Yi shi wei liao ( let food be madicine)

Have you ever noticed that most Chinese reataurants,(especially the good ones) are packed with Chinese families most days of the week and especially during the weekends. I am referring to the restaurants in the Capital cities of Australia. Try having Yam Cha on any weekend the queue is usually that long your waiting time is always more than an hour. That is because the Chinese love their food. The Westerners eat to live, whereas the Chinese live to eat. Despite that fact very few chinese are obese. Not many of them are fat fat, (know what I mean?). Very few have lobes of flesh hanging on all sides with buttocks that look like elephants' rumps.
Indeed the Chinese are obsessed with food. When a Chinese meets another kinsman he does not say "How are you?" He usually inquires, " Have you had anything to eat?"
The enjoyment of cuisine is also considered an art as well as a measure of culture. Like the French the Chinese are very serious about their cuisine. As far as cooking is concerned the French have done the most with the most whereas the Chinese have done the most with the least. Most Chinese will agree with the French gastronome, Brillat-Savarin,that "the discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a new star"
Fancy having chicken feet in plum sauce or birds' nest soup or veges fried in shrimp paste? Yamee!!
Throughout history the Chinese have suffered from severe famines that they have learnt to turn everything edible into items for consumption.
The Chinese see food as something important for the maintenance of good health and many view that food and medicine should not be perceived as seperate. Eating a healthy diet is our first line of defence against disease and is a potent form of preventative medicine.
In the west,foods are classified chemically into fat, proteins and carbohydrates or fattening or non fattening.
Whereas the Chinese have two classes of food -- hot or cool.
'Hot foods' can be beneficial or harmful depending on the consumers' condition at any one time. Good 'hot foods' improves the digestion and stimulates metabolism. Bad 'hot food' worsens infections and fevers. Examples of hot food, ginger, chillies,
pepers, garlic, chestnuts,and beef.
'Cool foods' can also be good or bad at different times. 'Cool food' is cleansing and soothing.It relieves fevers. Excessive cool food causes runny nose, diarrhea, etc. Examples of 'cool food' are cucumbers, lettuce,and most fruits.
I don't think i need go into detail about the Chinese version of food chemistry. You still have to have a well balanced combination of hot and cool food to stay healthy and strong.
Avoid overeating especially meat.
Longevity comes with good food and hard work.
Enjoy your food but don't overeat.