Not in America.......

As much as I have enjoyed living in Shanghai, there are many things that are a far cry from living in the states.

There are very few instances in my life that I have worried about what was in my food. The only time I would think about the safety of what I ate, is if it had been out of the refrigerator for too long, or if the safety "pop-top" was compromised in transit. Yet, in Shanghai, I have to worry about whether the milk my children drink may be contaminated with melamine. Whether the chickens that our meat and eggs come from, were fed with melamine-tainted feed. 

I like to think of myself as a person who does not get caught up in a lot of media hype. I knew when we moved here, that we would not always know what was in our food. I thought, many Chinese people live a long life, and I should not be overly-sensitive or avoid Chinese food products. I was determined not to be one of the expats that buys only the imported brand, if it is available. I am still determined not to cave on this point, however, I do have children to think about.

There are many Chinese products that I really like. One of those products is a peanut butter that tastes better than any brand made in the US. It tastes like it has less sugar, and more peanuts. It is great on the Chinese mentou bread (a roll that is slightly doughy on the outside, and soft bread on the inside.) I don't want to give this up, it is part of our experience. Trying local fare is half the fun. Should I continue to enjoy this treat? I feel the bread is fresh, and should be okay to eat.... but wait, what could be in the flour they used? Now that I think about it, I was worried about the peanut butter because it is more "processed," but the "fresh" products have been a bigger concern as of late.

I am trying to compromise with myself. I have begun to buy imported granola bars for the kids snacks for school, and after school Yuan-Yuan cuts up fresh fruit and carrots. We have fresh, organic yogurt delivered to our home every week (this begun well before the dairy scare), and in December when we return home for the holidays, we will stock up on oatmeal to bring back for breakfasts (although, I can get this in the imported section here, it is very expensive.) We will continue to eat processed products made here, in moderation. I am debating purchasing our meat from one of the local organic farms. I feel fairly confident in the Nestle brand milk made in China, so we will continue to buy it, unless we hear otherwise. 

We will continue to enjoy our time and experiences in China, but we will miss, and appreciate, the safety's of home.