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Q: Chinese seem to eat anything and everything
While I enjoy most Chinese food there are some things I do not even want to try, While the Chinese seem to eat absolutely anything. Why is this, is it a cultural hangover from the great famine where people had to eat anything at all or is it something else.
I think you are right. This is probably a result of the lean past of China. They still use everything here.....like the old poor ladies picking though all the garbage pits....with bare hands I might add.
I will not eat many dishes in China...you could not pay me enough to eat chickens feet or any other disgusting thing.
tomcatflyer:
I'm with you on that, also the amount of fat that is on the meat, but add things like the lining of a cows stomach, intestines and things start looking really disgusting.
A lot of that stuff (stomach, intestines, etc) is actually really good. The subtle differences in texture and flavor, oh hell yeah. The chicken feet is just sucking fat off of bones, so it really depends on the sauce it was cooked in.
But it's one of those things that you have to just not pay attention to what it used to be and try it at least once. Have a Chinese friend order for you and not tell you what it is until afterwards, and if you want have them tell the cook to chop it up small so you will even have a harder time figuring out what exactly it is.
woody:
I'm with you there DaBen. Stir fried intestine with chili, stomach lining, intestine and blood in a big clay bowl filled with chili and sichuan peppers are great. If you get over your pre determined ideas and try some of this stuff it is a whole new experience of texture and flavour. Yum
where are you friend ? china too big, different areas have different repast cultural, bascially northern china's people food pyramid are normally. but people who lived in south part of china like to eat some strange. especially those people who live in guangdong province and fujian province like eat variet of animals. chinese traditional food cultural throught the more rare things (foods) include more extra energy in it.
there is a joke: one day, chinese catched a alien, three city's(beijing city , shanghai city, guangzhou city ) people talk about how to do it . the beijing city's people said "we should test it" because there have most resarch institutes and universities in beijing, so people in this city like study . but the shanghai city's people said "we should sell it, then we can get huge income." because shanghai is biggestt finical city in china ,so people who live there like do business. two city's people argue with each other and don't know how to do , the last they ask for guangdong people's opinion, then guangdong people thought for a moment and said "we should taste it "
do you understand this joke? ^_^
OP is from Guangdong area is no doubt. Icerock is very right here. NOT ALL Chinese eat everything. Not at all!
It's some guangdong people's bad habbits with history. In their eyes, the more wild animals, the higher nutrition it got. Not all guangdong people like to eat all of those strange things though!
I bet you know Guangdong food system is one of China biggest food division. People love to develop and study on foods, and are very open-minded for any food materials.
There is a saying about food eaten in China: anything with four legs, except their own kitchen table.
"Thrash, mash, cook it in a stew, there's plenty more for me and you!"
I play safe...... i eat nothing unless i know exactly what is=t is and how its prepard..... i was never so hungry or poor to eat things like tufu, chiken feet, head, intestines, some plants... this is just to mention a few...
I think all of the different foods is one of the most fun things about living in China. I consider the Guangdong area my home and I love going to dinners where the locals play " Lets see if the laowai will eat this!" I haven't lost yet.
There are some things I won't eat, like intestines and chicken feet...although maybe I'm getting more used to the chicken feet. Maybe I can make it a goal to try it before I go home this summer? The bones in the food still bother me, but other than that, nothing outright disgusts me. If it doesn't look appetizing, I won't eat it though.
In a big country like China, the culture diversity is something respected & appreciated. You have the right not to want to try. But why do you think of nothing but the "great famine"? It's kind of provoking to try to tie the culture diversity back to the "great famine".
tomcatflyer:
I will try most things at least once. I did not mean any disrespect regarding the great famine but was just curious as to whether this had any effect on the eating habits of today. Obviously every culture has the right to adjust and adapto to every circumstance including diet, as I say I was just curious.
tomcatflyer:
If you read my question properly you will see that I also asked if it was something else. However the famine is a genuine reason. I could understand people going through that and raising their children to not waste anything. It was not meant to be insulting but just a sensible enquiry
Chicken feet taste quite good,it is one of my favorite food.Come on,just give yourself a chance,probably you will like it.
The taste is irrevelant. I can't get past the grotesque look. It begins and ends with that for me. Not gonna happen.
I believe everyone has the right to choose whatever he wants to eat.whatmaybe be tasty to me,may not necessarily please others.but at timesi do think-intestines,frogs,grasshoppers....i think it's too much....
