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Q: Do you question the source of your meat, milk or egg?
the local milk taste nothing like those from Australia
the local beef does not even match those from Australia
the local eggs are alright, but sometimes no taste at all...
who knows that the chicken breat you are eating is just loaded with steroids?
I think all the milk is pastuerized,so it does have a different flavour,the beef is as you say tasteless,i find the eggs and the chicken breast same as home really
Concerning the milk, the milk in China is about the same as it is in Japan and as it is Russia.
Chinese milk, with the exception of especially-denominated "skim milk (low fat)" is essentially full-bodied milk with the only the very top layer of heavy cream removed. I could never go back to drinking Western-standard milk as it seems to be so "watered-down".
As for beef, I am not a meat eater, so I can be of assistance here to you but my Western friends and colleagues often do voice your very sentiments. Sometimes you may be eating actual beef; sometimes may you be eating water buffalo (I hate to say it) which can pass for beef; and my friends swear that on at least one occasion, it was horse.
If you are eating mass-produced chicken breasts that are imported from Thailand and South-east Asia, the chances of their being steroid-enhanced is quite real. If on the other hand, you shop at the local markets where the poultry comes from the small local farmers, then most assuredly they will have been grain-fed and not steroid enhanced.
In terms of real beef, and of sometimes imported beef, this Carrefour store in Changchun carries decidedly superior beef, again according to my carniverous friends :
No.565, Yan An Street, Chaoyang District, Changchun
(0431) 8571 8257
bigkrishna:
the carrefour in xinmin square is crap now, they don't bring much varieties as they used to, up to now, the walmart, qianjin da jie, has the most varieties as far as i know...
I try not to think about it. Why put...umm...I mean, why look a gift horse in the mouth!
Here's my 2 mao on the subject:
Beef: Chinese beef sucks. It's always "fresh" and not aged, so it's tough, kind of flavorless, and overall, Chinese cows seem to be of poor quality. I buy local beef if I'm making something like beef stew. You can use it for a fairly ok pot roast as well. Anything that requires cooking the hell out of the meat... If I want steak or decent beef, I buy Australian or New Zealand imported beef.
Milk: Ahhh.... Well, almost all milk you buy here is UHT milk, which stands for "Ultra-high temperature". They flash heat the milk to kill off any nasty stuff and to extend the shelf-life. Local milk is pretty bad. Less than quality cattle = poor milk. This is why companies here are always trying to "pad" their products with wonderful things like melamine. In areas near Shanghai, there is a good milk company called "Bright". I've actually been to the dairy farm. It's a joint venture with a US dairy company and they have imported Holstein dairy cows from the US. Decent milk that actually tastes like milk.
Eggs: Don't buy eggs from chain stores, or even at Carrefour/Wal-Mart/etc. They are often old and of cheap quality. Good eggs can be purchased at local wet markets. They are fresh and decent. Mind you however, that eggs here are not from "egg laying hens", they are from the same chickens that are used for food, so size and quality will vary. I have an "egg lady" that always has good stuff close to my home. She always gives me freshly laid eggs and I have no complaints.
Chicken: I am actually a fan of Asian chickens. They are a bit smaller and leaner than their European counterparts or ones from the US/Canada, but damn tasty. Granted, I am a fan of "dark meat" which is also more popular in China. I've seen vendors chuck breast meat into a bucket because people don't like it. They sell it to restaurants that make cheap gong bao ji ding because they don't sell much of it. Chinese people would rather eat wing tips and feet than chicken breast. Hahahaha. It's funny because at stores the wing tips (with very little meat and/or skin) can be pricey, but the breasts are dirt cheap. Their loss, my gain.
Pork: I love Chinese pork. It hasn't been bred to be lean, less fatty, or "the other white meat". Nothing is better than pork fat and Chinese pork is loaded with it. Hells yeah. Fu38428 delicious!
Lamb: Good lamb here as well. In the US, lamb often has a "gamey" taste because it's not very popular. Chinese lamb, and even better Australian or NZ lamb, dear god, so tasty. Highly recommended.
Fish: Um, mostly gross here. Carp tastes like dirty water, and the only decent seafood you can find is at Japanese sushi restaurants or in coastal cities. I get sick more often than not if I eat some seafood here. I don't trust it. Totally scared.
