Tag: Chinese Food

Mooncakes in Modern China

Meredith Butenhoff / / Food, Mid-Autumn Festival, Mooncakes

By: Meredith Butenhoff, Allyn Wiggins, Hattie Grant, & Brandon Bank

History of Mooncakes

Mooncakes (yue bing) were first made by the people of the Tang Dynasty to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. This tradition passed on through dynasties, and became extremely popular during the Song Dynasty. Mooncakes were both sacrificed to the moon as offerings and eaten during worship of the celestial body. While the mooncake varies drastically by region, authors Carol Stepanchuk and Charles Wong tell us that “its perfectly round shape forming the ideal symbol of familial harmony and unity” is a constant throughout regions. Bigger mooncakes might have carvings of the Moon Palace and Moon Rabbit on them. The fillings typically changed by province ranging from sweet to salty, and from rich to bland. Today, it is not uncommon for mooncakes to be filled with bean paste, cocoanut paste, lotus seed paste or even an egg yolk.

Mooncakes were originally used as a way to pay tribute to the moon and Chang E, the “Moon Goddess” who allegedly lives in the Moon Palace and supervises the ritual. With their widespread consumption during the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is told that the cakes were conveniently used to organize a rebellion against the Mongol government during the Yaun Dynasty. This well known legend suggests that the time and location for the revolution against Kublai Khan’s descendants were sealed inside of mooncakes and sent to friends and family during the Mid-Autumn festival in 1353. Although many of the customary activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are disappearing, mooncakes remain an important part of the Chinese culture. Families and friends still gather together during the Mid-Autumn Festival and share modern day mooncakes that represent completeness, and remind them of Chinese tradition and history.

This is a Singaporean mooncake with a piece cut out to showcase the duck egg filling. Photo taken from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.
This is a Singaporean mooncake with a piece cut out to showcase the duck egg filling. Photo taken from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest.

Continue reading “Mooncakes in Modern China”

The Golden Arches March Into China

Natalie Curry / / Food

By Natalie Curry and Jack Moran
Part III of Series on American Food In China
Americanized Chinese Food Part I, Part II

McDonalds in Shanghai, China,  Photo by Ivan Walsh,  Obtained via Flickr

Is China turning into America?  As tourists flood into China some locals are concerned that “China in the future would be turned into an America of the present” (Notar 20). As James Watson presents in his article on McDonalds in China, some have gone so far to say that the expansion of McDonalds is a “new form of imperialism” (Watson, 121). The documentary film Big Mac: Inside the McDonald’s Empire brings up the point that in a McDonalds restaurant in China it is nearly impossible to tell that one is actually in China, everything is the same as it would be in an American McDonalds with some minor signage/language differences. Continue reading “The Golden Arches March Into China”

Americanized Chinese Food Invades China

Natalie Curry / / Food

By Natalie Curry With Jack Moran
Part I of Series on American Food in China Part II  Part III

After glancing at the menu of any restaurant in America claiming to serve Chinese or Asian food, one might guess that this deep-fried, sweet and sour cuisine is less than authentic. The unique blend of American and Asian cuisine that is present in the United States can hardly be considered Chinese food, but it is developing in a new market, China. Americans living or visiting China are craving Americanized Chinese food and a new selection of restaurants are striving to meet this demand.

Photo by Natalie Curry A typical American Chinese dish, General Tso's Chicken at a local Greenville restaurant.
Photo by Natalie Curry
A typical American Chinese dish, General Tso’s Chicken at Wok Inn in Greenville

Shanghai is the site of the first Westernized Chinese restaurant, which opened in the fall of 2013. The aptly named Fortune Cookie restaurant specializes in“authentic American Chinese food”, which seems somewhat of a contradictory phrase (Fortune Cookie Restaurant). However, this phrase makes more sense when one considers that the owners of Fortune Cookie are not trying to provide authentic Chinese food, but rather the unique hybrid cuisine that originated with Chinese immigrants and has bloomed into an American favorite. Fortune Cookie serves well-known dishes like Kung Pao Chicken, Crab Rangoon, and Spring Roils (Fortune Cookie Restaurant). Megan Emery-Moore, an American expat teaching in Shanghai, discusses how Fortune Cookie’s sweet and sour chicken makes her feel like she is “at home” (Langfitt). That seems to be the essence of the appeal of Fortune Cookie for Americans, as the flavors and dishes are reminiscent of the ambiguous Chines takeout places located in nearly every American city. Continue reading “Americanized Chinese Food Invades China”

Chinese Organic Farming: Food Safety

acookey-gam / / Environment, Food

By Ashley Cookey-Gam, Katherine Crosby, and Nick Shaw

Organic farming and food safety in China go hand in hand when dealing with the production, processes, and manufacturing of food. Traditional Chinese farming definitely has its faults due to the lack of strict food regulations. Often times “…many of them (manufacturers) are out to make a quick buck regardless of public health…” (Ang 2012: 215) The lack of carefulness leads to the continuous problems in food safety because the manufacturing is not always in the best conditions in terms of sanitation. [Link: Difficulties of Organic Farming]

            Audra Ang’s book To the People, Food is Heaven: Stories of Food and Life in a Changing China gives several accounts about what goes on in the production of food in China. One instance occurred when Ang tried to observe a family-owned noodle business. She witnessed a worker not exercising proper hygiene as he “…picked his nose and used the same hand to pack a bag (of noodles).” (Ang 2012: 215) Many people have no idea how their food is treated or prepared; they simply just partake in the consumption aspect of the food without realizing what they are actually putting into their bodies. “…eating in China was a little like playing Russian roulette with food.” (Ang 2012: 215) 

“Yuanyang hani farmer” by “Takeaway” is licensed under Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

As seen in other parts of the world, so many unnatural additives are involved with farming in China. “…beans treated with banned pesticides, cooking oil recycled from gutters…watermelons exploding after being boosted by growth accelerators, and pork passed off as beef after being soaked in a detergent additive” (Ang 2012: 215) are just a few examples. In addition to the dangerous substances being used with the food, loyalty and trustworthiness between farmers and their customers are broken as farmers may not be completely honest about how their food is being produced. Therefore, it is very imperative to remember that “For food, safety is all-important.”

To help ensure food safety, organic farming was introduced to China in 1990. [Link: Chinese Organic Farming Introduction] “Since then, the movement has gained momentum, fueled by a growing network of young and educated Chinese who are joining or starting organic farms in an effort to control what goes into their bodies in the wake of tainted food scandals.” (Ang 2012: 215) The amount of organic farms in China increased during the 2005-2006 time frame. During this year the amount of organic farmland went from 740,000 acres to approximately 8.6 million acres.

“Raw Pork Meat in Bloody Butchery of Corpses” by epsos.de licensed under CC BY 2.0

China has come a long way in the farming realm. It has established more regulations to better the quality and safety of food production. The true problem lies with making sure that those standards are carried through across the board. Overall, China’s organic farming system is thriving and continues to improve as well as appeal to a broader group of people.

Bibliography

 Audra Ang, To the People, Food Is Heaven: Stories of Food and Life in a Changing China (Guilford: Lyons, 2012), 215.

See also:

Chinese Organic Farming: Introduction

Chinese Organic Farming: Difficulties Encountered by Organic Farmers

Chinese Organic Farming: Difficulties Encountered by Organic Farmers

nshaw2 / / Environment, Food

By Nick Shaw, Katherine Crosby, and Ashley Cookey-Gam

Organic Chinese farmers face many difficulties with water and soil quality. “Modern agriculture consumes large quantities of chemicals… leading to damage to agricultural ecosystem, low sustainable production capability, poor product quality, and pollution and damage to the environment.”(Yi 2001:450) [Link: Food Safety] The main complication with organic farming is that it requires clean and sustainable soil, but with the modern agricultural system much of China’s soil and water supply is polluted by pesticides and fertilizers. According to “China: Food for a Billion Plus,” much of China’s pollution comes from the rapidly growing manufacturing industry.

“Of Trash and Skyscrapers” by ngader is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Quality of soil is taken very seriously when it comes to organic farming. Organic farming is defined as healthy, uncontaminated food, free of pesticides and chemicals. [Link: Chinese Organic Farming Introduction] However, with much of China’s water and soil being polluted from the manufacturing industry, it is very hard for organic farmers to find land. Thus, it is also difficult for the organic industry in China to be acknowledged by other countries.(Yi 2001:450)

Although the government is helping the organic industry, there is still a struggle with the small organic farmers. The government owns the land in China, so the government loans the land out to farmers, and they can grow whatever on the land. The one key problem is that the land is not cheap because there is not very much land that could be cultivated in China. If the farmer cannot afford to pay the rent, the farm eventually goes bust. China’s organic industry is still small-scale production. (China: Food for a Billion Plus 2002) Needless to say, China is working very hard to make improvements.

 Bibliography

“China: Food for a Billion Plus,” Films on Demand, 25:00, by Films Media Group, 2002, http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=9151&xtid=35174.

Qian Yi, Xu Hui, Peng Bu-zhuo, and Jiang Xiliu, “Development Strategy for Organic Food Industry in China,” Ambio 30, no. 7 (Nov., 2001): 450-451.

See also:

Chinese Organic Farming: Introduction

Chinese Organic Farming: Food Safety

Chinese Organic Farming: Introduction

kcrosby2 / / Environment, Food

By Katherine Crosby, Nick Shaw, and Ashley Cookey-Gam

China has practiced traditional agriculture for centuries, feeding over twenty-two percent of the world’s population with only seven percent of the world’s arable land. However, China’s traditional agriculture is unsustainable. 11386857243_46085c248b_o.jpg

These are Chinese Tea Workers on a traditional tea farm in China.

“Scenes of China” by Cory M. Grenier is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

No changes were made to this image.

 

The Chinese have overused chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides with a negative impact on the environment, including contamination of water and erosion of soil. “…[T]he government reported 43 percent of state-monitored rivers are so polluted, they’re unsuitable for human contact.” (Wan 2010)

In the early 1980’s, the Chinese government began promoting Chinese Ecological Agriculture, which emphasized crop rotations, organic fertilizers, and limited use of pesticides and herbicides. China’s Ministry of Agriculture began certifying “green food” as “A” or “AA” for domestic consumption. In 1994, the China Organic Food Development Centre began certifying organic food. The first exported organic food was green tea. (Sanders 2006: 215-216)

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Here are some people growing organic plants by a body of water in Shanghai.

“Shanghai Organics” by kafka4prez is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

No changes were made to this image.

 

Today, organic farming is a trend, popular with young urban professionals who are reversing the massive urban migration and returning to the countryside to become organic farmers, despite facing difficulties. [Link: Difficulties of Organic Farming] Chen Shuaijun, a young banker, and his wife have rented eight acres on Chongming Island. Chen’s neighbors ridiculed him, and his parents, who had labored as farmers, were angry. Not using pesticides or fertilizers has meant that he has had to catch insects by hand, endure endless hours of weeding, and haul foul-smelling organic fertilizers. His neighbor, Han Guojie, gave up a high-paying job as a water quality engineer to become an organic farmer because he believes the traditional farmers have destroyed the land. (Wan 2010) In Sichuan province, Luo Yu, a former stockbroker who earned several thousand U.S. dollars per month, owns an organic farm. He hangs plastic water bottles filled with sugar water to catch insects. His parents told him he was going back to ancient times, but he is committed to improving the ecosystem and growing safe food. (Luo 2008) [Link: Food Safety]

Over fifty different products are grown organically in China today. These include “potatoes, rice, maize, wheat, tea, beans, herbal medicines, vegetables, sesame, honey, eggs, and peanuts.” (Sanders 2006:216)

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This is an organic spiky cucumber grown on an organic farm outside Beijing.

“Chinese Farming” by IvanWalsh.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

Domestic sales have increased as organic food has become popular with the young affluent urban professionals, although the majority of the Chinese cannot afford it. Organic exports have also increased and totaled $350 million in 2005. China has 5.7 million acres of certified organic farmland, ranking only behind Australia and Argentina. (Liu 2007)

Bibilography in Footnote Format

Juliana Liu, “Organic Farming Grips China,” BBC news release, October 4, 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7012056.stm.

Yu Luo, interview by Melissa Block, National Public Radio, broadcast audio, April 4, 2008, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90448284.

Richard Sanders, “A Market Road to Sustainable Agriculture? Ecological Agriculture, Green Food and Organic Agriculture in China,” In China’s Limits to Growth: Greening State and Society, ed. Peter Ho and Eduard B. Vermeer (Maiden: Blackwell, 2006), 215–216.

William Wan, “Young Chinese Farmers Sowing Seeds for Organic Revolution,” The Washington Post, November 1, 2010, accessed March 29, 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/01/AR2010110106322_pf.html.

See also:

Chinese Organic Farming: Difficulties Encountered by Organic Farmers

Chinese Organic Farming: Food Safety

Beyond the Taste of Chinese Food

rwang2 / / Food
By Ruowei Wang
Although Chinese cuisine is one of the most influential cuisines in the world, it doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves. This passage will analyze the long-lasting misunderstandings preventing Chinese cuisine from being accepted by foreigners.
The prejudice against Chinese food starts with saying that “the Chinese eat everything”.
From cookbooks, travelogues, and local restaurant interpretations of classic dishes, people only get a glimpse of China’s exotic cuisine. Usually, these people assume that what they hear, taste, and read about represent authentic Chinese food.
We need to point out that in travelogues, authors try to compete for the most nauseating, exotic, and unbelievable eating experiences. It is a popular sport among tourists and anthropologists alike.
Foreigners are shocked to learn that Chinese consume insects. But why on earth aren’t insects a good food choice? This perception is actually based on our food ideologies. We think insects are loathsome; it’s nauseating just look at them. But aren’t snails repulsive and nauseating? They excrete fluid from its slimy body. Still, people around world think escargot is delicious, regarding it as the pinnacle of French cuisine.
The deep-rooted prejudice against China makes us think that it’s unbelievable to consume insects. But according to chemical analysis, insects are a great source of protein, consumed by people worldwide. Without too much fat, but as a great source of protein, we might even consider it a solution to obesity.
Most people can’t appreciate eating insects partly because of their lack of childhood memories with insects as food. Food triggers both physiological and psychological memories. For most Chinese, their childhood memories are associated with capturing and scorching cicadas on the fire. Immersed in their memories, Chinese don’t considerate eating insects as horrible as foreigners consider it. Inevitably, food habits cultivated early in life lead people to view exotic food culture as being wrong, irrational, or misguided. In 2011, CNN named “notorious” Chinese preserved eggs as the most revolting food in the world. Indeed, it’s a matter of cultural difference; in China, the preserved eggs are the main ingredients put into a popular homemade food: Minced Pork Congee with Preserved Egg.
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/roboppy/5318524113/
Chinese people are reminded of cozy homes and warm motherly smiles whenever preserved eggs are mentioned. As a corollary, they are like the epitome of happiness, rather than the “eyeballs of some nightmarish monster leering up” as Fuchsia Dunlop calls them. Besides, the snowflake patterns inside the translucent layer of preserved eggs are highly praised by Chinese.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lazydoll/2697476007/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lazydoll/2697476007/
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/oliverlaumann/5525913833/
Another important misunderstanding that is prevalent among outsiders is the texture of Chinese food. The rubber-like texture is the last barrier for foreigners to cross over. Although sea cucumber is the pinnacle of Chinese cuisine, foreigners doubt its edibility, because Western gastronomy is deprived of words to describe “gristly, slithery, slimy, squelchy, crunchy, gloopy” (such characteristics found in sea cucumber) in a good way. These words “evoke disturbing thoughts of bodily emissions, used handkerchiefs, abattoirs, squashed amphibians.” In traditional Chinese literature, however, sea cucumber is consumed by aristocrats, representing opulence and superiority. Without cultural background knowledge, what is in the dish is nothing more than rubber in the foreigners’ perspective; however, it is superiority and high social status in Chinese’ eyes.