Something to notice is the Hakka custom to NOT use detergent or soap to wash their dishes.
I went to visit this city in Miaoli, Sanyi and my friend took me to a Hakka eatery shop, the owner’s son was washing the used dishes with only hot water and a sponge. I commented to my friend about that and she told me that Hakka people don’t like to use detergent, because they believe that some residue will remain even after rinsing the dishes and then you swallow that together with your food and get cancer later on. So they only wash with hot water.
[quote=“daisyhotkiss”]Something to notice is the Hakka custom to NOT use detergent or soap to wash their dishes.
I went to visit this city in Miaoli, Sanyi and my friend took me to a Hakka eatery shop, the owner’s son was washing the used dishes with only hot water and a sponge. I commented to my friend about that and she told me that Hakka people don’t like to use detergent, because they believe that some residue will remain even after rinsing the dishes and then you swallow that together with your food and get cancer later on. So they only wash with hot water.[/quote]
:bs:
From a smurf poster, no less…
[quote]My favourite 18th century Highland joke:
Ach, and d’ye ken why the Calvinists forbid yeh teh shag standin’ oop?
They’re afraid it’ll lead teh dancin’…
[/quote]
Joke? It’s bloody well true, you godless heathen!
[quote=“daisyhotkiss”]Something to notice is the Hakka custom to NOT use detergent or soap to wash their dishes.
I went to visit this city in Miaoli, Sanyi and my friend took me to a Hakka eatery shop, the owner’s son was washing the used dishes with only hot water and a sponge. I commented to my friend about that and she told me that Hakka people don’t like to use detergent, because they believe that some residue will remain even after rinsing the dishes and then you swallow that together with your food and get cancer later on. So they only wash with hot water.[/quote]
I think that is partially true. A lot of Hakka people are from farming background, they don’t trust chemical stuff so much. They are usually not well-off and live very economically. This makes them surprisingly environmental in SOME ways. They are also careful especially when it comes to eating as they know how food is grown and how many chemicals are used. For instance many farmers will grow food for themselves and food for the market. Some of them will use natural variants of detergents from plant seeds. I forget the Chinese name. Traditionally they also make their own sponges from dried out winter melon gourd. This actually works really well!
http://www.evergreenseeds.com/edibleluffa.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/840331/the_soap_berry_a_natural_laundry_detergent.html?cat=32Chinese Soapberry: soapberry.org/
They should use some sort of detergent or natural alternative of course so as to break down biological residues, however he is correct in stating that there will be residues left from the detergents on plates (and probably also from the soapberries).
That’s rich, coming from chain-smokers.
I like how people quote fear of salmonella as a reason for (over)policing mom and pop streetside eating places. I’ve heard of salmonella in corporate-brand peanut butter and mass produced processed foods but how often do you get salmonella from a street vendor due to ‘unsanitary conditions’?
It’s kind of like bringing in ultra-regulation of Chinese medicine vendors because big pharmaceutical companies managed to sell you on Vioxx and Thalidomide.
Unsanitary conditions might give you a stomach ache and some watery diarrhea but next time, your guts will be able to handle it like the locals do.
What doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger. Take the risk, it’s worth it.
[quote=“Charlie Phillips”]snip …
Unsanitary conditions might give you a stomach ache and some watery diarrhea but next time, your guts will be able to handle it like the locals do.
What doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger. Take the risk, it’s worth it.[/quote]
:ohreally: You should tell that to people that got sick of eating spoiled seafood … and are now allergic to it … they can’t ever eat it again …
Than the guy I saw spraying RAID on it’s vegetable plot wasn’t definitely Hakka … :roflmao:
[quote=“Charlie Phillips”]It’s kind of like bringing in ultra-regulation of Chinese medicine vendors because big pharmaceutical companies managed to sell you on Vioxx and Thalidomide.[/quote]Perhaps a relevant analogy…perhaps not. Regulation and increased scrutiny of “Chinese Medicine” formulas and ingredients has come about due to the increasing appearance of toxic pollutants found in the soils the herbs/plants were grown in and the also increasing use of pharmaceutical additives in the formulas.
With the demand for COA (Certificate of Analysis) for each lot of Trad Med products being produced has also come safer, more consistent formulations and better assurance that the herb or formula the user wants or Doctor prescribes is actually what they are getting. Not something high in lead from the soil or Valium added in for effect. Thats a good thing.
[quote=“Charlie Phillips”]What doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger. Take the risk, it’s worth it.[/quote]Good perspective if referring to a broken bone or healing muscle tissue - Very bad advice when referring to a blown out liver or permanently damaged renal system.
Agree with TC, there’s also the additional concern that some common Chinese medicines are potentially lethal all by themselves without alteration. Spot on in regards the potential to wipe out your kidneys, liver or heart.
Unfortunately the common issue is that people in the west, often assume Chinese medicine is “natural” so can’t harm you, therefore if it says take twice a day, well then ten times a day must be x8 times better for you. Boom! Heart gone, kidney in trouble, liver screaming. I know of at least four deaths through this process in a short space of time in Australia. The herbalist was fine, they did the right thing, gave the right prescription, advised on the dosage, but the patients took it upon themselves to up the dose.
A common killer is aconite. (fu zi)
And from the Wiki on Aconite:
HG
I read some time ago in the newspaper that a beef noodle shop in Mucha, close to a famous national college, had a chef who used to spit in the noodle bowls before serving to rude customers and students. One day he got caught, was fired and now he is opening another noodle shop two blocks away from his old place.
Funny, when I worked at Haagen Dazs in high school I had a coworker who used to spit in the milkshakes, and he later went on to work at other restaurants too (no joke). The difference: this was in the USA. This type of thing happens in every country. 
In Australia they put feces in your food when you are rude or complain about the service or food … for real … now that’s something to complain about and call the health services …
Imagine if me or you were the president Ma Yin-Jiou going to eat in a public place and the owner happens to support the DPP party, or if I was a known politician from any other party…the owner would probably put something worse than feces or spit.
Imagine if me or you were the president Ma Yin-Jiou going to eat in a public place and the owner happens to support the DPP party, or if I was a known politician from any other party…the owner would probably put something worse than feces or spit.
Who’s “they”?
Every time?
It’s like a custom?
Or is it the law?
And how is it they “put” the feces in?
I mean, is there a special utensil?
And where does the feces come from?
Do they keep an empty garlic butter bucket in the cooler next to the Caesar dressing?
Who’s responsible for resupply, is it like “OK, we’re good for anchovies, jalapenos, parsley sprigs and croutons. Better go ahead and order dill pickles, horseradish, and sliced olives. Oh, and get Jamal the dishwasher up here, the feces is down about a litre…”
I heard in Belgium if you don’t tip they pull rude faces at your change and whisper “You smell like Marcel Marceau’s ASScrack!!!” before they give it to you…
[quote=“urodacus”]beginning of the saga
but nobody knows whose[/quote]
HAHAHAHAHA!
I’ve drank in CBH, dude, and I’d consider myself to have gotten off lucky if I complained and all that happened to me was poop in my ice cream.
Who ever heard of dark chocolate gelato anyway??
How would you tell if there were poo in there?
Anyways, despite Doc Dacus (curse you, webslinger!!)'s best efforts, I find most, if not all, of my questions remaining unanswered…
That’s fine Aussie cuisine I’ll have you know. 
[quote=“Charlie Phillips”]I like how people quote fear of salmonella as a reason for (over)policing mom and pop streetside eating places. I’ve heard of salmonella in corporate-brand peanut butter and mass produced processed foods but how often do you get salmonella from a street vendor due to ‘unsanitary conditions’?
It’s kind of like bringing in ultra-regulation of Chinese medicine vendors because big pharmaceutical companies managed to sell you on Vioxx and Thalidomide.
Unsanitary conditions might give you a stomach ache and some watery diarrhea but next time, your guts will be able to handle it like the locals do.
What doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger. Take the risk, it’s worth it.[/quote]
That’s crap, Charlie. Unsanitary conditions can do much more than just give you a stomach ache: bacterial food poisoning kills many many people every year, and it’s totally avoidable. Next time, you may not be able to handle it just like the locals do because next time you may be dead, or have had your colon removed because it necrosed, or developed rectal or colon cancer.
This pretend nietzschean ideal that you espouse is simply unhelpful at best, downright dangerous at worst, and condoning the perpetuation of a system that allows it to flourish is backwards in the extreme. Food regulations, and the ‘fascist’ food inspectors, are not out to get you, they are there for everyone’s benefit. If you don;t like them, Sure YOU can go and eat sewage, but I sure as hell don’t have any desire to.
and let’s not start on the topic of your precious Chinese ‘medicines’. Have you actually got any idea of the scale of counterfeiting, drug substitution and poisoning from TCM preparations and pills? Or much proof that they are always better, and that Western medicine is the bogey man you are whipping up here?