Here’s what I thought I knew about the Chinese diet when I landed in Shanghai in August: More meat. More dairy. I imagined 1.3 billion consumers marching steadily towards an American way of eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So what did I have for my first breakfast on assignment? Rice porridge made of rice simmered in water until it falls apart.

We were served this dish in a rural village in western China, where everyone ate it plain. But we’ve since had it served with salty sour pickles, too.

Our hosts were particularly keen on making sure I also tried a bowl of wowo, pronounced woh-woh: Tiny shell pasta made of wheat flour with seasoned broth and egg.

I’ll confess that while it