There are hotels that serve Western food and if you can match what you are served with what you ordered from the menu, there is a prize. It is not their fault, they are not Western chefs and trying to imitate without the right ingredients is difficult. Just order something that they can't screw up like scrambled eggs. Shopping is a lot of fun and there are wonderful antiques to be found in the villages, some are real and some are not. Beware of coins stamped 400 BC and remember that any antique is worth just what it is worth to you.
Bargaining is a fine art, so divide the asking price by ten and start from there.
Using a calculator, punching in the price you are willing to pay and passing it back and forth is a good way to break the language barrier. My wife is Chinese and sometimes when we shop for antiques, the dealer thinks she is my guide or interpreter and will tell her in Chinese that she can get a percent of anything I buy. It is a known fact that all foreigners are rich, and I really wish that were true. Hotels outside the major cities are graded on the star system. Don't go below three stars or you will find your bathroom is the chamber pot under the bed.