shelleyk

In view of the melamine contamination of the milk produced in China, I was planning to avoid all dairy products during my forthcoming trip to China. However, since milk is used in many other products, such as cookies, candies, some egg dishes, etc, does anyone have any practical advice as to how to avoid the melamine in the food supply? I thought we had to be careful of the food in India, but that was easy compared to this situation.

PeterN_H

Easy: Eat Chinese, not fake Western.

If you must eat cookies and candies, bring what you like with you, or pay a lot for imported brands in the supermarkets of larger cities. These are easily found. Of course, these may also contain trans fats. It's not just the Chinese food industry that likes to put all sorts of muck in foods regardless of the consequences.

But milk is almost never used in traditional Chinese cooking, so eat Chinese and be safe.

Except, of course, the concerns such as those in a popular blog post circulating recently in China and quoted by Li Datong in ‘China’s power, China’s people: towards accountability' on www.opendemocracy.net 29/09/2008

"Through rice we learned about paraffin-wax. Ham taught us about DDVP. Salted duck-eggs and chili sauce educated us about Sudan Red. Hotpot brought us knowledge of formalin. Silver-ring fungus and candied dates let us study sulphur dioxide. Wood-ear fungus told us of copper sulphate. And now, Sanlu is using milk-powder to teach the Chinese nation the chemical functions of melamine. . . When foreigners drink milk, they get strong. When Chinese people drink milk, they get kidney stones!" 


Then there's this recent announcement from a bureaucrat in charge of ensuring an entirely organic, non-GM, and uncontaminated food supply for top officials through a special supply chain.

On August 18, 2008, State Council (China’s Cabinet) Party and State Organizations Special Food Supply Center Director Zhu Yonglan gave the following address:

"Everyone knows that at present average production facilities use large quanitities of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Antibiotics and hormones are used in the raising of animals. Aquatic animal products are raised in polluted waters. All of these toxins end up in the final food products (all kinds of produce, meat, dairy products etc.). It goes without saying that these are harmful when consumed by humans. Organic products are all naturally grown and processed, no chemical fertilizers, pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, contaminated or polluted materials, or chemical additives or preservatives or genetically modified products are used, and they are approved according to organic produce standards. If any product does not meet the above standards, it cannot qualify as a “Central Party and Government Organization Special Supply Product.”

Of course, much of what you eat at home is contaminated in the same way, unless you are very selective in how you shop.

But the news is generally bad for those seeking to eat healthily (but then that wouldn't include those eager to eat cookies and candy, of course). From an entirely organic production system (albeit with human faeces a major fertiliser), ‘reform and opening’ has in the last 20 year let in chemical fertilisers, pesticides in quantities that have turned rivers into chemical soups nationwide, and more recently China has embraced Monsanto and competitors in the Frankenfoods department, and your meals may well include genetically modified products. Indeed, GM products that haven't even gained Chinese government approval have been found planted in China. It's completely out of control.

However, there's a need to understand risk here. The chances of any of this doing you significant harm during a brief China visit are too small to worry about, and the food is one of the country's greatest pleasures. You are probably thousands of times more likely to be in a traffic accident, and your major concern about food should be general hygiene, in order to avoid three days of your valuable holiday being spent in trips between bathroom and bed.

Now that's something worth worrying about.

Peter N-H

shelleyk

Thank you, Peter. I feel so much better now. What a relief to know that the melamine contmination of the food supply should be the least of my worries when visiting China. Seriously, thanks so much for your thoughtful and well researched answer. Since you said "Eat Chinese, not fake western", what would middle class people in China eat for breakfast?

rkkwan

It's really not an issue if you're just visiting. It'll take a lot of melamine (or other harmful) stuff to make you sick.

Now, if you're moving there, especially with small kids, it's a different issue.

Chinese breakfast food depends on region. In the north, soy milk and fried doughy stuff. Or noddles. In southern part, rice porridge and/or noddles. Or dim sum, of course.

PeterN_H

I have to admit that breakfast is the one meal where I insist on having something familiar. The problem, even in the best hotels, is finding unsweetened wholewheat bread of any substance, something low-fat to spread on it, and genuine muesli without candied fruit or chocolate chips in it, or which is made largely of wheat rather than oats. But obviously I live with whatever I can get--you can't expect China to be just like home, and there's be little point in going there if it was.

But on the Chinese part of the buffet you're likely to come across (depending on location), youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks), doufu nai or doufu jiang (soya milk, usually offered either hot or cold), jiaozi (filled 'dumplings', actually more similar to ravioli); various kinds of cake made from millet, sorghum, or rice; zhou (rice porridge, either savoury or sweet, such as the form called ba bao zhou, or 'eight treasures rice', which has nuts and candied fruit in it); and items you may be familiar with from dim sum, as mentioned above. There will also be cut-up fruit, and may be noodles in soup or fried form.

Personally I go for the jiaozi and hot doufu nai in these cases.

Peter N-H

Nywoman

At the great wall I was talking with a Chinese couple who were feeding their infant milk. They claimed that all milk produced after September 14th is safe. I have seen milk products and yougurt in the stores, but haven't tried any.

As for breakfast I have had street food e.g. pancakes with egg, dumplings and scallion pancake. All very starchy stuff

shelleyk

Thanks for your responses. I guess I will be looking forward to eating lunches and dinners rather than breakfasts.

rkkwan

Again, for a short trip, there's really nothing for you to worry about. Just enjoy whatever you can find.