Chinese restaurant employee reveals secrets (or: What is really in your Chinese food?)
July 6th 2007 18:56
It's an urban legend that Westerners love to promote... what really is the meat in a Chinese restaurant? How can I get a 200-item buffet for just $4.98? Why is this chicken so chewy?
Well, a former employee of a big restaurant in China let open with all the goods.
Some disclaimers: the restaurant is in Guangdong Province, which is well known in the rest of China as 'the place where they eat everything'. Also, due to the insane competition among restaurants, I've read that many of them engage in strange practices to make money.
Also, this article is in the Epoch Times, which is not a reliable source of information, as far as I'm concerned. The New York Times, this is not.
Anyway, from the article, simple things like deceptive scales:
To using cats in stews and selling them as leopard meat:
Remember, the disturbing part is being ripped off, not the fact that they're eating cats. After all, if you're expecting leopard meat, you're probably already a big fan of the kat.
Well, a former employee of a big restaurant in China let open with all the goods.
Some disclaimers: the restaurant is in Guangdong Province, which is well known in the rest of China as 'the place where they eat everything'. Also, due to the insane competition among restaurants, I've read that many of them engage in strange practices to make money.
Also, this article is in the Epoch Times, which is not a reliable source of information, as far as I'm concerned. The New York Times, this is not.
Anyway, from the article, simple things like deceptive scales:
"Our scale is accurate, but the displayed weights are not. Four hundred grams will show as 500 grams. This is not trickery but rather a common practice in this profession. All restaurants are doing this."
To using cats in stews and selling them as leopard meat:
"Leopard meat stewed with medicinal herbs is the signature soup of our restaurant. Cats are very common, so only by advertising the meat as being from a wild animal would it be attractive to diners.
After removing the heads and claws and soaking the cat bodies in the herbs, even the smartest diner can't discern that what they are eating is cat meat. Cat meat cost us 20 yuan (approximately US$2.50) for each carcass, but leopard meat cost 138 yuan (approximately US$17.25) per kilogram."
After removing the heads and claws and soaking the cat bodies in the herbs, even the smartest diner can't discern that what they are eating is cat meat. Cat meat cost us 20 yuan (approximately US$2.50) for each carcass, but leopard meat cost 138 yuan (approximately US$17.25) per kilogram."
Remember, the disturbing part is being ripped off, not the fact that they're eating cats. After all, if you're expecting leopard meat, you're probably already a big fan of the kat.
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