The pantry of the Chinese cook is very different from its Japanese counterpart. To start, its shelves are way more cluttered. In spite of regional differences, which are not so distinct as they once were, one will always find a variety of standard sauces and flavorings such as chile paste, different types of rice vinegars, hot bean paste, hoisin sauce, plum sauce, sesame oil, and sesame paste (a.k.a. tahini). Soy takes 1,001 forms: soy sauce, bean pastes, tofu, and the beans themselves. The many spices that line the shelves will be familiar to fans of southeast Asian cooking: star anise, cinnamon or cassia bark, fennel, cloves, nutmeg, cilantro/coriander. Szechwan peppercorns, garlic, ginger and a thickener like cornstarch rounds out the spice shelf. Beef, lamb and pork are all available -- a history of want has rendered some "exotic" parts of the beast delicacies. An endless variety of fruits and vegetables are commonly used.