Cantonese is very bland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantonese_cuisine
Cantonese cuisine can be characterized by the use of very mild and simple spices in combination. Ginger, spring onion, sugar, salt, soy (soya) sauce, rice wine, corn starch and oil are sufficient for most Cantonese cooking. Garlic is used heavily in dishes especially with internal organs that have unpleasant odors, such as entrails. Five-spice powder, white pepper powder and many other spices are used in Cantonese dishes, but usually very lightly. Cantonese cuisine is sometimes considered bland by those used to thicker, richer and darker sauces of other Chinese cuisines.
Sichuan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_cuisine
Szechuan cuisine (Chinese:) is a style of Chinese cuisine originating in the Sichuan province of western China which has an international reputation for being spicy and flavorful
Shandong http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shandong_cuisine
Shandong cuisine is consisted of two styles:
Jiaodong style: dishes from Fushan, Qingdao, Yantai and surrounding regions. This style is characterized in seafood cooking, and taste is light.
Jinan style: dishes from Jinan, dezhou, Taian and surrounding regions. This style is famed for its soup and utilizing soups in its dishes.
Shanghai http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_cuisine
Shanghai does not have a definitive cuisine of its own, but refines those of the surrounding provinces (mostly from adjacent Jiangsu and Zhejiang coastal provinces). What can be called Shanghai cuisine is epitomized by the use of alcohol. Fish, eel, crab, and chicken are "drunken" with spirits and usually served raw. Salted meats and preserved vegetables are also commonly used to spice up the dish.
Mandarin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_cuisine
Beijing cuisine is a cooking style in Beijing, China. It is also formally known as Mandarin cuisine.
However, some generalization of Bejing cuisine can be characterized as follows: the food taste crisp, and flavor is salty, sweet, sour, and chili, utilizing sauces, including dark soy paste. In terms of cooking method, methods relating to the different way of frying is often used. Mandarin food is heavily influenced by other provinces' food.
Huai Yang http://www.chinavista.com/culture/cuisine/huaiyangdish/huaiyang2.html
Su or Huai Yang Cuisine began during the Pre-Qin Period, becoming very famous during the sui and Tang dynasties, and was recognized as a distinct regional style during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Raw materials include fresh and live aquatic products. The carving techniques are delicate, of which the melon carving technique is especially well-known. Cooking techniques: stew, braise, roast, simmer etc. The flavor of Huai Yang cuisine is light, fresh and sweet. Famous dishes are stewed crab with clear soup, long boiled dry shredded meat, duck triplet, crystal meat, squirrel with mandarin fish, and Liangxi crisp eel.
I guess I need to avoid Cantonese and go Sichuan for spicy foods.
on the menu it said it was seaweed, with bambooshoots, mushrooms and vegetables. In fact it was a mushrooms with mushrooms with mushrooms, with a few bamboo shoots, carrots and a tiny dash of a thread-like seaweed and lots of cornstarch (it tasted like everything came from a can).
