Food is one aspect of cultural traditions, yet it is probably one of the most persistent. No wonder people like to say what you eat determines what you are. There is no cultural group and no individual for whom at least one specific food - the memory, taste, or smell of which - does not evoke a pang of loving nostalgia.
Food plays an inextricable role in our daily lives. Without food we cannot survive. But food is much more than a tool of survival. Food is a source of pleasure, comfort and security. Food is also a symbol of hospitality, social status, and religious significance.
What we select to eat, how we prepare it, serve it, and even how we eat it are all factors profoundly touched by our individual cultural inheritance.
For today's Chinese, food is, more important, a source of health and a quality life.
From melamine-tainted milk powder to expired buns and toxic medical capsules, China has been plagued by one food safety scandal after another. Despite the central government's pledges to step up surveillance, food safety remains a major concern in China.
Alert on 'chromium-contaminated' capsules
Analysts believe 50 percent of China's tap water does not meet national drinking water standards, but the problem is not so severe as to cause an immediate threat to human health.
Cadmium pollutants have been found in the lower reaches of a contaminated river in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Thursday.
A large number of ancient authentic documents prove that, before Japan stole the Diaoyu Islands by taking advantage of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, China had discovered, got to know and actually utilized these islands at least more than 500 years earlier than Japan.
