Comments on: Is Chinese foods really all that bad?

By: Gwen

Gwen — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 18:13:31 +0000

You forgot to list portion control as one of the main issues with American obesity. Everything in America is huge, the food size, the cars, and naturally, the people. Chinese food is very popular not only because people are lazy to cook, but simply don’t have the time to. It’s very culturally different here, I don’t have to tell you that, and people spend most of the time working 2 jobs (for those of lower economic status) or the richer people spending more time attending social events. I do however agree that it’s their own fault and not to point fingers at any particular culture’s food for committing this atrocity.

Tyroid disfunction is also a main factor in many obese Americans, it seems to be genetic in Caucasian people (as far as I was told) so not every fat person you see in America is obese because they overeat.

I cook very often with frozen food because it’s cheaper and lasts longer, just for your info and the flash freeze technology here works very well. For losing weight also I eat those pre-boxed processed foods because it’s all portion controlled, flash frozen and still healthy and delicious. When my family came to visit from Malaysia they were raving about how cool and convenient those things are that cost a bomb in Msia to buy! So in my opinion, your post is a little bit overgeneralized lah

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 21:21:00 +0000

The first time I had chinese food in the netherlands, where I now live, I told the singaporean waitress *you can die from this food*. She laughed and agreed! She said they don’t eat what they serve in the restaurants here.
Here the Chinese food is very sweet and starchy. Most of the things they serve you won’t get anywhere in Asia.
There is a *wok* restaurant concept here, where you choose your own ingredients and it is cooked before your eyes. The raw ingredients are in a buffet but even then they manage to screw it up.
It is not just Chinese food – the Malaysian, thai and Indian_ are all starchy and sweet.
Dusseldorf, Paris and London are great with their Asian restos but you have to be in the know to eat well.

By: pixen

pixen — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 21:15:35 +0000

Firstly, my hubby told me that If I want to see obesity, go to USA! Why? It’s all about fast food, frozen pre-cooked and being potato couch… sigh. No, thanks to McD or KFC! If you look at Asian people wherever they are in EU or US, most of them are skinny or average weight.

I’d tasted before Chinese food in EU… actually the restaurants’ cooking are to suit the locals’ taste buds not Chinese! So, most of the time the food’s tasted different. Also, with the salt shaker or soya sauce readily on their tables, customers tend to add in more salt because it’s kinda of their habit or ritual to do so…

So, if these people want to taste real healthy Chinese cooking, it’s better for them to eat homecook meal by cook by themselves or invited to an Asian home…:-P

By: Angie

Angie — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 06:08:16 +0000

That’s because Westerners often have Western-style Asian food. They don’t know what real Chinese food is – I mean, if you look at what Westerners normally order at Chinese restaurants, they have Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour Pork, and so on.

But really, lifestyle habits are to blame. More input, less output – this is the real reason why people are becoming larger and more obese in America.

I have a blog post about what Anthony Bourdain said about Chinese food being thought of in the West as being greasy, unhealthy food. But then he stumbled upon yong tau foo (stuffed bean curd / stuffed tofu). You can read more at http://wanderinggourmet.wordpress.com/2007/03/29/food-tv-shows-round-up-asia/

By: Azmi

Azmi — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 17:53:12 +0000

I have to agree that Chinese Food cannot be blamed. We didn’t eat duck everyday like kings. The person who commented on that would be a shallow person who didn’t live their lives daily eating the proper and many varieties of chinese food. Or rather opening one eye and closing the other while writing the article.