The Food Process Issue

This is the first in a series of posts about food ... in China and elsewhere. To start with, you'll hear many Americans and many Chinese talk about how Chinese food is healthier for you (than American food) because the Chinese eat more fresh vegetables and naturally grown foods. Let me be clear -- THIS IS A LIE.

I have never seen foods as processed as I have seen in China. The foods for sale in China would make an American food executive blush. Not blush red with embarrassment, but green with envy. They would think "Wow, can we do that to food and still sell it? People will eat that? They like what kinds of flavors?." They would think they had died and gone to processed food nirvana.

I have seen meats and vegetables sliced, diced, pureed, liquefied, freeze-dried, vacuum-packed and then combined (you know, for kicks) and then sold to consumers who love it. Some of the processed meats that are sold here make spam and beef jerky seem like organic, natural food. I have even seen spam in a German restaurant listed on the menu as "meatloaf" (I was not amused).

Is this bad? Am I complaining? No, not really. I have tried a lot of new foods and you'd be surprised at what's tasty after it's been processed. Is the fact that it's processed bad? No, not really. People should be given options on what to eat. It's their responsibility on when to choose healthy and when to choose pure, fully-adulterated pleasure.

Anyway, in China, it's not the processed foods you need to worry about. It's those pesky unprocessed foods that can make you sick (another friend fell victim to a bad salad last week) or ... make you sick (half-formed chicken embryos on a stick, anyone?).

Nv Ren Bu Huai - Women aren't bad

Nv Ren Bu Huai, Nan Ren Bu Ai (女人不坏男人不爱) - If women aren't bad, men can't love. Recently heard from a friend who was not happy with ... men. The translation in English doesn't quite convey the full meaning and judgement behind the saying but it's the best I can do. It's a great summary of the standard impression that women have of men. :) What kind of response can a man make to this kind of statement (other then a lame attempt to switch the men and women in the sentence)?

I'm trying to make sure I live my life in Beijing in such a way that I never have to hear this comment directed at me.

Updates are red: I got some comments that the saying includes an "if" that I neglected in my translation. As you can see, the "if" makes a big difference and totally changes the meaning of the sentence.

Going Sailing - Connection Made

The sailing race for us began in Hong Kong; which does not speak the same Pu Tong Hua language that is spoken in Beijing. While the written script is all the same (Traditional and Simplified), the spoken language is completely different.
During my visit to Hong Kong, the inability of the locals to speak Pu Tong Hua was ... infuriating! I found that I was annoyed at being in a part of China (just let me say this for argument's sake) and not being able to use the Chinese that I have worked so hard to learn. I know that I could have switched to English (with difficulty) but I wanted/expected to speak Chinese!
What did I learn? I have integrated into Local Chinese society much more than I had realized. It kind of sneaks up on you. I can manage to function in Beijing in a way that is impossible in Hong Kong. Although infuriating, I became much more aware of how easily I can move through life in Beijing with my (admittedly poor) Chinese. Sometimes you need to break a connection in order to realize how strong it has become.

When They Come ...

There are only two things that I'm sure will happen when the aliens finally land:

1. They'll eat the fat ones first
   
2. They'll look at earthling battery technology and wonder, "How did they get so far with such crappy batteries?"