On Chinese Cuisine, and Bat Soup to heal your soul

Nah, just kidding. **** bat soup. But hear me out on something, I promise I'll do my best to not be long-winded.

I'm an American living in Beijing. I'm a enormous Rockets homer. And today, I'm sticking up for General Tso.

Wet markets are (were?) a disgusting, unhygienic and inhumane reality. The Yu Lin dog meat festival is one of the worst things I've ever had the displeasure of reading about. The Coronavirus very much may have started from some dumbass who looked at a rodent and decided that eating it would make him more virile. Did I mention civets? Cat's out of the bag on that one.

But here's the thing--I've been seeing lots of people online, even on my beloved Clutchfans, make the assumption that the majority of Chinese people (never mind Chinese-Americans, Singaporeans, Malaysians, Taiwanese and so on) eat like this. After debating the efficiency of replying to every post, I figured that making a thread would be the best way to get my message out. So here goes:

The average Chinese person has about as much of an interest in consuming bats as I do. China is a gigantic country with a huge variety of different cuisines and dietary habits. The people that consume exotic meats are a SMALL minority...and one which has now caused the world no shortage of trouble.

In Beijing, where you can find the food of pretty much any region, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything more exotic than rabbit or deer. The most common meat here is pork, followed by chicken then beef and mutton. Fish, too, though I caution everyone to stay away from cheap sushi.

I know people are mad at some Chinese folks right now for unleashing the virus on us all. I hear the word "barbaric" being used a lot. But Chinese cuisine isn't barbaric. Those who get meat from the wet markets are.

What even is Chinese food? The heavy, meat and bread based meals of the north? The mouth-numbing spices and intense flavors of Sichuan? The Mr. Chow's next to the gas station on Clearmont Avenue? Or even bat soup and dog burgers? If we're going by food prepared by a Chinese person, I guess they all would be...but I don't have to tell you that one of those things is not like the others.

Despite what you may think, most Chinese folks I know are also angry and grossed out. They're sharing pictures of fried kangaroo and alligator with as much revulsion and morbid fascination as the rest of us. And I feel sad that people are painting them as a bunch of savages when all they want to do is to go home, eat some bacon and play with their dogs, who is about as safe from the dinner table as Ol' Yeller would be.

The Government is another story. I've had no shortage of criticism towards them. But CHINESE FOOD? Nah, bro. I've been extolling the virtues of Chinese cuisine for a long, LONG time. And I refuse to let Mr. Erectile Dysfunction at the bat meat market ruin it for me.

tldr: MOST CHINESE PEOPLE DON'T EAT BATS. ALMOST ALL CHINESE PEOPLE NOT FROM CHINA ALSO DON'T EAT BATS.

tldrfttldr: bat meat bad, get sick very sick

 

I actually think as a whole, Clutchfans members tend to be open minded and willing to discuss stuff. That's why I'd rather post this on here as opposed to say, reddit or (bleh)Facebook. At least we're unified with our love for the Rockets so we have something in common.

And yes, ignorance sucks. And it can't be helped. I'm ignorant to a lot of things...but I'll always try my best to not be.

 

They are outlawing the practice, specifically the "wet markets". You make an excellent point--it's often the poorer, more ignorant people in China that are the ones who consume most of these exotic foods. Ignorance is the root to a lot of problems, it's also the reason why shark fin soup was such a big deal until Yao made it a point to educate people on it.

I've lived in Shanghai, Chengdu, Beijing and Jinan--yes, they are all wealthier cities, but it doesn't change the fact that most of the Chinese people that I know (and through basketball and work I know a LOT) condemn the practice of eating stuff bought at these markets. They know where SARS came from too, after all.

The point that I'm trying to make is that Wet Market food is NOT and has NEVER BEEN the majority of meat consumed in China. Some regions, specifically North and Northwest China, don't eat exotic meat at all. China's a big country, lots of different cultures, food, history. I'd argue much of that culture has been lost since the cultural revolution, but that's for another thread.

But saying that Chinese people are gross, or Chinese food features lots of dog and rodent meat...it's the equivalent of saying that I must be an asshat because I'm from New York. I think I'm pretty nice guy, I'd hate to be judged without getting a chance first. I've been treated really well over here. Not by the government, but by the people that I've met doing the same things that I'd do back home. Some support the CCP, some don't. But people are people everywhere, right?

 

...and cheetahs

 

For sure, those people that supported the markets are totally backwards and nasty. Just wanted to point out what it’s easy to forget—most people in China are just regular folks like us.