Why the Chinese Don't Count Calories (32 page)

Chinese people are able to be more relaxed about the changes that take place in the body over time, because they understand the concept of transformation through the Five-Elements cycle. And they are helped by a diet that satisfies their Five Organs and nourishes their
qi
.

It is ironic that in pursuit of an illusory happiness, often associated with the perfect image, most people in the West put themselves under tremendous stress. Stress or worry is the emotion linked to the spleen and stomach. I have already explained the damage that we do to these organs by our eating habits. Further damage to these organs will lead to more digestive upsets and increased risk of weight gain – which of course then causes more stress.

The fifteenth secret of the Chinese food culture is to accept that life has its ups and downs. There is no absolute good or absolute bad according to Taoist thought, and this has shaped the Chinese attitude to life. Thus there is no preference for success or failure or for the weak or the strong. In fact, in China, the weak (
yin
) is often respected, as it is the side of non-violence and peace, as opposed to the strong (
yang
), which tends to violence and is only in the position of honour during times of war. Not convinced? A well-known folk story explains the Chinese mindset much better than I ever could. Sai Weng, a farmer, had a treasured horse. One day it went missing and the neighbours offered sympathy. But Sai Weng asked them, ‘What makes you think that this is misfortune?’ The horse then returned, bringing several wild companions with it. But the man refused his neighbours’ congratulations, saying,‘What makes you think that this is good luck?’ As the family now had so many horses, the son took up riding but fell off and broke his leg. Again, the man refused to see the incident as misfortune. The following year war broke out and the boy, because he was lame, was saved from having to go to war. The Chinese acceptance of the fact that not everybody has a great time all the time is in stark contrast to the Western approach, where the pursuit of happiness, either by the individual or by society, has propelled philosophical argument. Everything will come full circle in the end, so go with the flow and let your stresses slip away. Your mind, and your body, will be healthier.

When I look back at my diet and my relationship with food before I had the privilege of experiencing Chinese food culture first hand, I could be distressed by the opportunities for enjoying delicious food and nourishing my body that I missed in my youth. But, had I not witnessed the vibrant markets, industrious kitchens and abundant tables as an uninitiated ‘foreigner’ in
Zhong guo
, the Chinese ‘Middle Kingdom’, I would not have experienced the joy of discovery or been able to tell my tale from a perspective that you can share with me.

There are three photos on my kitchen wall, taken in 1995. In the first an old man sits on a cart surrounded by bunches of spring onions too big to lift; on a nearby mat there are heaps of chillies in vibrant reds and greens, and piles of sweet potato,
kudzu
and red radish. On his right is a jam jar half full of tea, on his left a thick blue overcoat that he would have worn as he pedalled into town with his wares in the chill of the early morning. He wears a hat and thick, red, woolly socks but his top half sports only a thin jacket with a single button, which reveals the dark skin of his toned and muscled stomach. As he smiles for the camera he puts a few wrinkles into his otherwise unblemished skin. It is picture of a happy man.

In the second an old woman buys aubergines from a similar trolley, which is parked in a row in a tree-lined street. She has selected three and is perusing the purple heap for a fourth. The young vendor waits patiently as she makes her selection. Business is good as usual. The same people pass through every night to buy fresh vegetables for the evening meal. There is a feeling of activity against a background of tranquillity.

The third photo is of a very young Chinese man. He is riding the bike that pulls his vegetable cart. It is fully loaded with perhaps four times his own weight in fresh produce. He is entering a main street where a row of bright yellow taxi cabs line the kerb, ready to move off at any time. He is looking at the camera as if to say,‘What have you noticed? What is it about my vegetables that you find so interesting?’ Had I stopped him to try to explain he would not have understood.

I had to go halfway across the world to find out what it really means to ‘eat one’s greens’, to learn what comprises a truly balanced way of eating and to appreciate why modern diet and exercise regimes will not help resolve our current dietary crisis. In China, healthy eating and moderate regular exercise are not options, they are a way of life – a balanced life that has helped man live in harmony with nature for thousands of years.

An old Chinese proverb says ‘
Chi yi qian – zhang yi jian
’ (‘If we fall into a pit, we will gain in wit’). Perhaps it is time to reassess our approach to health and diet, to look back as well as forward and try once more to live in harmony with the natural world.

In our modern society we have the tools to manage the abundant supply of foods that nature has provided and to eat a wholesome, nutritious and varied diet. If we can direct our energies into achieving this aim, rather than burning calories in the gym or using our free time to attend slimming classes, we would be better for it. Food, good food, eaten in the right way, in the right environment, makes you fit, not fat. If we can understand this and put it into practice I believe that there is hope for us yet and a great deal of enjoyment and many a delicious meal along the way.

Notes

1 Denise Davidson, Azure Dee Welborn Thill and Denise Lash, ‘Male and Female Body Shape Preference of Young Children in United States, Mainland China and Turkey’,
Child Study
Journal
, vol. 32 (2002).

2 Chart extract from T. C. Campbell and T. M. Campbell,
The
China Study
(Dallas,TX: Benbella Books, 2005), p. 100.

3 D. Williamson, ‘New study shows second generation immigrant children gaining weight’, UNC-CH News Services, available online at
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may98/popkin2.html

4 Author unknown, ‘China’s appeal for cabbage is withering’,
China Daily
, 11 May 2003, available online at
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-11/05/content_278697.htm

5 H. Boriss and M. Kreith, ‘Commodity Profile: Cabbage’ (Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, University of California, 2006).

6 E. N. Anderson,
The Food of China
(New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1998),
notes
table 1.

7 P. Clayton,
Health Defence
, 2nd edn (Aylesbury: Accelerated Learning Systems, 2004), p. 217.

8 Five-spice is actually a generic term used to cover a mixture that can vary in content (and number of spices) but which usually includes star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, cassia (Chinese cinnamon), cloves and fennel.

9 ‘What every consumer should know about Trans Fatty Acids’ (9 July 2003), U. S. Food and Drug Administration Fact Sheet.

10 R. Fletcher and K. Fairfield, ‘Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults’,
JAMA
, vol. 287, no. 23 ( June 2002).

11 Campbell and Campbell, op. cit. , p. 74.

12 Clayton,
Health Defence
, op. cit. , p. 95.

13 Ibid. , p. 251.

14 Henry C. Lu’s
Chinese System of Food Cures
is extremely informative on the
yin
and
yang
values of foods and their suitability for different body types (see Further Reading).

15 A Chinese philosopher of the third century BC and interpreter of Confucius. He believed in the innate goodness of human nature.

16 D. Yi, P. Yong, L. Wenkui,
Chinese Functional Food
(Beijing: New World Press, 1999), p. 99.

17 Herbert A Giles, trans. ,
Chuang Tzu XV
, p. 192.

18 A. Parker and N. Dagnall,
Effects of Bilateral Eye Movements on
Gist False Recognition in the DRM Paradigm
,
Brain and Cognition
, vol. 63,no. 3 (April 2007) available online at
http://www.sciencedirect.com
.

19 P. H. Lahmann, C. Friedenreich
et al
. , ‘Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Risk:The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition’ in
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers
& Prevention
16 (January 2007) available online at
http://www.cebp.aacrjournals.org
: 36–42.

Further reading

Anderson, E. N,
The Food of China
(New Haven and London:Yale University Press, 1998).

Bredon, J. and I. Mitrophanow,
The Moon Year
(Shanghai: Kelly and Walsh, 1927).

Campbell,T. C. and T. M. Campbell,
The China Study
(Dallas,TX: Benbella Book, 2005).

Clayton, P. ,
Health Defence
(Aylesbury: Accelerated Learning Systems Ltd. , 2004).

Cooper, J. C. ,
Taoism: TheWay of the Mystic
(London: Mandala, 1991).

Chang, K. C. ,
Food in Chinese Culture: Anthropological and Historical
Perspectives
(Taipei: SMC Publishing, 1997).

Dunlop, F. ,
Sichuan Food
(London: Michael Joseph, 2001).

Fullerton-Smith, J. ,
The Truth about Food
(London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007).

Jingfeng, B. ,
Episodes in Traditional Chinese Medicine
, trans. Z. Tingquan (Beijing: Panda Books, Chinese Literature Press, 1998).

Jingfeng, C. ,
Eating Your Way to Health: Dietotherapy in Traditional
Chinese Medicine
(Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1988).

Larkcom, J. ,
Oriental Vegetables:The Complete Guide for the Gardening
Cook
(London: John Murray, 1998).

Lau, D. C. , trans. ,
Confucius:The Analects (Lun Yu)
(Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 1992).

Lu, H. C. ,
Chinese System of Food Cures
(NewYork: Sterling Publishing Co. , 1986).

———,
Chinese Herbs with Common Foods
(Tokyo: Kondansha International, 1997).

Maoshing, N. I. , trans. ,
The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine (Neijing
Suwen)
(Boston and London: Shambhala, 1995).

Mitscher, L. A and V. Dolby,
The Green Tea Book: China’s Fountain
of Youth
(New York: Avery Publishing, 1998).

Ody, P. ,
Practical Chinese Medicine
(New Delhi: New Age Books, 2003).

Porter Smith. F and Stuart. G. A. , trans.
Chinese Medicinal Herbs (Li
Shih-Chen)
. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2003) Reichstein, G. ,
Wood Becomes Water: Chinese Medicine in Everyday Life
(New York, Tokyo and London: Kondansha International, 1998).

Shurtleff, W. and A. Aoyagi,
The Book of Tofu
(Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2001).

Shou-zhong. Y. , trans.
The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica
(Boulder, Co: Blue Poppy Press, 1998).

So,Y. -K. ,
Classic Food of China
(London: Macmillan, 1994).

Spencer, C. ,
British Food: An Extraordinary Thousand Years of History
(London: Grub Street, 2004).

Stitt. P. A.
Fighting the Food Giants
. (Manitowoc: Natural Press, 1981).

Tsuei, W. ,
Roots of Chinese Culture and Medicine
(Malaysia: Pelanduk Publications, 1992).

Williams, T. ,
Chinese Medicine
(London: Vega, 2002).

Zhao, Z. and G. Ellis,
The Healing Cuisine of China: 300 recipes for
Vibrant Health and Longevity
(Vermont: Healing Arts Press, 1998).

Yi, D. , P. Yong and L. Wenkui,
Chinese Functional Food
(Beijing: New World Press, 1999).

Wu, J. C. H. , trans. ,
Tao Te Ching
(Boston and London: Shambala, 2006).

Lorraine Clissold lived in China with her husband and four children for ten years, between 1995 and 2005. During that time she learned to speak and read Mandarin Chinese, presented
The Chinese Cooking Programme
on Central Chinese television, worked as a food writer and restaurant critic and set up The Chinese Cooking School from her home in the
hutongs
(narrow streets) of Old Beijing.

Now based in North Yorkshire, Lorraine enjoys her family, her menagerie of animals, an outdoor life and home grown food. She spends extended periods in the French Alps, but goes back to Beijing for the best food in the world.

Lorraine is married to Tim Clissold, author of
Mr China
(published by Constable), whom she met when she was a student at Jesus College, Cambridge.