|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
StayingPower
Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Posts: 252
|
 Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:20 pm Post subject: Cooking On Your Own |
 |
|
| Anyone here have some info on Chinese cooking or how to obtain some good books? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
markholmes
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 661
Location: Wengehua
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:35 am Post subject: |
|
|
| A possible reason for the silence is because Chinese food is so cheap and plentiful in Taiwan that it is not worth the effort cooking it at home. I have to say that most of the meals I cooked at home in Taiwan were either Thai or Mexican (and western Xmas dinner - roast chicken from CostCo). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sbettinson
Joined: 22 Jul 2004
Posts: 81
Location: Taichung
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:27 am Post subject: |
|
|
I would agree that it is easier to hunt down the food as it is cheap enough to buy ready to eat.
Try Page 1 in Taipei 101 mall. One of the best bookstores I have ever known. There is a big section near the back on cooking books. You are bound to find something in there.
Woks away! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
StayingPower
Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Posts: 252
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Okay, I understand. But I'm just looking for simple meals I can cook. I also like the art of cooking. Besides, I want to stay away from fried foods and too much oil. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dr_Zoidberg
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 406
Location: Not posting on Forumosa.
|
| Posted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| markholmes wrote: |
| A possible reason for the silence is because Chinese food is so cheap and plentiful in Taiwan that it is not worth the effort cooking it at home. |
Eating out in Taiwan will kill you, the food is toxic. If your health means anything to you then it is definitely worth the effort to cook at home. Better still, fresh fruit and vegetables are plentiful and available the year round, though not as cheap as lunchbox.
Last year I stopped cooking at home for that very same reason. I had been eating the cheap, plentiful Taiwanese food for about a month when my doctor ordered some blood tests. The results showed my total cholestorol to be 232 (total cholestorol should be less than 130), and my uric acid was also very high. My doctor advised that if I didn't do something to lower my cholestorol, I would be heading for a heart-attack down the road, and if I didn't do someting to lower my uric acid, I would end up with gout.
I said good-bye to the cheap, plentiful food, and went back to cooking for myself. Another blood test three months later showed everything back to normal.
Yes, food is cheap and plentiful in Taiwan; and if you don't mind ruining your health in the long-run, tuck in. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SanChong
Joined: 22 Nov 2005
Posts: 335
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:46 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| Eating out in Taiwan will kill you, the food is toxic. If your health means anything to you then it is definitely worth the effort to cook at home. Better still, fresh fruit and vegetables are plentiful and available the year round, though not as cheap as lunchbox. |
I don't agree with that. It is MUCH easier to eat a healthy diet in Taiwan than in most countries. A look at the average waistlines in Taiwan compared to most Western countries makes that quickly obvious!
The portions are smaller here and are much healthier, on average.
Of course, it's all about WHAT you eat.
Here are a few of my favorites and I think they are pretty healthy:
1) Hot Pot (if you use the sauce it makes it less healthy, but not much less).
2) BBQ either in a restaurant or food stand (you can choose meat or veggies, so the healthiness factor is up to you).
3) Lunch Boxes (Bien Dang in Chinese). You usually have a TON of choices there. You can choose all vegetables or a mixture of vegetables and meat. It's often buffet style and you either serve yourself or point and the server will put it on the plate for you.
4) Snacks: The sushi triangles at 7-11 are a great snack. It's just rice with meat, fish or vegetables wrapped in seaweed. Doesn't get healthier than that!
5) Any combination of night market food stands: BBQ quail eggs, those pancake things, tofu, soups, bbq or fried mushroom cups, sausages, fruit drinks, etc. Walking through a night market can be cheap, filling AND healthy if you choose the right things.
6) Fruit stands: You can buy any combination of cut fresh fruit in a bag, or get a whole bunch of fruit to take home.
I love food in Taiwan, it's one of my favorite parts of living here and I never (literally, NEVER) eat at home. It's probably cheaper to eat out and there are so many choices.
Of course, I could choose to eat fried chicken everyday, but I generally eat a very healthy diet in Taiwan. It's like anywhere else: You have dietary choices. I just think you have a lot more healthy choices in Taiwan than back home.
For new teachers: I think it's really important, when you first arrive in Taiwan, to have Taiwanese people show you around for food options. Make Taiwanese friend and have them shoe you all the things that THEY eat. It can be intimidating investigating all the restaurants and food stalls on your own.... a lot of fun, but easier with a guide, the first few times. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
markholmes
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 661
Location: Wengehua
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 5:33 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| Quote: |
| A possible reason for the silence is because Chinese food is so cheap and plentiful in Taiwan that it is not worth the effort cooking it at home. |
Eating out in Taiwan will kill you, the food is toxic. If your health means anything to you then it is definitely worth the effort to cook at home. Better still, fresh fruit and vegetables are plentiful and available the year round, though not as cheap as lunchbox. |
Notice I used the word "it", meaning it's not worth cooking Chinese food at home, because it is cheap and everywhere. Like everything in life, it's about balance. There is certainly a huge variety of vegetables and fruit available if you should wish to cook at home.
| Quote: |
| Besides, I want to stay away from fried foods and too much oil. |
You better buy yourself a toaster oven then.
| Quote: |
| My doctor advised that if I didn't do something to lower my cholestorol, I would be heading for a heart-attack down the road, and if I didn't do someting to lower my uric acid, I would end up with gout. |
Wow it's amazing over 1 billion Chinese actually manage to live into their 20s, let alone manage to pro-create.
Has anybody ever seen any statics on coronary heart disease by country? I seem to remember India being quite high up the list, but not sure about China. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
StayingPower
Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Posts: 252
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 4:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
My health is always paramount, since I've had stomach problems before and of course, am a conscientious Westerner in regards to what they eat. Not knowing this culture's food, therefore, I'm apt to disagree with some of you saying eating out is a better alternative.
I know street vendors are less hygienic.
I know deep fried is common here.
I know oil here is unhealthy too.
But how can you avoid these and still eat nutriously? Unless you've stayed here a long time, know exactly where to eat and what it is, than you're pretty much going to have to be very cautious and either buy pre-cooked foods at the big supermarkets or learn some healthy dishes on your own.
The vendors, I'm afraid, are not a healthy way to choose.
And sorry to say, but heart disease is a soaring killer rising in Asia as well.
Last edited by StayingPower on Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:02 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dr_Zoidberg
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 406
Location: Not posting on Forumosa.
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 12:02 am Post subject: |
|
|
| StayingPower wrote: |
| But how can you avoid these and still eat nutriously? |
You can't, eating out. The Taiwanese mindset is such that they cannot conceive of cooking without oil. I occasionally hold cooking classes for my Taiwanese co-workers, showing them how to make some Western dishes. They are continually amazed that I can cook without oil. Of course, not all oils are unhealthy. Olive oil, for example, is actually good for you, but you're not getting that in your bein dang for 50NT, I'm sure.
Find your local market, buy fresh fruit and vegetables. And make sure you wash these vigorously as Taiwanese farmers are well known for their liberal use of pesticides.
| StayingPower wrote: |
| The vendors, I'm afraid, are not a healthy way to choose. |
Quite right. While Sanchong is correct in saying it is easier to eat a healthy diet in Taiwan than elsewhere, he's something of a fantasy merchant when he claims choosing vegetables for your lunch box is a healthy alternative. Even the vegetables are swimming in oil. If you want to eat a healthy diet, go to the local market where fresh fruit and vegetables are plentiful and cheap.
Finally, the doctor to whom I referred previously is the chief cardiologist at Rennai Hospital in Dali, and received his medical training in the United States. As such, I'm inclined to listen to him.
My detractors can pooh pooh all they want, the blood test results speak for themselves. It doesn't matter who believes me or not. Afterall, it's your health, not mine. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SanChong
Joined: 22 Nov 2005
Posts: 335
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:47 am Post subject: |
|
|
Everyone's entitled to their opinion, of course.
I just don't think that Zoidberg's and Staying Power's are a reflection of how most of us Westerners feel about the food in Taiwan.
I think it's easier to eat a healthy diet in Taiwan for all the reasons I've detailed above.
As for fried foods: Of course you can get fried food in Taiwan. Just as you can back home. I never eat fried food in the States and I never eat it in Taiwan. No one is forcing you to go to the fried chicken stand!
I think it's a LOT easier to eat out in a healthy way in Taiwan then it is back in the States. You have a lot more healthy options and more variety, in general.
In fact, I don't know anyone that DOESN'T eat out in Taiwan, almost everyday. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
StayingPower
Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Posts: 252
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Any of you at all cook with a Wok? How's using a walk in regards to healthy cooking? What I mean is that I bought a cookbook today which has a lot of Chinese food recipes requring using a wok. And oil. If I get the right kind of oil I think this would be better than deep-fried foods though, don't you think so?
I forget the name of the cookbook, but it's just a mini-cookbook I bought at 'Cave's.' I think it's called 'Pleniplus.' |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
lou_la
Joined: 04 Oct 2005
Posts: 140
Location: Bristol
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Definitely! If you cook yourself you can decide how much oil you use. Even the non-deep fried stuff here is swimming in the damn stuff. Annoying as hell, because all the veggie stuff seems to be extra heavy on the oil.
I don't cook chinese food here, but did all the time at home. Stir fries are quick, easy, and pretty healthy. However, the sauces could change all that. But, at least you know what's going in it.
I think cooking for yourself is the way to go. I've put on a fair amount of weight over the last three months, and I've even been trying far harder to eat healthily than I did at home. I'm finding it nigh on impossible. Everything is covered in fat, sugar, or usually both. Gahh! By insides feel so dirty - like my blood feels gloopier than it should. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dr_Zoidberg
Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 406
Location: Not posting on Forumosa.
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
Stayingpower, if you're going to cook with oil, use olive oil.
I said Olive oil, not Olive OYLE! But, hey, whatever floats your boat.
Make sure it is pure olive oil, some bottles contain olive and some other kind of oil, usually grape seed.
Olive oil is actually good for you. It contains high density lipoprotiens, unlike other oils which contain low density lipoprotiens. LDL is unstable, breaks up, and adheres to the walls of your blood vessels. HDL is stable, and not only does it not adhere to the walls of your blood vessels, it scrapes away the goop that has.
Olive oil is high in calories, so don't over indulge. I use about 1 or 2 tablespoons per day. The rest of the time I boil or steam, or opt for fresh fruit. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
