Food In China

[dope540]

if i remember correctly, northern china is more rice based whereas the southern regions is more noodles.

milk poses no problem for me.

[NU_nutrition_TS]

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nu - your post goes along the same lines as what I wrote earlier. Among the rich chinese, rice is very rarely eaten. Its a status symbol, and status, or appearing to be of high status is very important in chinese and a lot of Asian cultures.

If we were look at the diet of the poorer chinese, I imagine that rice or noodles would make up a very large proportion. Interestingly, rice or noodles is quite a regional thing - I forget which regions now, but some are better for growing wheat hence noodles, others better for rice.

Which illustrates another point I'm always making - these high carb staples tend to be largely part of 'subsistence' diets within impoverished populations!

[Mutated_Hair]

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milk poses no problem for me.

I didnt realise you were chinese dope?

[dope540]

hahaha yup.

[ryandj2]

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if i remember correctly, northern china is more rice based whereas the southern regions is more noodles.

milk poses no problem for me.

Actually, I reckon its the other way round - wheat grows best in the cooler northern parts, rice paddies in the hot humid southern areas.

I recall reading that because milk and dairy is not a big part of the Chinese, or Asian, diet as a whole, then there is a higher proportion of lactose intolerance as the enzymes for milk digestion were not necessary for survival.

Similarly for alcohol, apparently a lot of Chinese can't deal with it so well. The reason is historically to do with water quality. In Western cultures, we largely resorted to brewing and drinking beer to get hygienic hydration whereas in China they resorted to boiling the water with some herbs in (tea).

Not sure how much of the above is urban myth or true though!

Nu - carb diets are cheap and require less land area to generate the same amount of calories. Which raises an interesting point about whether eating meat is good for the planet in terms of stress on the land, efficiency, feeding a growing population and all that...

[Mutated_Hair]

Thats what the whole red bean moshi thing is about then?
At last i understand! =P

[NU_nutrition_TS]

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Nu - carb diets are cheap and require less land area to generate the same amount of calories. Which raises an interesting point about whether eating meat is good for the planet in terms of stress on the land, efficiency, feeding a growing population and all that...

I've answered this question many times on the forum - best not go into it in detail again suffice to say it doesn't bear close scrutiny!

Agriculture is much more wasteful of land, labour, resources and the environment for the meagre calorific and nutrient return than raising animals. Certain food animals can be grazed on land entirely unsuitable for growing crops. And they tend to enrich (fertilise) the soil as they go! Growing crops generally devitalises the soil and all subsequent crops.

An acre of wheat will make approximately 2,500 loaves of bread. That same acre could produce 50,000 servings of nutrient-rich beef!

[Mutated_Hair]

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Now alcohol... that I cannot handle at all.

On my 18th i had 2 1/2 bottles of wine half a litre of vodka annd 3 beers, needless to say i have not drank since, 3 months ago and have no intention of ever doing so again >.<

[Danny]

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I'm half-chinese & half caucasian, and have no problems with dairy/milk.

Now alcohol... that I cannot handle at all.

x 2! Half chinese; no problem handling milk but alcohol on the other hand...

Slightly random but: I understand dairylea is very popular in vietnam - my dad was kind of brought up there and recalls milk being very scarce but dairylea was everywhere.

[NU_nutrition_TS]

There are so many myths still to be busted!