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Q: What long term damage can you do yourself if you constantly eat at 10 kuai hole in the wall joints?
When I first arrived in China I was astounded at the amount of dirt cheap food (that actually didn't taste too bad) at every corner. For my first few months, I was chowing down on cheap noodles, fried dishes, BBQ etc and would often wash them down with a local brew.
Having wizened up (only a little ha ha) and becoming aware of various food safety scares, I now limit my eating at these places and cook at home more often, and if I eat out I try to visit more "upscale" establishments.
Given all the potential gutter oil, MSG, arsenic and god knows what else that goes into these dishes, what sort of long term effects can result of constant consumption of food from places like this? I've got friends who literally never cook at home and always eat out at places like these.
As soon as I came to China, I realize I won't live 100 Y
.
ravster09:
The truth and something we should face up to.
i gave you a thumbs up so as to nullify the other.
up market places can also have there problems as for long term affects it might explain the spiting and sh&tting on the streets
You are talking about the lottery of life. Nobody can answer your question with any degree of accuracy. You could go to one of these places and contract E.coli 0157:H7 on your first visit and die. Alternatively, you could live in China for 20 years eating from such places and not have any real problem. It's a case of "You pays your money and takes your choice". Perhaps many people like the food so much that the risk is ignored. I love eating the meat skewers even though I am fully aware of the risks of doing so. It is just the ultra temptation of an ice cold beer and a plate of 羊肉串 that keeps my senses in tact sometimes. You could, of course, refuse to eat all of the food because of safety risks then get killed by one of the maniacs they have here in their cars.
i remember reading an article about upscale shanghai restaurants recycling food. find a restaurant that does not use recycled oil and is "cleanish" (this is china) and that is busy . if it is busy then the food they are serving is likely to be fresh
in china, eating is risky period. i refuse to eat at mcdonalds or kfc everyday. and i can't cook. so keep your life insurance paid up and bon apetite.
Probably long term affects could be serious. I ate at one like the one you mentioned. The barbecue stick was 1 kuai each. The next day I had a stomachache. I never went back to that place again. If you keep eating at those type of places I would assume that something bad could happen.
Kaiwen:
Yep, many Chinese people make the same mistake. When you buy a 1 kuai "barbecue stick", it is the pieces of meat on there that you are supposed to eat, not the stick that goes through the middle.
I love the fried noodles with an unknown meat skewer. never had any stomach problems. My GF wouldn't eat at the them, said they were dirty and I don't know China. Long term, you are what you eat, you will become Chinese. Look what did happen to me, I crave Chinese women and people tell me that China changed me, I'm not as crazy, both signs that I suffered brain damage.
After 10 months of eating at restaurants like that, I can say that my digestive tract was totally ruined. I'll be smarter next time, and cook at least half my meals for myself. And I won't be eating noodles too often either. Of course, it may not have been just the food that did that to me. It was probably just the last blow. It really is luck of the draw, but the better your health is to begin with, and the smarter you are about eating, the longer you will do well.
Cancer. That's one thing people who mention recycled oil don't talk enough about
I don't know how many times I have eaten at "hole in the wall" places in the last 3 years here in China. But, I can say that I have NEVER been sick after eating at one of them. Luck? Who knows.
I don't even eat McD's (stands for McDiarrhea) back home in America. However, was at work here in China one day and didn't have much time for lunch. There was a McD's right downstairs so I ate there thinking surely it would be ok this one time. Lo and behold...the first time eating at a McD's in China, and the first time eating at one in any country since 20 years ago, I got very sick.
So, just because it is a "hole in the wall" place doesn't make it any safer than a well-known chain.
sam239:
That's because Chinese he been cooking the tasty and famous Chinese food for more than five thousand years.
But McDonald's is new and you can't trust it. I've gotten sick ever time eating at KFC here. Same in Thailand, I ate at many street restaurants and got sick maybe once a month, but every time eating at Burger King got the bad diarrhea.
I stick with what they know how to cook. Also not all street food is made in the same quality. Look at the types of people eating it, the rate of turnover, etc. If a lot of respectful and healthy looking people are eating it, it's probably good. The people eating in the street restaurants I frequent are certainly a lot healthier than the people in the average fast food restaurant back in WeiGuoLand.
i used to spend 300 yuan on food a day. ate upscale/western/sushi only. got poisoned twice in two years. before that i ate cheap (10 yuan, like you say) and never got anything. so, honestly, don't fixate yourself on price too much. use your eyes and proper judgment
street food is safe IMO. u can watch them cook your food. you cant watch them at the restaurants
happywanderer:
You can watch them add the special juices to your road-kill but you didn't see them prepare it
.
yeah, but you didn't watch them prepare it before taking it out onto the street now did you? Did you watch them buy the meat from wholesalers? did you see the conditions, and quality of the raw meat? did you see with your own eyes how they washed it? did you see their hygiene skills in use? no, all you see is the greasy xinjiang kid take out the skewers from some foam box and flame grill that rat meat!!!
I have been eating out at all these places and have not been sick. However, when I went to a bigger city, I ate at McDs and got very sick.
