To say that food is an integral part of culture in China is a massive understatement. When I first arrived here, I joked that half the arguments I witnessed on Shanghai's streets were about food. I later learned that this isn't far from the truth. When it comes to food and restaurants, there's probably no other country with such a vested interest in its eating culture. Take a squizz at the immensely popular Dianping food and restaurant review website (Chinese only), and you'll soon discover how passionate people are about food in China.

Food blogs are perhaps the most popular subset of China-based blogs catering to cultural immersion. There is nothing better than a tasty morsel of information that can open your eyes or your mouth to discover new treats, or at least get some small-talk credibility in your next conversation with your Chinese friends.

Over the last few years, quite a number of home-grown Chinese food appreciation blogs have emerged that (literally) appeal to my tastes. These blogs provide a culinary education for the new waiguoren in town.

Like A Local is my favorite food blog as it addresses the ins-and-outs of going about one of my own and your average Wang's most enjoyed pastimes: ordering and devouring xiao chi. In this example, blog author Mark David Elliot expunges advice about dining on Shanghai's current flavor of the season, the spicy crustacean goodness of xiao long xi.

You’ve got to have some patience to eat here. First because the waitress will ask some questions which are tough if you have no Chinese language ability, and second because crayfish aren't the easiest food type to eat.

For those appreciating the dishes of China, Kung Fu Eats specializes in educating readers about Chinese cuisine, or at least finding the perfect accompaniment to a night's boozing—suan ne bai rou.

Another blog on the culinary scene is Shanghai Bites. This effort headed by prolific Chinese foodie and blogger Gary Soup (eatingchinese.blogspot.com), is a sort of a melg between Like A Local's hands-on directed briefings, Kung Fu Eat's food appreciation and a local industry mag that talks about ongoing developments in the Shanghai food scene. Soup has also sprouted the interesting Eating Chinese homage site to Sino cuisine.

But not one of these food blogs has the impact of the grand-daddy of English-language Chinese food blogs: Weird Meat. This blog by culinary adventurer Michael is an old favorite of mine. It captures the process of some of the most unusual and questionable aspects of eating in China and Asia. Who wouldn't marvel at Michael's intriguing carnivorous obsession, played out through eating an assorted range of fauna, and quite often, their not-so-appealing viscera. You'll spring upon sedate scenes such as brain-infused hot pot and drinking marrow from a broken pork leg bone, to confronting the ingestion of an assortment of insects, duck embryo and other unusual "meats."

Undoubtedly, Weird Meat's most famous post is about the defensive gnashings of a live, drunken shrimp being served up to hungry patrons.

In Shanghai, drunken shrimp is not only raw—it's alive!! Now I've heard many a Shanghai person talk with disgust about how the Cantonese eat all sorts of weird creatures, but eating a live animal is as weird as it gets. OK, some Americans eat raw oysters, which are actually alive also, but these Shanghai shrimp have little claws—they bite back as you try to eat them.

Weird Meat initially appears to be the gastronomic equivalent of Jackass. But further reading reveals the author's self-described academic investigation of the "weird" meat annotation. The most controversial aspect of this blog moves on from its voyeuristic invitation, and tinges on a larger, and far more sensitive topic of animal protection and the rights of animals in China and Asia. Most would say eating a live prawn is far removed from feeding cute, fluffy ducklings to crocodiles (which recently took place at Shanghai’s Wild Animal Park), or sponsoring a live-goat meal for hungry inmates of a Siberian tiger pen. As for myself, I am not so convinced.

Undoubtedly, food is one of the best ways to bring people together. It is the ultimate small-talk in China that helps break the ice between strangers. Remember though, a love of food doesn’t necessarily mean that sitting around the same table is going to build personal ties and understanding, especially when weird meat is on the menu.

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The Ben Ross Hype

Fuzhou blogger, hair salon apprentice and experimental anthropologist Ben Ross has made a lot of waves in the Chinese blogosphere. Shanghaiist hosts a thread of comments that range from the supportive, denigrating and out-right abusive. Who needs “The OC” when you have this thread? Shangaiist post here.

Abuse a Teacher

Seventy-year-old teacher Sun Xinmao had a tough class to deliver. For ¥40 per lesson, Sun was abused by students under his care. The students’ mistake was recording it and putting it up on the Net. China's infamous Internet outrage hounds then tracked down and exposed the culprits. Shangaiist post here.

Seventh Wonder

Polling is underway in The New Seven Great Wonders of The World competition. The word on the street is that the Great Wall of China might not rank in the top 7. You better cast your vote! Shangaiist post here

Shanghai Baby

Author Wei Hui, best known for her juicy writings about life of young women in Shanghai, fell victim to her partying lifestyle and incurred a spinal injury in a mysterious accident while “out playing.” Wei may end up suffering from paralysis, but has indicated in the future that she may slow down her lifestyle. Shangaiist post here