Just to follow up on that last post. I would suggest you also do not walk staring directly up at the ceiling or focusing down at the floor, or you will also find the store difficult to locate.

34元 for a spicy italian foot long. right amount of meat. veggies were running low. no olive oil, and vinegar...but plenty of other sauces. only had american cheese...waited in line for 15 mins, so fucking worth it. you can find the place easily, just look for a long fucking line of chinese girls.

Just had a Sunday for lunch today.......but I'm in Bangkok lol.

No doubt about it, when I get back Ill have to grad one there!

So cool.

@napolean Anytime my wife and I have tried a Thai or Vietnamese restaurant in one of these malls we had to turn around and leave because all they really serve is hotpot and shaokao.

And a sandwich is more than meat and veggies slapped between bread. In a simple sense yea, but if it was so simple way the hell can't Chinese people make a decent sandwich then? There are no deli type meats here or a selection of good cheeses. I make sandwiches with some decent cooked ham I buy at Carrefour or Walmart, but it is that boring same old style "unsweetened" bread they sell they here. I feel it is better than nothing. But cheese is an issue as well as decent mayo and mustard. the processed cheese they sell in the stores sucks, half the time it stick all to the plastic wrapper when you try to unpeel it. Yellow mustard is not Chinese so most Chinese people will never try it once in their lives. Thank God not every single person here is so narrow minded.

I think I can wait until the newness of the Subway place wears off and I will give it a go. I disagree with one poster who said the portions were bigger than back in the US. Lets not get ridiculous. I have eaten at a few Subways across China and that is always an issue for me. But beggars cannot be choosers. I may head there next week on a week day when people are in class or at work and try something. I will probably not stand in a long line though.

@Zhudan: Chinese people 'can't' make a decent sandwich for the same reason most westerners here 'can't' make a decent bowl of Chinese-style noodles.
For the most part, I think it's lack of interest rather than inability, but the first tends to lead to the second.

I think most Chinese people have never even had a decent sandwich so that is why they cannot make one, they don't even know what they are striving for. At least Subway comes close. Not to mention the lack of proper ingredients for a good sandwich in this country.

Do they have the specials everyday, like a discounted sandwich? Do they have meatball? I wouldn't mind a cookie.

You can stock up your fridge with homemade or taobao products to make a sandwich to beat subway's, so I don't get what all the fuss is about. The waiting time at lunch and price seem absurd. That's just my personal opinion and understand that subway sandwiches can make some people feel a little closer to home. Enjoy!

@Goldie: I think you're probably right about most Chinese not having had a really good sandwich, including a good hamburger (only crap western fastfood ones). However, I think many of the materials are here for good sandwiches (though there's not much variety in cheese or sausages or saucisson, and mustard & dill pickles are pretty rare, and most people don't like butter, and the bread is...hmm). And I like Subways.

The problem with Chinese chefs is, that they don't care about food, food preparation and presentation of the food. Except if it's a Michelin chef.
If it's bland, they will pour 5 spices, salt, garlic and chilly on it and voila, ready is your local specialty.
It's for palette, and flavour'ly' challenged people.

The price of a subway sandwich is very reasonable, if you compare to the local options. A big bowl of zero-nutrition noodle, mixian or other crap with a tiny spoonful of 'roumuo', or vegetables, -is ....in the very neighborhood of the subway spots, around 10-15RMB. And even the meat is just skin, fat, knuckles and low nutrition stuff. Then about 25 minutes later you are hungry again, or the MSG, gets your hear pumping, nausea, or headaches.

So, I can buy 15RMB of nuclear-spicy, zero-flavour, zero-nutrition, gutter oil and starch or a proper [although not a friend of their soft, weird bread] sandwich meal =

I will get proper food, actual real nutrition for maybe twice the price.

I dare you to an experiment. Spend one days cash on local food, eat only when you are hungry.

Do the same thing with subway.

You will see that subway, will make you comfortably full, and local food will only stuff you, until you run out of energy again, rather quickly.

Also another good thing about subway is the sauce options, if you wanna lose weight go for something light, if you need energy use a heavier option.

Subway will not replace local food, but it is a cheap, fast option, to get a proper meal rather quickly.

And you can actually share it with your kids. Most of the local mixian I wouldn't even give to my dog. Not that I am disgusted by it, but I kid you not, our dog doesn't even go close to local noodles, of any kind.

I wonder what does he know, that I don't???

I can't wait to go and have a foot long sandwich.

P.S.
If you want to buy all the ingredients, without wasting food, you will never get close to the price of a subway, sandwich.

I make my own bread, and put it in the freezer, I always have some veggies and even cheese around. But still, including the work and ingredient price, it's almost impossible to beat Subway.

"Subway will not replace local food, but it is a cheap, fast option, to get a proper meal rather quickly."

By local standards, 36 RMB is not a cheap meal for many people. Please keep that in mind when you insult the local daily staples here.

And anyone advocating Subway as a health option.... sorry, but cold cuts are not "a health food".