Down the Hatch
All human beings share the need and desire
to eat, but that’s where the similarities end. What we eat and
how we buy, prepare and serve our food differs from country to
country, region to region. Any way you slice it, marinate it,
fry it, bake it, season it, the difference between the delectable and
the detestable is all a matter of taste.
Food has the unique ability to be as subtle
or bold as the people who eat it. It can unite people or divide
them. (Think: people who like liver or lutefisk or beets versus
the rest of the world.) Food can generally represent the tastes
of an entire nation or reflect the palates of a small region.
In the United States and Minnesota, our attitudes
about food are complex, the result of tradition, evolution, old
and new products, the intermingling of cultures, geography and
much more. The same is true in China.
To Market, To Market
Whether they live in big cities or small towns,
Minnesotans today generally do their grocery shopping in supermarkets,
large stores that carry most every kind of food at a single location.
While specialty food  stores and farmers markets still operate (especially
in larger cities), the days have long passed when Minnesotans
shopped at separate stores for meat, dairy foods, produce, and
dry and canned goods. Because homes are routinely equipped with
refrigerators, freezers, and ample  storage space for non-perishables,
Minnesotans can go long periods without shopping for food.
Grocery shopping in China is a mixture of old-world
outdoor markets and increasingly modern supermarkets.
Known as "wet markets," traditional outdoor marketplaces
are still abundant in China. Shoppers move from vendor to vendor,
inspecting the meats, spices and herbs, vegetables, fish, and grains
offered by individual sellers. The markets are colorful, bustling,
noisy and  aromatic.
At the same time, the number of Western-style
supermarkets in China is rapidly rising. Customers, many of whom
still must shop for food every day, appreciate the selection, quality
control, cleanliness, and convenience of shopping in a single place.
Industry analysts believe that supermarkets will gradually displace
traditional markets.
Incredible or Inedible? You Decide
Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
delicious is in the mouth of the eater. When it comes to food,
China is a place of stark contrast. On one hand, it’s a place where
world-class chefs use the finest ingredients to serve beautiful
meals that look more like art than food. On the other hand, it’s
also a place where street vendors sell roasted sparrows and scorpions
on a stick. (Imagine those at the State Fair!)
You Want Fries With That?
The Great Wall may have kept China safe from
military invasion, but it hasn’t managed to keep the fast-food
craze at bay. If your stomach starts break-dancing at the thought
of eating some of China’s more exotic food, take heart: Colonel
Sanders and Ronald McDonald are becoming as common a face in China
as Chairman Mao. U.S. fast-food chains and junk food products are
becoming commonplace in China’s cities. In fact, in 2004, McDonald’s
announced that it intended to double the number of its restaurants
in China (to 1,000 stores) in time for the Beijing Olympics in
2008.
As you might expect, there are avid fans and
rabid critics of Western fast food and junk food. Some hail the
restaurants as freedom of choice on a bun, an egalitarian blending
of cultures and values. Here’s how one critic expressed her feelings
in an issue of China Daily:
"You want to be concerned about the young people
of China? Demand that all MacDonalds (stet) in China be either
closed or they have a minimum age limit applied - say something
like no one younger than 18 be allowed to enter a MacDonalds (stet)
and that if anyone gives that poison to a child that person is
arrested for child abuse.
"Demand that Coca-Cola, Pepsi, 7-Up, Jianlibao,
and all the other artificially colored, artificially flavored,
highly sugared poisonous drinks be banned for sale to anyone younger
than 18 and that anyone allowing a child to consume such health
damaging substances by arrested for child endangerment."
The debate over the ills of fast-food and junk
food will continue in China as it does here in Minnesota. But one
thing’s for certain, the market for those foods will grow as Chinese
consumers have more disposable income. That’s good news for U.S.
companies – and for you in case you find yourself in China in the
throes of a Big Mac attack or need a Starbuck’s double-espresso
to jumpstart your morning.
Factoids:
The fortune cookie, typically thought of as a
traditional Chinese treat, is not Chinese at all. Some suggest
that the fortune cookie was invented in the United States in the
early part of the 20th Century. It may have been patterned after
traditional biscuits that had messages baked inside.
Some food historians believe that Chinese "dim
sum," a wide selection of foods in small portions, was the inspiration
behind the modern tradition of Sunday brunch.
Still Curious?
Fast Food Growth in China
www.fas.usda.gov/info/agexporter/1997/July%201997/fastfood.html
Chinese Attitudes About Fast Food
Traditional Chinese Recipes
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