While I was living in China and visiting the States, my only prerequisite for dining out was absolutely no Chinese food. Part of it because I was missing baked goods, cheeses, and avocados so much that I didn’t have time for Chinese food, which could be acquired cheaply and made deliciously in China upon my return. Now that I have moved back to the U.S., I am often overcome with cravings for hand-pulled noodles or spicy dongpo pork knee (trust me, it’s delicious) or bitter melon. Sichuan pulled noodles (拉面), the perfect way to start your morning (Meishan, Sichuan) A true Sichuanese feast (Meishan, Sichuan) The best mapo tofu I’ve ever had (Chengdu, Sichuan) Despite having a Chinatown, Washington D.C. is not a hub for quality Chinese food. Nevertheless, I scoured the interwebs for anything to tingle my tongue. A friend and I visited Sichuan Pavilion, and we ordered Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐), garlic paste chicken, and dandan mian (担担面). We ordered in Chinese, and the waiter followed up, “Chinese style or American style?” We answered in sync, “Chinese please.” Followed by the clichéd phrase, “不怕辣怕不辣 (bú pà là, pà bù là, not scared of spicy, scared not spicy enough).” Mapo
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When I was living in China, I knew I had to wash and peel, cut, shave all removable skins from my fruits and vegetables due to the likelihood of pesticides and other carcinogens on them. Upon returning to the States, I foolishly thought I was free from the time-consuming burden of peeling apples, re-washing “pre-washed” spinach. That is, until I stumbled upon whatsonmyfood.org. The realization that it’s not necessarily greener on the other side is slowly setting in.
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Today I wanted to make sandwiches for dinner, and since it’s not convenient to purchased sliced meat nearby, I went to a few places that sell 肉夹馍 (rou jia mo, meat sandwiched between steamed bread) to buy some meat. I asked them if they sold their meat separately. Me: Do you sell your meat separately? Supermarket woman: This meat is expensive and hard to cook. Me: Okay, can I buy some? How much would 10RMB buy? SW: 3 pieces Me: 3 pieces? You put more than that in one 肉夹馍, and those only cost 3 RMB. SW: This meat is tasty! It is hard to cook! I spent a lot of time making it! Me: Fuck you. (walks away) I try another place that sells the meat outside the supermarket. Me: Do you sell your meat separately? Meat man: No, this meat is expensive. Me: Why can’t you just cut some off like you were making a 肉夹馍 and just give me the meat equivalent and I will pay for it like it was a regular 肉夹馍? MM: Why do you just want the meat? Me: I want to make a sandwich: MM: Then you can bring your bread slices
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Once word broke out that liquid milk had traces of melamine, I knew all liquid milk was done for. But what I didn’t think about was all of the food products that China makes that have milk in them. Not long after, White Rabbit candies were being pulled off store shelves across the globe. Then, investigative reports reveal that melamine usage has been “rampant” in the dairy industry. If that wasn’t mind-jostling enough, WSJ reports that Cadbury chocolates have melamine (as well as snacks like Oreos, Snickers). Oh wait, now Ritz crackers and Lipton teas are also tainted. My father sent me an e-mail that named all of the products and brand names affected by the melamine crisis (at least 30 different products, 30 different brand names). It’s already pretty messed up that government officials munch on pure, organic food while letting the masses suffer (population control conspiracy, anyone?). But are they the only ones to blame for the scandal? I see some blame on every level of the manufacturing chain. First, many milk farmers are often pressured to satisfy the growing demand for milk from consumers, while they also face decreased profits from government-induced price decreases. How are they
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The Shanghaiist reports of the many more products that have shown traces of melamine. I can’t believe how this is turning out, and I don’t even want to imagine the many other harmful chemicals that are in the foods we consume. Way to lose major face, China.
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