Three Detergents
When you move to China, one of the first things you'll need to buy for your kitchen (assuming you use it) is some type of detergent to clean things. A quick trip to the grocery store reveals that there are some _strange_ multi-use detergents used in the average Chinese kitchen. The most prevelant detergents are sold in a triple-use formula that covers: a) cleaning your dishes, b) cleaning your countertops, and c) washing your vegetables. (!)
Why vegetables, you ask? Well, since agriculture in China hasn't been completely industrialized, you might easily end up buying vegetables that were grown on a local farm and then just transported into the city immediately after harvesting. Sounds all good and organic, right? Local produce, no transportation, dirt from the earth still on them. Sounds like a Whole Foods dream situation. Unfortunately, this produce presents a bit of a problem since the use of ... erm ... night soil as a fertilizer is apparently still prevelant.
Since normal washing doesn't take care of the ... erm ... night soil bacteria and viruses, you are required to use anti-bacterial and/or bleach when washing your vegetables. Now, I'm as open-minded as the next guy, but I'll be damned if I'm going to use the same detergent on my countertops, dishes _and_ vegetables! It's just not natural to reach for a bottle while preparing dinner and then grab the same bottle for the cleanup after dinner.
I've settled on a multi-purpose liquid for countertops and dishes while keeping a separate "vegetable wash" for those items I intend to ingest. I think it's a good compromise between my odd kitchen requirements and the bacterial demands placed by Chinese produce. No problems from my own kitchen so far, so I think it's working.
As a parting thought, keep in mind that some people have heard that plant root systems are not able to filter out the bacteria and viruses in human fecal matter. This means that all produce grown in ... erm ... night soil is automatically contaminated no matter how much washing you do. I absolutely refuse to believe this. If this were true, then there is basically nothing I can do. The battle is already lost and all of my work with the detergents would be for naught. Since I don't waste time like that, it can't be true. *It just can't*
Why vegetables, you ask? Well, since agriculture in China hasn't been completely industrialized, you might easily end up buying vegetables that were grown on a local farm and then just transported into the city immediately after harvesting. Sounds all good and organic, right? Local produce, no transportation, dirt from the earth still on them. Sounds like a Whole Foods dream situation. Unfortunately, this produce presents a bit of a problem since the use of ... erm ... night soil as a fertilizer is apparently still prevelant.
Since normal washing doesn't take care of the ... erm ... night soil bacteria and viruses, you are required to use anti-bacterial and/or bleach when washing your vegetables. Now, I'm as open-minded as the next guy, but I'll be damned if I'm going to use the same detergent on my countertops, dishes _and_ vegetables! It's just not natural to reach for a bottle while preparing dinner and then grab the same bottle for the cleanup after dinner.
I've settled on a multi-purpose liquid for countertops and dishes while keeping a separate "vegetable wash" for those items I intend to ingest. I think it's a good compromise between my odd kitchen requirements and the bacterial demands placed by Chinese produce. No problems from my own kitchen so far, so I think it's working.
As a parting thought, keep in mind that some people have heard that plant root systems are not able to filter out the bacteria and viruses in human fecal matter. This means that all produce grown in ... erm ... night soil is automatically contaminated no matter how much washing you do. I absolutely refuse to believe this. If this were true, then there is basically nothing I can do. The battle is already lost and all of my work with the detergents would be for naught. Since I don't waste time like that, it can't be true. *It just can't*
posted by agoel at
11:17 PM
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