Safe Eating in China!



When we first found out that we were moving to China, we talked to the Health Department, Ava's pediatrician and everyone we knew that had traveled there asking tons of questions.  Our main question and concern was, "How can we make sure we give Ava safe and healthy food options?"  Since most of the people we talked to had just traveled to China for a short period of time - 1 to 4 weeks at a time - we received very similar answers: "only eat fruits with a thick peel (Bananas, Oranges, etc) and plan to eat mostly canned fruits and vegetables".  Of course we weren't thrilled about that idea.  Granted, any fruit/vegetable is better than nothing, but fresh is way healthier!  We kept asking around and found a Parker family with a son just a few months older than Ava!  They were a tremendous help during our months of planning and taught us how to prepare fresh fruits and vegetables so it is safe to eat!  It definitely adds to the prep time, but it is well worth it!     



Fruit & Vegetable Market - 10 to 15 min
walk from our apartment



Our Vegetables purchased at the market - paid about $7 US









A local family introduced us to this Fruit & Vegetable Market which is only a 10 to 15 walk from our apartment!  They have 4 kids and 1 more due any day now and have had no issues, so it appears to be safe. 

While we typically buy our fruit at a different store, we could get it here as well and I am sure it would be fine.  Once we've purchased all of our fruit and vegetables, we can start to prepare them.  First, we wash them in purified water.  Then, we spray them with a Fruit & Vegetable Wash and rinse with purified water.  Next, we soak any fruits with a thin peel (blueberries, grapes, apples, pears, etc) and vegetables in a mixture of vinegar, salt and purified water.  Then, we rinse again with purified water.  Finally, they are ready to eat or cook!



3rd Step:  Soaking in Vinegar, Salt & Water!



Finally time to cook!



We were also told to be careful with Chinese products.  There are a lot of counterfeit products here - not just with clothes, purses and electronics, but also food which is pretty scary.  We buy milk, yogurt and cheese from Europe and look for Korean or Japanese sauces (like Soy Sauce).  We also buy a lot of American brands - like Tyson chicken and Kraft Mac-n-Cheese!  In addition, we were told to buy imported eggs, but we have yet to find any.  Therefore, we go to a reputable store and buy refrigerated eggs (most eggs are not refrigerated) that show a chicken on the carton (they eat a lot of duck eggs here, and who knows what else) and the carton says "Safe" (keeping our fingers crossed)!    



So far we are eating and cooking well - and still very "American"!  We have yet to try any Chinese recipes, but maybe one day!  We still have many months ahead of us!  Soon we will share some of the interesting items (and flavors) you can find in the grocery stores!