Job Discussion Forums

[nickpellatt]

Im with kukiv on this one. Eating at noodle bars continually would be a drain on ones mental resources...I was bodybuilding for around 7 years and am quite used to eating the same food day after day, but sticking only to the lower priced food in China wouldnt be easy.

My health suffers a lot here...and without fail, I put on 15 lbs each time I come here, and do so very quickly...although I can get back into shape when Im back home quite quickly. The only way someone could improve their health here (IMO) is if they have a really bad diet back home, which there isnt really an excuse for. We have a heck of a lot more variety available back home, and making sensible healthy eating choices is much easier for me when in the UK, than when Im here. Partly my fault of course, I cant resist my spicy sichuan dishes each day!

[kukiv]

Good on ya DHAP - often my work also involves a lot of trekking - sometimes carrying heavy photographic equipment. We're quite a bit around the Mianyang area - but always driving past the city. For some good hikes try Wanglang (hopefully we'll be hitting that reserve again in March) or Tangjiahe.
Problem with our work is the time we often spend on the road - a hotel and restaurant food life, for me, can be a real pain - I especially enjoy spells at home with a bit of home cooking so I can de-tox from a greasy Sichuan diet.
But its horses for courses - if you think Chinese BBQ and local beer is good, then be my guest and enjoy it.

As for long-term effects of a Chinese diet and N Sichuan - for the last year we have had seasonal visits to an area to the NE of Mianyang - on the border with Chongqing - that has been cited as cancer hotspot. Apparently the carcinogens are found in polluted drinking water - and thereafter get into diets.

Which reminds me - Mianyang, being a center of weapon production, has a nuclear research facility. I can remember TV footage - just after the quake of troops in the center of the city using RPG's and heavy machine guns to sink barrels of chemicals - from damaged facilities - that were floating down the river. But that was ages past - that extra 'zing" in the tea has probably long since gone!!!!

By the way for all my concern over food - I'm a fat b******d - a diet of 5RMB noodles would probably do my figure a bit of good, even if it would drive me insane!!!!