Saiinbu from Mongolia! Long time no blog. Why the silence?
Well, I have basically been firewalled whilst in China. I am not taking it personally at all, it seems that all blog hosts are blocked lest subversive material get circulated and locations of protest action communicated. I guess it just easier for them to block the whole lot.
I didn’t really want to start my blog about the food in China this way, but being censored got me thinking…
Talk of our fresh home-grown pesticide-free vegetable and fruit growing could be worthy of censorship. It seems that food quality is becoming more and more of an issue here. This trip I have noticed more and more discussion, anxiety and reports of problems with the food supply in China. I guess it is possible that the population have been sensitised to the whole issue via the milk tainting scandal that occurred a few years ago?
Just on this trip there has been discussion of massive pesticide residues in China’s favourite beverage – tea. This includes in international brands like Lipton as well as their local Chinese brands. Then there has been discussion about heavy metals in the water and the need to improve the water quality and concerns with the rising prices of fresh food.
So that’s the media, what are ‘the people’ thinking?
The other day at work in China while I was eating a pineapple for lunch, one of my Chinese colleagues said she didn’t know what to eat anymore. She knew she should eat more fresh fruit but she was afraid of the pesticides. She also said she was afraid of processed food because she didn’t know what was in it. This sounds overly anxious doesn’t it? But this came from the mouth of a very sensible and not overly sensitive young woman, such is the anxiety.
I have seen this anxiety in Chinese visiting Australia too. One delegation from China I was hosting took only a quick look at the scenery in the Blue Mountains and then rushed to a nearby supermarket to buy bags and bags of powdered milk to take back with them.
A recent report about the recycling of cooking oil from China’s drains to re-use in restaurants also led to the import of huge amounts of olive oil. Delegations returned to China with tins and tins of the stuff.
But back to blogging…so I haven’t been able to read anyone’s blogs or enter anything onto mine. I have been able to read the odd blogs that are really websites, but as so many of you are blogs, I have a lot of reading to catch up on everyone’s gardens and cooking. I cant wait.
It’s such a shame, there was so many good things to tell you about the food and gardens of China. It’s funny how their censorship has made me think on the bad things ….
To catch up I will be gradually entering China-related content hoping to share some of the good things with you.
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