The trouble with Chinese food

Chinese food stall

I used to think I had a good understanding of Chinese food. In fact, I even used to think I like Chinese food. What a mistake! After traveling through Bangkok's Chinatown, the Chinese influenced Malaysian Borneo and Hong Kong, the verdict is in: I hate Chinese food!

As I sort of knew, Chinese food is not really what they serve in Chinese restaurants in Europe where one might be led to believe that it's all about spring rolls and stir-fried vegetables with nice pieces of meat, fish or tofu, served with rice and jasmine tea. That's very far from real Chinese food. Real Chinese food consists of the most awful pieces of meat you can imagine, such as intestines, stomachs, whole pieces of chicken or beef or pork that include everything from skin, bones, fat, sinew and maybe a little meat as well. I know I'm a very picky eater and I'm not much a fan of meat but what the Chinese use in their food is way over the top for me.

Dim sum

I can survive a piece of chicken with skin and bones: I pick out any edible meat and I'm fine, as long as the chicken is well cooked. But I really can't stomach pieces of pork that look like a whole pig was just chopped up and stuffed into dim sums. No, I can't. I willed myself not to throw up while eating the dim sums with the awful pieces of pork.

Adding to my recent aversion to Chinese food was the misfortune of having stomach problems after eating at a Chinese place in Malaysia. During my four months of traveling in Asia, this was the only time I became sick due to food. Who knows, maybe Chinese restaurants really are as dirty as they say or the cooking utensils haven't been cleaned or whatever that made the food bad.

Vegetarian meal

I was so thankful when I visited a Buddhist monastery in Hong Kong that offered vegetarian food. I could finally eat what I do like about Chinese food: stir fried vegetables and egg rolls over rice. The restaurant even carried the sign "no meat allowed". It's funny that they have to put a sign like that, did they expect people to bring in their own meat? I guess you never know with the Chinese. Since I witnessed them smuggling their own liquor into a halal restaurant it shouldn't be surprising that they might bring their own meat to a vegetarian restaurant.

One thing is for sure: unless it's vegetarian, I'll avoid Chinese food in the future.