@ Alex: I can't guarantee anything. Which non-Chinese cooking oils can you guarantee etc.?
@ Geezer: I haven't denied anything. I do not have a blase attitude towards the lives of children. I'm aware that cooking oil can sometimes be polluted by mixing. I'm just suggesting that distrusting all Chinese cooking oil products because they are Chinese might not be warranted. I don't know who 'most of (us)" are or on what most of 'you' base your general suspicions, or why so many foreigners here think they are so exraordinarilly different from suspicions one might have elsewhere. Note that many Chinese are aware of food safety issues. If you, or anyone, find further examples of such mixing etc. you should tell us about them, the brand name of any oil used, etc., and hopefully publicize your evidence.
Yes, I also believe that regulation of foods in China is not as strict as it is in some other countries, and there have been articles in the press of incidences involving food safety in general. I have merely pointing out that not everything is poisonous, only some things, and that some degrees of fear are perhaps unwarranted - agreed? Of course you can be afraid of anything if you try hard enough. Is there also some reason to suspect olive oil available here that is imported from Italy?
@ Alex: Is there any evidence of peanut oil in what is branded as corn, rapeseed or canola oil? I would imagine there may have been a phony brand or two discovered at some point, and I know about the gutter-oil thing, but I doubt that most Chinese-produced cooking oils are so corrupted. There seem to be quite a few brands of cooking oil - of course you can suspect anything, but which ones are actually suspicious?
There are locally available cooking oils without peanut oil in them, and there are several convenient places to buy olive oil, mostly imported from Italy - certainly no need to bring your own oil from some other country.
I wonder what the prevalence of nut allergies is in China, or Yunnan, vis-a-vis in other areas - I know nothing about this, but it seems to me it may be at least partially genetic. Anybody know?
Some dishes have such nuts, and peanut oil is often used in cooking, but so are other oils. Should be easy to avoid the nuts, but, not having this problem, I'm not sure what it would take to avoid peanut oil - you may need to insist on an accurate answer at restaurants.
@ AlPage: Appreciate your situation, not too dissimilar to mine (have to leave every 60 days). Thus bureaucratic absurdity can contribute to air pollution & depletion of natural resources (long-distance day trips merely to shop & get yr ticket stamped again).
Nice article, Ginger, and on a subject that one might not think about until, once one does, it's obvious that it should be explored.
The point about foreigners particularly applies, as you indicate, to people from milk-product-using 'western' countries and, as you indicate, it is one picked up in some southeast Asian countries as well - but foreigners from other areas will be pegged also (e.g., South Asians who use many different 'curry' spices, etc., that are not used so much in China).
And then there is the widespread smell of tobacco, noticeable primarily by those foreigners who don't use it. Baijiu has a particular smell also.
Not quite what you'd call a jumping place, but not bad at all for rather standard US-type meals, not overly expensive, and with a really good salad bar that's cheap, or free with most dinner dishes after 5:30PM. You can get a bottle of beer or even wine if you really want to, but I've never seen anybody do it - maybe that's just to take out. Chinese Christian run, and they hire people with physical disadvantages, who are pleasant and helpful. Frequented by foreign (mostly North American) Christians and Chinese Christians - was started by a Canadian couple associated with Bless China (previously, Project Grace), who are no longer here, but no religious pressure or any of that. Steaks are nothing special, and I avoid the Korean dishes, which I've had a few times but which did not impress me.
As a shop and bakery, it's very good bread at reasonable prices, of various kinds (Y18 for a good multigrain loaf that certainly weighs well over a pound. Other stuff too, like granola and oatmeal that is local, as well as imported things, including American cornflakes and so forth, which some people seem to require.
Large portions, seriously so with the pizza, which is Brooklyn/American style, I guess. Convivial, conversational, good place to drink with good folks on both sides of the bar, especially after about 9PM.
Counting down Kunming's Top Ten Smells
Posted byDon't worry about it.
Counting down Kunming's Top Ten Smells
Posted byYeah, well, it's perhaps useful to tourists and very new arrivals.
Counting down Kunming's Top Ten Smells
Posted byWet markets, smells - yeah, but not all bad. Cf. sterile supermarkets.
Counting down Kunming's Top Ten Smells
Posted byNice article, Ginger, and on a subject that one might not think about until, once one does, it's obvious that it should be explored.
The point about foreigners particularly applies, as you indicate, to people from milk-product-using 'western' countries and, as you indicate, it is one picked up in some southeast Asian countries as well - but foreigners from other areas will be pegged also (e.g., South Asians who use many different 'curry' spices, etc., that are not used so much in China).
And then there is the widespread smell of tobacco, noticeable primarily by those foreigners who don't use it. Baijiu has a particular smell also.
Food and Drug Administration issues southern China alcohol alert
Posted byThose responsible should have their faces publicly rubbed in the dirt.