Unique Food Safety In Chinnese

Food Safety In Chinnese

The above street scene may tempt you to try some of the local fare on the street. If you are new to travel in Asia or China, you should refrain from eating on the street until you know what you are getting into. The food will likely taste quite different and actually be quite different than anything you have had before. Food safety should be the major factor in your decision to abstain. Food safety issues can arise around chemicals and contaminants, bacteria, and disease. Poor food cooking, preparation, and storage, as well as improper cleaning and disinfecting of cooking supplies is common. A food related ailment can ruin a business or pleasure trip really fast. In our opinion, eating food directly off the street is just not worth the risk.
In declining order of preference, your choice for food should be:

·         Major, international hotels

·         Major international restaurant chains

·         Well known local restaurants

·         Local residents homes, an unlikely occurrence as their homes are usually quite small.

Chemical contaminants on food: Avoid eating raw vegetables and unpeeled fruits. These foods are usually washed in local water. The local water can contain a wide variety of harmful bacteria, and is often untreated or treated insufficiently.
Avoid salads, especially during your first few visits. If you must eat salads, try to limit it to top hotels.
Whenever possible, select food that is cooked.
You also will find major differences in style of cooking and taste. There is Cantonese, Shanghanese, Sichuan, to name a few. Some are spicy some are not. But if you enjoy Chinese food at home you will come back with two comments: 1. Chinese food in China tastes significantly different than back home. 2, The local cooking tastes good.
It will be difficult, if not impossible to find an eggroll and fortune cookies. The closest to an eggroll will be a spring roll, much smaller. Fortune cookies will likely not be found either.