Chinese food pros and cons

No dairy. Many people are lactose intolerant and now more and more research is revealing that dairy is not that good for you after all. Chinese cuisine has limited dairy, off the top of my head deep fried ice cream is the only dairy I remember seeing at a Chinese restaurant.

pro

Cheap. Chinese food is often cheap to order out and make at home. The ingredients aren’t expensive and the recipes are not labour intensive so this gets passed on to the consumer for a cheap dish.

pro

Liberal use of vegetables. There are not many dishes in Chinese cuisine that don’t come with vegetables. The Chinese are especially big on leafy greens like bok choy, spinach and cabbage. But you will also find often carrot, baby corn, onion and celery.

pro

Wide variety. Chinese cuisine makes use of numerous vegetables meats and grains. There are fried dishes, boiled dishes, and roast options like peking duck. With all the options there aren’t many people who can definitely say they don’t like Chinese food.

pro

Abundant options. The most common take out store you will find besides maybe pizza will be Chinese food. If you are in a strange area and feel like Chinese you will be lucky enough to find a store.

pro

Easy to cook. If you want to prepare something at home quickly Chinese wont give you any headaches. The basic and common dishes are made of fried meat, stir fry rice and vegetables. Soy sauce is a basic addition as well if you aren’t looking for the more complicated sauces.

pro

MSG. MSG is a flavour enhancer commonly found in Chinese food. MSG has long been linked to causing symptoms such as headache, dizziness, flushing, sweating, nausea and shaking. Some people may be sensitive to this ingredient and should avoid it entirely.

con

Most dishes are oily. A lot of the dishes come with deep fried or pan-fried meat. If you order something you have not had before there is a good chance it will be oily.

con