Food and Nutrition, Chinese Style

Hi everyone, Jessie here! As I mentioned in our last post, I am a nutrition student at the University of Connecticut. I am particularly interested in how culture influences food choices, as well as the role of food in health maintenance and disease prevention. As Beijing is a new city with a culture very different from American culture, it provides the perfect opportunity to study both of these interests! I’ll concentrate on the first interest, as the second is beyond the scope of this post

Let’s start with a typical meal here in Beijing. We had the opportunity to enjoy a walking food tour of Beijing’s hutongs. Hutongs are narrow alleyways bounded by traditional Chinese courtyards, many of which are several centuries old. What better place to explore the Chinese culture than in Old Beijing?

We began our tour at a local Hakka restaurant, where our first dish featured wild vegetables picked fresh from the hills around Beijing:

This dish characterizes much of Chinese cuisine: stir-fried vegetables with some light sauce to bind the ingredients together. Meat is often used as a garnish, rather than composing the main course (an American 16 oz. steak, anyone?). Similarly, check out these gorgeous green beans:

Flavorful perch:

Shrimp steamed with tea leaves:

Exercise is a way of life in Beijing. The best way to get around is on your own two feet.

You may stop to rest for a while, or maybe to get a little more exercise:

Refresh yourself with a light yogurt:

Or a fruit smoothie:

Don’t feel guilty about taking an afternoon siesta. It’s good for your health.

In addition to appreciating the Chinese respect for the body’s health, I have been very impressed with the emphasis on quality ingredients and flavor in Chinese cuisine. The Chinese love of food is deeply rooted in family and an appreciation for the food they eat. Any food the Chinese eat with their friends and family is “hen hao chi” – very delicious! Mealtimes are not rushed affairs – you will not see someone gulping down food behind the wheel as he rushes from place to place. A meal is a chance to share food with friends and family. The typical Chinese meal is served “family-style“, with many dishes placed in the center of the table and shared by all.

Because the Chinese food culture has developed over thousands of years, it is not easily swayed by the relatively modern invention called fast food. Yet, right in the heart of Beijing, we find some familiar faces:

This "restaurant" seems fairly popular.

Yes, fast food has hit China. While the obesity epidemic has not hit China as hard as it has the U.S., the rates of overweight and obesity have increased even here. The Chinese traditional food culture is still strong, yet the hunger for “American” fast food only continues to grow. Fast food establishments that we view as cheap and fast in the U.S. (such as McDonald’s or KFC) are considered “fancier” food in China, and eating often at these higher-class “restaurants” are part of a current Chinese fad. As a result, I am curious to see how Chinese food habits change (or don’t change!) over the next few decades.

One slightly frustrating aspect of food and nutrition back in the U.S. is the reliance on fast results rather than slower therapies that ultimately might give more lasting results. We’ve all seen fad diets that fail again and again, while the most effective method of permanently losing weight (a.k.a. diet and exercise) is sometimes avoided because the weight loss time frame is longer. For disease prevention, the nutritional “treatment” is similar: a healthy diet with a lot of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and plenty of exercise.

Like nutrition, Traditional Chinese medicine has a strong focus on preventative care. By taking care of the whole body NOW, a person’s health will be maintained long term. While this health maintenance philosophy is still strong in China, I wonder how long it will last before evolving to the American desire for fast, quantitative results. One of our TCM professors, Dr. Xu, told us he worries that TCM will eventually become a rarely-practiced alternative medicine in China. We will just have to wait and see.

On a lighter note, I have made many food discoveries in China thus far. For example, chicken eggs preserved in brine is a common ingredient in many dishes. Here I am cracking one at a hutong shop:

Let’s take a closer look at my facial expression:

And the egg itself:

Yes, the egg is BLACK on the inside! The brine penetrates the porous shell of the egg and preserves it. This nutritious food is unusual to me, but enjoyed by many, many Chinese people.

Even the popsicles are full of vegetables:

If you’re adventurous, you might want to try the cheese popsicle.

I have tasted many new foods over the last week and a half. New foods + new experiences in a new locale = tremendous growth. I can’t wait to stretch my boundaries even more over the next three and a half weeks.

Until we see you again, take time to enjoy life to its fullest. Zai jian!