from what is typical in the West. “Another classic dish is eggs floating in soy sauce. I don’t like them much, but people here eat them every day,” he says.

As for what Mexicans colloquially call engrudos, referring to a thick, porridge-like mixture, there are many varieties: “with beans, with red rice, with plain rice; this one is like egg, or egg tart,” and even “made from a grain called xiaomi.”

Nor can miantiao be missing, which are spicy noodles, or “the soy sauce they keep in a barrel and serve using a really long ladle.” To eat everything, “there are chopsticks, which are usually kept in something like a refrigerator to disinfect them, and next to them are the spoons and small plates for condiments.”

Overall, Max offers a clear and engaging glimpse into Chinese food culture, which is always a reflection of the nation itself, and he does so focusing only on breakfast.

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