Chinese Restaurants and Other Food Health Hazards

Unless it's PF Changs or some other reputable Chinese restaurant...I'll just cook my own Chinese food!

Don't get me wrong, I used to be a big fan of all Chinese restaurants; this was several years ago, however. Who could have resisted an unlimited amount of the delicious flavors of Asia served up at a Chinese Buffet? But I would soon learn that you may be getting more than you bargained for from these dining establishments. After several bad experiences (cold food, poor recipes, strange??? ingredients, etc.), indigestion, and news reports, I decided to call off eating at any more Chinese restaurants. Again, unless it's PF Changs or some other reputable Chinese restaurant...I'll just cook my own Chinese food!

My first memorable bad experience was eating at what they called a "Mongolian buffet", which is pretty much the same exact thing as a Chinese buffet. The only difference perhaps being that they supposedly had Mongolian bar-b-q...I don't quite remember that part, but I doubt it was a big deal. Anyway, not too long after eating at this place I saw a report on the evening news that they were storing and handling food in very unsanitery ways - storing meat in garbage cans, not cleaning the kitchen up, etc. This was definitely a big turn off to me, and I maybe ate only a few more times at such a restaurant ever again.

In general though, none of the food at these places was ever 100% right. I don't think that a person can expect quality from a restaurant offering unlimited food for $10 a person. Maybe I'm wrong. I know that in Vegas, there are such restaurants and they are actually of high quality. But that's different.

But I don't think that the sanitation problems are limited to buffet-style Chinese restaurants either. About two years ago, I saw another report on the news while I was living in Gainesville, FL (I have since moved). This was not a buffet, but rather a small pick-up/delivery joint. Same problems. Storing food in garbage cans (the news crew actually video-ed the flies swarming around them), and other clear violations.

Also while living in Gainesville, I ordered what I was expecting to be shrimp chow mein from a Chinese restaurant down the street. I never went in there to eat, but I believe it did have a small buffet. Anyway, the food that I received was in NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM SHRIMP CHOW MEIN! In fact, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS!?!? I'm not one to stereotype, but it may well have been CAT! Or rat. I mean, it would have been obvious if it was shrimp, it didn't look or taste like chicken, it was not like any pork I'd ever have, and it certainly wasn't beef. It was a spongy, white meat with veins running through it! Yuck! It was not a pleasant experience, quite depressing actually.

Here are some links showing food inspection results and news articles relating to this topic. Some take place in the UK, but I know for a fact that the same problems exist in the states:

Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant inspected 7 critical violations - http://philly.everyblock.com/restaurant-inspections/by-date/2008/5/6/223404/

Chinese restaurant has hygiene fines cut from €18,000 to €2,000 - http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/Chinese-restaurant-has-hygiene-fines.4321936.jp

Chinese restaurant fined record pounds 30,000 - http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19980902/ai_n14165644

Routine inspection at SAM'S CHINESE RESTAURANT - http://sf.everyblock.com/restaurant-inspections/by-date/2008/5/27/674403/

Chinese restaurant, pizza joint tie for lowest failing grade - http://www.wtnzfox43.com/Global/story.asp?S=8735231

As you can see, the poor sanitation of Chinese restaurants comes up a significant amount in city-wide health inspections. Now, that's not to say that ALL Chinese restaurants are bad. You can also see from the sites that a pizza joint and latin restaurant came up as being poorly ran. You're always going to have restaurants like that, not a whole lot that can be done about it. Certainly it would be great if the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) could keep tabs on this stuff 365 days a year, but I guess that can't be expected. But there are restaurants like PF Changs and other clearly well-managed Chinese food joints out there. Just know what you're getting into is all I'm saying. I had a friend whose parent's actually owned a Chinese restaurant, and it was actually very delicious food. They had been given awards from the city for their food though. You see. My friend told me that the cook smoked in the kitchen, but it was a small price to pay for what was clearly quality Chinese food. The buffet was no longer needed; every entree came with your choice of soup and a homemade egg-roll, not to mention generous portions of the dish and A LOT OF RICE! You were always full after that.

Of course, we all know that movies have been made about the negative health attributes of many fast food restaurants. I avoid these places as much as possible (I even got two long hairs in a taco at taco bell once! YUMMY!). The only other thing I would like to add to the aforementioned is my insider knowledge into the world of FOUNTAIN SODA/POP. It might be better if you opted for a canned or bottled soda/pop, diet or not, because there is a tubing system within these machines that builds up a strange gunk over time. I used to work for a very nice little bagel/breakfast restaurant. The owner used to be in the airforce, and the guy who I worked with mostly, who had worked there for many years, was the most anal retentive person I've ever met. STILL, these tubes had a nice build up of chemicals from the soda/pop running through them. I was immediately turned off from this as well.

Maybe you're still not convinced though. Maybe you love these things so much that you're just tuning out what I'm telling you. Well that's just the problem. Because what affects your physical body is concommitantly affecting your brain, and thoughts, and emotions, etc. By pouring these low-quality foods into your body, you are causing great damage to yourself. A Chinese buffet will turn you into a Chinese food junkie overnight, you know. If you're one of those, it's time to DETOX!

In conclusion, learn how to make your own Chinese food, it will probably be cheaper in the long-run anyway ($10.00 a person for a buffet still isn't cheap), look to see if the restaurant has received any awards. Another tell-tale sign is the appearance of the people eating at these places, are they healthy looking or do they look like a 300 lb. goblin? If you eat fast-food regularly, I know there are many healthy choices available at these joints now. Get a salad over the triple stacked burger with bacon. Get a bottled water or soda instead of from the fountain. The bottled stuff might even be cheaper...you just won't get free re-fills...which you don't want anyway! I'd also like to suggest that the FDA really crack down hard on any types of restaurants that have proven to be most hazardous in the past. In this way, those poor hapless souls who are just in the mood for Chinese won't have to suffer these injustices any longer.