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self-taught-mba -

Were those purple spots bluish purple as in like mold?

I don't recall spotting purple spotted once before?



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muyongshi -



Quote:

Actually the best breakfast I ever had was plain mantous with a handful of peanuts.

Switch the peanuts for 泡菜 and man I was addicted!!










flameproof -



Quote:

Now if somebody could tell me what a pink light in a "barber shop" means then I'll be totally set.

It means "No Barber Service Here". But there was something about a secret handshake......










cdn_in_bj -



Quote:

P.S. the Chinese often have similar issues eating Cheesy, and heavy foods when they come to the
west.

Actually the cheese/dairy thing is not related to stomach bacteria, but rather because of a lack
of an enzyme (lactase) required to break down lactose, the primary sugar in milk. Most ethnic
Chinese are lactose-intolerant to various degrees (and this applies to those who grew up overseas
too), with symptoms ranging from a bit of stomach gas to more serious effects such as cramps and
diarrhea. The strange exception is yoghurt, and studies have indicated that the bacterial cultures
in yoghurt seem to aid in the digestion of lactose.

In the west you can find lactose-free milk for those that are lactose intolerant, however I have
yet to find this here. The other solution is to take lactase pills (which contain the needed
enzyme), but I have not seen these for sale here either, though I have not specifically looked for
them.

I came across an interesting article discussing the apparent benefits of consuming yoghurt, one of
which is prevention of e.coli infection! I've always known that "good bacteria can fight bad
bacteria", but this is the first time I have seen this discussed in depth:

http://www.usprobiotics.org/docs/Sci...%C2%B0%206.pdf

So perhaps we should "do as the Chinese do", and consume lots of yoghurt while in China!

Regarding diarrhea, I'm afraid that this is normal here, even for the locals. I remember when I
first got here I would have stomach "difficulties" (sometimes diarrhea, but not always) that would
last for several days or even weeks. After 2 years of being here, these seemed to have tapered
off, although I still get the occasional "outbreak".

You just have to be careful about what you eat here. I know some on this board will disagree, but
I personally would avoid eating from outdoor food vendors, especially those selling food that has
been directly exposed to the air/dust. Also go easy on the hot and spicy foods (especially dishes
containing the numbing Sichuan pepper). You even have to be careful when buying groceries at a
supermarket as they are not very strict here regarding produce handling, and I think it was
Heifeng who cautioned against buying frozen foods. If you're living in dusty Beijing, you may want
to consider wearing a mask when you're out as I suspect there may be some nasty germs in the dust.
I don't think there's any problem with drinking the tap water in Beijing, especially if you boil
it; I used to drink it all the time before I started buying spring/mineral water. Actually I think
the tap water here is pretty good, at least it is miles ahead of HK's tap water in terms of taste.

And again, eat lots of yoghurt. For the ladies, there may be other side-benefits too but then we'd
be getting off-topic.










heifeng -



Quote:

So perhaps we should "do as the Chinese do", and consume lots of yoghurt while in China!

I try to eat yogurt out here quite often (the brands out here are actually not bad...mmmm creamy
full fat), but make sure you check the date on it and make sure it was properly refrigerated.



Quote:

You just have to be careful about what you eat here. I know some on this board will disagree, but
I personally would avoid eating from outdoor food vendors, especially those selling food that has
been directly exposed to the air/dust.

I think vendor food is an exciting part of China, so we just need to learn to select wisely. this
word of wisdom was going to be a part of a great thread I've had in the back of my head for a
while: "Things I've learned while living in BJ" but never posted...
1) Don't eat tanghulu that is uncovered.
reason, on windy days you can only imagine what nasty dustiness is stuck on it. Once I was riding
my bike behind a tanghulu vendor riding his bike during a nasty windy/sandstormy day and made a
mental note never to buy uncovered tanghulu again. Can you imagine how much street dust must have
been stuck onto that sugar coating.
2) Don't eat malatang next to puddles on the road~ same idea actually...malatang just seems
unsanitary anyway, but factor in some puddles and cars running through them...ughh scary.



Quote:

Were those purple spots bluish purple as in like mold?

I don't recall spotting purple spotted once before?

No, it was technically a huazhuanr (sometimes after they weigh it the label says
mantou...sometimes huazhuanr and its white and purple speckled.) Its really big, about the size of
a softball and really good, and thats apparently why I wolfed it down!




Quote:

Switch the peanuts for 泡菜 and man I was addicted!!

mmmm wumei has really really good 辣萝卜块。。。ok that's a bit off topic..moving right
along



Quote:

Actually the best breakfast I ever had was plain mantous with a handful of peanuts.

uhh ohh..peanuts...another food that needs to be chewed carefully. That and mantou is just asking
for trouble




Quote:

Regarding diarrhea, I'm afraid that this is normal here, even for the locals. I remember when I
first got here I would have stomach "difficulties" (sometimes diarrhea, but not always) that would
last for several days or even weeks. After 2 years of being here, these seemed to have tapered
off, although I still get the occasional "outbreak".

haha, I've noticed people vomit ALOT in china...not just from drinking...or maybe that's just
because one of my bus stops is next to a hospital...and the ladies throwing up are all
pregnant...i dunno...or I'm just unlucky and end up witnessing alot of vomit and vomiting in
general, so there are definitely locals getting "outbreaks" one way or the other out here too.










gougou -



Quote:

make sure it was properly refrigerated.

But how do you do that, in a country where the cold chain (i.e. temperature-controlled logistics)
is still one of the largest headaches in retail?










heifeng -

ask your magic eight ball i guess










cdn_in_bj -



Quote:

Can you imagine how much street dust must have been stuck onto that sugar coating.

Yes, exactly. I think most of us probably come from places that are not as windy and dusty as
here, and may not realize how dirty street food can be. Oh how I miss those days of grabbing a
hotdog or a sausage-in-a-bun after a night of drinking.



Quote:

make sure it was properly refrigerated.

But how do you do that, in a country where the cold chain (i.e. temperature-controlled logistics)
is still one of the largest headaches in retail?

I've had yoghurt that I had inadvertantly left out of the fridge at room temperature for over
24hrs. Of course, the container was still sealed but the taste was right and I didn't experience
any problems afterwards.

Also, I recently had a couple of leftover "sticky rice with chicken wrapped in tea leaves" that I
had also left out at room temperature for over 48hrs. I knew I was taking a risk with the chicken
(back home they tell us to put chicken back in the fridge right away), but it was really good and
I was hungry. And again, no issues.

So perhaps that gives some thought to the notion of having to keep food refrigerated at all times.
Or maybe I was just lucky. But I think one should still be more careful with raw meat and frozen
foods. And in case you're wondering, I would never leave food out at home.



Quote:

No, it was technically a huazhuanr (sometimes after they weigh it the label says
mantou...sometimes huazhuanr and its white and purple speckled.)

So the speckles are supposed to be bits of green onion, right? But then shouldn't they be green,
not purple?










Rincewind -



Quote:



Quote:

No, it was technically a huazhuanr (sometimes after they weigh it the label says
mantou...sometimes huazhuanr and its white and purple speckled.)

So the speckles are supposed to be bits of green onion, right? But then shouldn't they be green,
not purple?

I've seen something matching the description in the shops here. I may be wrong but I thought the
purple bits were red beans? Those red beans seem to get into everything, even ice cream. I'm
gradually getting used to that but not quite yet.










lilongyue -

Does the OP know not to drink unboiled tap water? I came to China after two years in other Asian
countries, which included almost a year in India, so I had a stomach of steel by the time I
arrived. But, one time some unboiled tap water got mixed into my boiled drinking water (long
story) and I wound up with diarrhea, a fever, hot and cold flashes, and a general terrible
feeling. I eventually went and got antibiotics, and that cleared it up.

As far as I understand, most yogurt in China doesn't contain the active cultures that have the
health benefits discussed. The only one that does is the Japanese brand . . . damn, what's the
name. . . it's Yakult I think. If you want to eat yogurt to aid digestion you'll have to find that
brand.












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