Restaurant Nutrition, Chinese style (1/2)

by Jacqueline M. Newman, Ph.D., R.D.,. F.A.D.A., F.A.C.N. Cultural beliefs, food preferences, and nutritional practices are integral parts of Chinese and other Asian life-style beliefs. Restaurateurs need to become familiar with their customers?| cultures. They need to know their general preferences, the cooking methods they prefer, and their general understandings about nutrition and health. Then, knowing these things, they need to make foods that match their customers?| cultural beliefs. Asian populations believe eating well-prepared foods is a must, as is maintaining yin/yang balance, and increasing Qi or ones life force. They believe these knowing that food is medicine and medicine is food. Begun in China, Chinese and other Asian food habits have know-how and preferences with roots that date back to the Yangshao period circa 5000 BCE. These food habits and beliefs evolved over many thousands of years and spread to most countries in Asia and Southeast Asia; needless to say, with modifications along the way. They became recognized as Chinese by the time of the Zhou dynasty, which began in 1045 BCE. Then, around 200 BCE or so, soy sauce, salted soy beans, plum sauce, and other condiments appeared in Chinese cookery. It was in that era that salt and soy sauce joined rice, oil, vinegar, tea, and firewood as the seven basic necessities. Later, these foods became popular in other Asian countries. They were always viewed medicinally and thus nutrition was an important part of their tradition. Westerners refer to this medicinal approach as TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine. Chinese food, medicinal, and nutritional beliefs were first recorded in the Nei Jing. This book is believed written by Huang Di, the Legendary Yellow Emperor circa 3,000 B.C.E. Later more food, nutrition, and health beliefs were recorded in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing which translates to the Divine Husbands Classic of Medicine; the year of this was circa 100 B.C.E. These books are the basis of Chinese and many Asian food beliefs. Not western, but with a few similarities, east and western practitioners do preach that carrots improve vision, celery regulate a womans menstrual flow, and ginger reduce morning sickness. Important to restaurateurs is that they are westerns believe that eating a good diet is important. TCM says an ideal diet should include foods believed to be hot, warm, cool, cold, and neutral. These philosophical beliefs are not temperature-related. In general, called Yin and Yang, every meal should incorporate some of each of them.. Many people do not know that there can be regional differences, and that a food can be classified more than one way, sometimes because of the way it is prepared. Related to the Chinese Yin and Yang , are the beliefs practiced in India, elsewhere in Asia, also in the Near East, Europe, and Central and South America. Neural foods are: black tea, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, dates, honey, pigeon, pine nuts, rice and rice congee, tea eggs, and wheat flour made into noodles. Foods believed hot or yang, need to be eaten with foods that are cold of yin. Hot foods, by TCM classification usually includes brown sugar, chicken eggs, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, sesame paste, taro, walnuts, and winter melon. Cold or yin foods, by this classification can include banana, bean sprouts, clams, crab, cucumber, green tea, shrimp, silk squash, and soybean milk. Knowing these beliefs, what can and should restauranteurs do? 1. Chinese and other Asian populations believe in emphasizing grains, calle fan foods, more than the cai foods. Therefore, make menus with many grain dishes, some legumes, fish, chicken, pork, beef, cooked vegetables, and some fruit dishes on them. Fried food and cold foods should be eaten in limited quantities, so do not emphasize them.