Rural Chinese Diet
- Residents of rural China use rice flour as the basis for all sorts of foods. They mix it with water to make noodles, which can be dried and eaten as a snack, fried with soy sauce for a quick meal, or served in a soup. Rice flour is also the primary ingredient in dumplings, which are typically stuffed with vegetables. But rice flour is not just part of the daily diet in rural China; it plays a prominent role in celebratory meals. Special rice dumplings called "tsung tzu" are served during the Dragon Boat Festival. Rice flour is also used to make the cakes that are served on New Year's Eve.
- Soybeans are used to make tofu, which is seen often at mealtime in rural China. It is brought fresh from the farms to be sold in Chinese markets. The buyers will then take the tofu home and place it, along with vegetables like cucumbers and bamboo shoots, in a pot of stock to make a tasty soup.
According to Yiu H. Hui, the senior scientist at the Science Technology System in California, whole fermented soybeans, or "douchi," is another well-known dish in the area. This food, which is made from either yellow or black soybeans, has a reputation for being high in protein while also being easy to digest.
Of course, in order to be fermented, the soybean sprouts have to make it to maturity. These sprouts, as well as mung bean sprouts, are sometimes served with pickled vegetables. - When people in rural China do cook an indulgent meal with meat, they often reach for proteins that Americans would not think to use. One example is the use of dog meat, which has been an ingredient in Chinese meals since the Han Dynasty. The selling of dog meat, which occurs primarily in southern provinces such as Guangdong, Guizhou, Hunan, and Sichuan, has caused foreigners and animal rights groups alike to respond with consternation and even anger. Critics decry the practice as inhumane and potentially dangerous to humans, who may contract rabies, according to the Centers for Disease Control in the U.S. Meanwhile, those who eat the dish contend that dog meat has properties that provide strength and improve overall health.
In addition to dog meat, residents of rural China dine on pigs, goats, lizards, frogs, pigeons, seahorses and sea cucumbers. Jacqueline Newman, author of "Food Culture in China," says that the Chinese use every part of the animal, from the entrails to the eyeballs. - In the past few decades, the people of rural China have seen slow but unmistakable changes in their diets. According to an article written by Roger Segelken for the "Cornell Chronicle," the people of rural China are now facing new diseases and chronic medical conditions as they continue to deviate further from the primarily vegetarian diet consumed by their ancestors. A research paper released by Charles Sturt University in December of 2007 made the definitive claim that "per capita meat consumption in China increased from 1985 to 2005." As meat, dairy, and inexpensive processed food is becoming more widely available, the recipes for homemade rice dumplings, fresh tofu, and dog meat might be permanently shelved.
