HEALTH - Living Abroad in Beijing - page 236

to start. Additionally, for more information on chloramines, water treatment, and possible
health consequences, visit the EPA site at http://water.epa.gov .
FOOD QUALITY
Things don't get better in the food arena, and again it's an aspect of life that many Beijing
expats realize they just have to deal with. From fresh produce to supermarket products to
restaurant dishes, scandals relating to risky standards are prevalent. You could limit your-
self to imported-only food, but you'll not only be blowing out your daily spending, you'll
also be missing out on the wonderfully diverse food that is available.
The positive thing about Chinese food is that dishes typically include a multitude of in-
gredients, meaning every meal is a mega multivitamin. On the flip side, a lot of food is
highly processed, salty and/or oily, or produced with money-cutting methods. Training of
kitchen staff is also an on-the-job process, so attention to hygiene and safe food handling
practices often falls anywhere between ordinary and shocking. Essentially this means both
bacterial as well as chemical issues are to be confronted. The occasional bout of food pois-
oning is almost a given here, and hepatitis A spreading from the unwashed hands of kitchen
staff, a more serious issue, is something to keep in mind when getting your vaccinations.
Additionally, allergies of the West are not generally well understood by many locals. Pop-
ular ingredients include peanut oil, chilies, dried shrimp, and nuts. Awareness is growing,
however, and you can usually tell the wait staff that you have an allergy and to not add a
certain ingredient. (From a religious angle, the Chinese love pork. Sometimes it will not
even be mentioned as an ingredient, and if the dish simply says “meat,” then you can as-
sume it's pork.)
What You Can Do
• Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly before cooking or eating, and peel if possible. See
the EWG guide to pesticides on produce ( www.ewg.org ) .
• Eat at busy restaurants where the food is turning over quickly, and refuse cold rice.
Request that no MSG be added ( búfàng wèij ī ng, 不放味精 ).
• Avoid undercooked fish and shellfish. If you are eating seafood, try to choose imported
options.
• Breastfeed your baby rather than rely on local milk products.
• Take multivitamins and other health supplements.
• Carry a pair of your own metal chopsticks to use at restaurants. Avoid the wooden ones,
which are often poorly washed.