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Q: Foods to avoid in China?
I wanted to know if there was any foods in Beijing that you may know about to avoid. I ate a sausage and an ice-cream bar at one of those concession stands and afterwards my stomach was in knots. Do any of you have advice on the foods to avoid? I wouldn't want to get sick again.
Just give you system time to adjust and you won't have as many "fun" trips to the bathroom... but it'll still happen every once in awhile. That just part of China.
There is no real "safe" food. The street food is equally as bad as many of the resturants. Actually the street food can be safers because it's not being prepared by a minimum wage worker that doesn't care about the future of the business.
Even the water isn't safe. Bacteria in the tap water. Even if you boil it, there's still heavy metals in it. Even if you go bottled, then there was the whole finding fly eggs.
So just accept your system is going to have a bad day or two and just go out and eat whatever looks good. Enjoy
go to the super market pick up a bottle of bleach, drink it down. dont worry the bleach here is 99% water and will make sure you never have a problem from your stomach.
Chou Do fu (stinky tofu) and the Chinese shabu-shabu 
River fish, blood pudding (congealed blood), crap from unclean cafes and roadside stands.
Vegetables
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Beets
- Bell peppers
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Collard greens
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Fennel
- Garlic
- Green beans
- Green peas
- Kale
- Leeks
- Mushrooms, crimini
- Mushrooms, shiitake
- Mustard greens
- Olives
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Romaine lettuce
- Sea vegetables
- Spinach
- Squash, summer
- Squash, winter
- Sweet potatoes
- Swiss chard
- Tomatoes
- Turnip greens
- Yams
Seafood
Fruits
- Apples
- Apricots
- Bananas
- Blueberries
- Cantaloupe
- Cranberries
- Figs
- Grapefruit
- Grapes
- Kiwifruit
- Lemon/Limes
- Oranges
- Papaya
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Plums
- Prunes
- Raisins
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Watermelon
Eggs & Low-Fat Dairy
Beans & Legumes
- Black beans
- Dried peas
- Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- Kidney beans
- Lentils
- Lima beans
- Miso
- Navy beans
- Pinto beans
- Soybeans
- Tempeh
- Tofu
Poultry & Lean Meats
Nuts, Seeds & Oils
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Flaxseeds
- Olive oil, extra virgin
- Peanuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Walnuts
Grains
Spices & Herbs
- Basil
- Black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili pepper, dried
- Cilantro/Coriander seeds
- Cinnamon, ground
- Cloves
- Cumin seeds
- Dill
- Ginger
- Mustard seeds
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Peppermint
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thyme
- Turmeric
Natural Sweeteners
Other
and thats about it......so...........GOOD LUCK!
mattaya:
You must have not been able to eat many foods here. You literally named all the foods that you will have to come into contact anyways. How do you survive?
Avoid chicken with bloody bones!!
If you eat it then book at least 3 days off work and never be more than 20 feet from a toilet.
Jnusb416:
Dude, how could you eat bloody meat here? A friend took me for "steak" once, and mine came to me fairly bloody. I asked them to cook it more. Even though I think they just took it away for a few minutes and let it sit there, it was more cooked when they brought back. I take that sort of thing very seriously.
thedude:
The meat looked fine with no pink at all. I take this seriously too. But the way they serve it all chopped up bones and all, the insides of the bones were bloody. I had not seen this before and as I was taken to this restaurant by hosts, I felt I should eat it. It was a bad mistake!!
Almost anything you eat is going to give you a bad reaction for the first few weeks. Try to practice at least a little food safety, especially about meat. Eat plenty of protein. The toilet was a close friend when I first got here, but now it's rarely a problem. You just have to hang in there.
I would only avoid foods that you have an absolute abhorance towards eating. This may be a cultural norm (e.g. dog)or something that smells or looks disgusting (e.g. stinky tofu) One of the great joys of China is the varying tastes,smells, textures and colours of its cuisine. I just dive in at the deep end and have only had (touch wood) one very mild case of upset tummy. The only thing I am cautious with is the drinking water and always insist on bottled although I drink tea coffee etc with water out of the tap once it is boiled and clean my teeth in tap water.
