Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston: kitchen, phone, work)

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

This is a major thing. I think it’s important to note where this originated, how it happened, how it spread and take measures to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Obviously China has had issues with overcrowding for a while but they need to take a look at their habits right down to what the eat and their hygiene practices. This isn’t the first virus that started there.

In as much as I lament it, I know for a fact that the Chinese will never adhere to kosher rules or anything like that. They have been doing this for centuries and I don't see them getting rid of that part of culture ever. The government may try to crack down just as Shenzhen in Southern China is banning the consumption of dog meat but somebody is still going to try doing it illegally. Eating exotic meats is a luxury affair and often only the wealthy can afford to do it. The matter is, back in 1820, very few foreigners visited China and Chinese were able to practice their customs without the rest of the world knowing about them. Well we're in 2020 now, not 1820, and many more foreigners including Americans have visited China and vice versa. Yes, that's right, I am sure there have been Americans and other Westerners who have sampled exotic dishes out there in the Orient and not a few have documented their experiences on Travel Channel, Travel & Leisure, etc. If you thought that this is all new, well think again.

[Bettafish]

Originally Posted by massnative71

It's clearly a problem in China:


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23790806
Handwashing behaviour among Chinese adults: a cross-sectional study in five provinces.

It actually does not look bad compared to Italy etc.:
This study found that 52.7% (rural vs urban: 44.6% vs 56.8%) and 67.3% (rural vs urban: 59.7% vs 71.1%) of Chinese adults reported they always washed hands before eating and after defaecation, and 30.0% (rural vs urban: 25.1% vs 32.8%) of adults always used soap or other sanitizers during washing.

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by massnative71

It's clearly a problem in China:


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23790806
Handwashing behaviour among Chinese adults: a cross-sectional study in five provinces.

Not to defend their actions but many Chinese esp. in the rural areas still adhere to practices dating back to the days without running water, which was not too long ago for much of China. That and soap was hard to come by until recently. Notice in the study more urban Chinese wash hands than rural Chinese. Years ago when I went studying abroad in Hong Kong, my own pediatrician warned me not to eat anything raw like salads when in Mainland China. He told me he personally got sick only from eating Western food while out there because of all the raw ingredients that go into Western food. At least in my family's home province of Guangdong (Canton), everything is thoroughly cooked and water boiled before drunken (many people drink a lot of weak green tea with their meals). There are reasons for such protocols and some are that you cannot trust food handlers to have been thoroughly hygenic when preparing food. Many Chinese also like purchasing food at open air markets similar to the Italian market at Haymarket Square. Such open markets are everywhere in China and they are never the cleanest places.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by Bettafish

It actually does not look bad compared to Italy etc.:
This study found that 52.7% (rural vs urban: 44.6% vs 56.8%) and 67.3% (rural vs urban: 59.7% vs 71.1%) of Chinese adults reported they always washed hands before eating and after defaecation, and 30.0% (rural vs urban: 25.1% vs 32.8%) of adults always used soap or other sanitizers during washing.

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

Not to defend their actions but many Chinese esp. in the rural areas still adhere to practices dating back to the days without running water, which was not too long ago for much of China. That and soap was hard to come by until recently. Notice in the study more urban Chinese wash hands than rural Chinese. Years ago when I went studying abroad in Hong Kong, my own pediatrician warned me not to eat anything raw like salads when in Mainland China. He told me he personally got sick only from eating Western food while out there because of all the raw ingredients that go into Western food. At least in my family's home province of Guangdong (Canton), everything is thoroughly cooked and water boiled before drunken (many people drink a lot of weak green tea with their meals). There are reasons for such protocols and some are that you cannot trust food handlers to have been thoroughly hygenic when preparing food. Many Chinese also like purchasing food at open air markets similar to the Italian market at Haymarket Square. Such open markets are everywhere in China and they are never the cleanest places.

Why is the soap/sanitizer usage so low, even in urban areas? Is/was it really that limited in availability? If 60% of the population washes and only 30% of those people use soap, that means only 18% of the population washes hands WITH soap before eating and after defecation. I never said Italy is doing well with that stuff either, but come on that is scary stuff.

[massnative71]

So our beloved Charles Baker decided gun dealers aren't essential, while keeping the booze stores open??? Nice...



https://www.thetrace.org/2020/03/cor...res-state-map/


"A number of states, including Connecticut, Illinois, and West Virginia, have deemed gun sellers as “essential” businesses, granting them explicit permission to remain open. Others, like New York and New Mexico, have ordered them closed."

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Why is the soap/sanitizer usage so low, even in urban areas? Is/was it really that limited in availability? If 60% of the population washes and only 30% of those people use soap, that means only 18% of the population washes hands WITH soap before eating and after defecation. I never said Italy is doing well with that stuff either, but come on that is scary stuff.

Not every restroom is equipped with soap or sanitizer. Quite often you have to bring your own sanitizing wipes just like you have to bring your own disposable serviettes in the event there is no toilet paper provided, which is often (fear not, those serviettes are dirt cheap and readily available everywhere but you still have to be prepared). Even Fodors and Frommers have documented this and I'm sure it's not just China but Thailand, Vietnam, the Phillipines, and other places in the Orient as well.



Keep in mind not to think like an American when you are out there. China has well over a billion people and its cities are teeming with millions. Small establishments would have to spend a fortune just to keep up toiletries and there might not even be enough to go around. There has to be a better form of control than just all out usage as we see here in North America. One of the first things I learned when I arrived over that part of the world as a young college student was that nothing was for free, especially in fast paced cities like Hong Kong and Guangzhou. You pay for pretty much everything, even at McDonalds you are given one napkin with your meal and if you need another, you have to pay for it.


Speaking about coronaviruses, I wouldn't be surprised if places in China suffered from such maladies in the past but because there was hardly any place to place interaction, a total village could have been wiped out and the rest of the Kingdom and world would not have known about it. That is of course not the case nowadays.

[cb2008]

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

In as much as I lament it, I know for a fact that the Chinese will never adhere to kosher rules or anything like that. They have been doing this for centuries and I don't see them getting rid of that part of culture ever. The government may try to crack down just as Shenzhen in Southern China is banning the consumption of dog meat but somebody is still going to try doing it illegally. Eating exotic meats is a luxury affair and often only the wealthy can afford to do it. The matter is, back in 1820, very few foreigners visited China and Chinese were able to practice their customs without the rest of the world knowing about them. Well we're in 2020 now, not 1820, and many more foreigners including Americans have visited China and vice versa. Yes, that's right, I am sure there have been Americans and other Westerners who have sampled exotic dishes out there in the Orient and not a few have documented their experiences on Travel Channel, Travel & Leisure, etc. If you thought that this is all new, well think again.

Their dietary habits might have developed as response to food scarcity and poverty. Nothing gets wasted, protein is protein. They dont have much dairy in their diet, one less source of protein.

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by cb2008

Their dietary habits might have developed as response to food scarcity and poverty. Nothing gets wasted, protein is protein. They dont have much dairy in their diet, one less source of protein.

You are right about nothing being wasted in China and you are right in that meat was scarce for the peasants and poor during much of China's history (which is why so many of my relatives over there tell me they eat whatever is provided on the table because it's good enough to have any food - being food picky is not a good habit in that culture). I am not sold on the exotic meat argument though. Snake meat, dog meat, cat meat, wild cat meat, etc. are still rare and pricey enough that I am sure individuals eat it just to show that they can afford it just like you would if you could wear a Burberry coat or carry around a Coach handbag. It denotes high class more than anything else. Ordinary families typically cannot afford such rare meats. I sure haven't tasted any exotic meats during my times over there (not that I would anyways, I don't care for such things.)

[Steephill2]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

Why are people so afraid to point fingers at China? Because people there aren’t white ?

You’ve mentioned this like a million times already. Now that you have assigned blame and probably feel better for doing so, what’s next? Does that help the thousands who are getting sick? I just dont know what that accomplishes. Why dont you write a nice letter to Mr. Xi telling him to compensate the world. Add a few pages of a list of the foods you think his country should eat as well and the types of soaps he should start manufacturing. Im sure he will make that his #1 priority.

Also for those people who says “Chinese” food, its like the same as saying “European” food. Boston Mike is the only one here who got it right saying Sichuan. For those who dont know, and apparently there are many, China is made up of many cultures, dialects, and yes, cuisines. If history played out differently, it could very well be 20 separate countries today.

[htfdcolt]

As someone of Asian descent, I am appalled by the amount of implicit culture bias I see in the last few posts here, with respect to hygiene habits. In my own and several Asian cultures, it is anathema to wear shoes inside one's own, let alone someone else's, home. So we leave our shoes outside the door by force of habit. It's been proven that shoes are a huge source of germs and infection. Does this make all Westerners unhygienic by virtue of my cultural prism?