hairpeace

STAY AWAY!

Went to Shirokiya (白木屋)'s Hong Qiao location for dinner two nights ago at a friend's request - began projectile vomitting as soon as I got home.

Didn't sleep the entire night - was up feeling nauseous, having serious diarrhea, and vomitting frequently - and ended up having to get myself checked out at Hua Dong Hospital the next day.


(Cross-posted to City Weekend)

bocastephen

Eating raw or undercooked food in mainland China is just asking for trouble. Sorry you went through that - I hope you don't get an anti-sushi mindblock and can enjoy real, quality sushi again.

It's best to never eat raw or undercooked food in mainland China or any other developing country...regardless of what you see people on the Travel Channel and Food Network doing. I'm sure Bourdain and Zimmern have suffered through plenty of nights like yours after the cameras are off.

anacapamalibu

When eating hotpot make sure that if you throw some raw meat into the
pot with your chopsticks. Stick the ends back in the pot to sterilize them
before going for any other food that is already on the table. Traces of
uncooked meat on the ends of the chopsticks could contain bacteria.

Never been to a hospital in China as a patient. How was it?

moondog

While I agree with the heart of your point, it's worth mentioning that many restaurants in China adhere to impeccable sanitation standards. Furthermore, it's possible to get high quality sushi in both BJ and SH; even the tiny place in my BJ apartment complex received air shipments from Tsukiji 3 times per week, which puts it a notch above every Japanese restaurant in Portland (except for the place in the airport).... and it is/was mid market.

Oysters are a notable exception to the above (at least for me). I've been burned by the Sheraton in HK, the ANA hotel in Hiroshima, the Shangri-la in Manila, and the Portman in SH (which paid for my medical bills and hooked me up with a free brunch; kudos to them!). Now, I only eat oysters from large volume purchasers like Legal Sea Foods and M&S.

With regard to the all-you-can eat sushi joints in BJ and SH, I'll be the first to admit that some (if not most) of them are dicey, but there are some good ones (just don't eat the Uni).

bocastephen

I always use multiple sets of chopsticks when eating hotpot - one set for raw meat, one set for vegetables/tofu/etc, one set for stirring the pot and serving, and another set for eating - and that is my North American standard.

You got sick from oysters 4 times? I would have quit after the 1st or 2nd time. They can be deadly with vibrio vulnificus.

anacapamalibu

I would have to color code them to be able to pull that off.

What I don't understand is if people are all using their chopsticks for a community bowl, wouldn't that transfer germs? Maybe that's why Chinese
like that 56% alcohol (白酒) with their meal...its like medical grade antiseptic.

moondog

Well, truth be told, the true number is 6; I didn't mention the other 2 places because they were type of restaurants from which you'd expect such. I've been told by doctors that, although I'm not allergic to shellfish, my body is extremely sensitive to the types of bacteria that are common in raw oysters (you seem to have a better handle on these specifics than I do).

rkkwan

Sure that would.

I've been so used to the extra pairs of communal chopsticks in Hong Kong, US and larger cities of China in the past many years; when I first visited some rural areas in China 2 years ago, I felt uncomfortable eating with the locals when they just stuck their chopsticks to everything, including the soup.

But then my dad mentioned this to me. We've traveled around the world and have immunity to various kinds of germs. While many of the locals haven't traveled beyond a few miles of their village in their lives. So, they should be the one worrying, not us.

Fortunately, I haven't wiped out the local population from the germs I brought into their world.

moondog

With due respect, I think your dad has overlooked the fact that many of those locals have built up immunities to things that you and I could never fathom.

There is a port (the name of which, escapes me) on the river near Wuxi that is licensed to handle really toxic chemicals and other bad things. In fact, you actually get a passport stamp when you go there (and another one when you leave),... perhaps because the government wants nothing to do with it.

My colleagues and I checked out a project in this special place several years ago and all became violently ill shortly after our lunch, but our hosts didn't miss a beat. That having been said, I should mention that they didn't hoard the "sea food" dishes in the same manner that is typical during such functions; if we had seen the river prior to meal, we would stuck with the rice and hit a McDonalds on the way back to SH.

rkkwan

No, we know the elevated risk. There's not downplaying or overlooking. We just decide to accept it. Or we can just stay in Hong Kong and forget about visiting those areas.

anacapamalibu

I don't profess to be an expert in Chinese culinary - etiquette but I can't
recall ever seeing a person use two sets of chopsticks. Never really entered
my mind about hygiene.

I guess as a foreigner you could have 10 sets and natives would just think its
some kind of foreigner "thing", not that you are an elitist.

But a Chinese person visiting US and seeing people eating food with their
hands instead of tools could be viewed as barbaric.

anacapamalibu

Of course with the proliferation of US food in China. Namely KFC and McDonalds: You might not have to worry about chopsticks or loss
of trees. Because you will probably die of heart disease or obesity.

rkkwan

For most Hong Kong Chinese and American Chinese, when we eat out at moderate restaurants with others (other than immediate family), we'll set up communal chopsticks on the lazy susan. They are not assigned to each person, but just for general use to pick up food to bring to your own bowl. Same deal with hotpot.

In Hong Kong, for the longest time, at banquets, each person will have a serving spoon and a pair of chopsticks. You use the serving spoon to pick up food from the dishes to your own. Then, you switch to your own chopsticks.

In recent years, in fancier restaurants in Hong Kong or large Chinese cities, I've seen two pairs of chopsticks, in two different colors. One for picking food up from the communal dish to your own; another for one to eat. And in banquets, usually they divide up the food for you anyways, so that's not an issue.

bocastephen

It depends on the circumstances - if I'm eating at home or out with friends or family friends, we use our own chopsticks for both eating and self-serving from the dishes.

If we're out with new people, strangers or the dinner is a little more formal, we'll either request extra chopsticks for serving or have the wait staff bring serving spoons if none were included with the dish.

Raw food (except sushi/sashimi) is always handled with a designated set of chopsticks to avoid cross-contamination.

moondog

I think we're on the same wavelength. Whenever business takes me to the boondocks, I try to:

1) sample almost every dish and only play the "allergy card" when absolutely necessary
2) ingest crazy amounts of rice
and
3) book myself at hotel that serves decent burgers in case I have to spend the night

If I manage to get of there during the same day, I grab some grub at the airport (McD's and KFC are the usual suspects, but I can also handle airport ramen).

Many readers of this forum are amazed that, in light of all of my ground time in China, I have such an anal attitude towards its cuisine.

While I have no polite response to this in mind, if any of you were to take my place at a lunch banquet in the outskirts of Ningbo, you'd gain a much greater appreciation for the Big Mac. Furthermore, upon your return to a big city (where decent Chinese food is widely available), you'd still find yourself at an Outback or a Tony Roma's.

And, if you were to do those lunch banquets 3x per week for 10 years, you'd also come around to the idea that PF Chang's is pretty good.