I’ve been teaching political cartoons in my Media class here in China. I gave the students the task of creating a political cartoon of their own. As an example I did the above as a quickie example on the blackboard. It got a laugh and students said that they were very aware of the the recent rat meat food scandal. They were grossed out by it, but it’s hard to keep up with the food scandals here and even harder to still get shocked by them. To me, this was one of the lighter ones (I don’t really eat lamb, and honestly how is processed rat meat much different than most “meat” these days). 

Though it seems this one has grown legs, and possibly a long gross tail, in the international media, and predictably seems to get the typical head shaking and tut tutting from the average Western commentator. I am not surprised. They are from countries with, comparatively, hyper sanitized food systems, producing “food products” that are neatly packaged and unrecognizable as something that came from farm or field. They live in countries with strict health codes and a fairly vigilant inspection systems. To them this must seem like a horror show. 

Yet, I can’t help but wonder, who is really being poisoned the fastest and most effectively by their food system? How many of these tut tutters are obese? How many of them have major problems with cholesterol and high blood pressure? How many of them are equally as fit as their parents were at the same age? How many of them don’t even know how they got that way? They just eat normally like everyone else. They don’t over indulge in the classic junk food. They don’t feel that they are doing the wrong things, yet here they are, unhealthy and overweight.

I know how it is, because that’s how I felt before I moved to China. When in America, I didn’t go crazy eating snacks, didn’t drink too much alcohol (couldn’t afford it), I ate a lot vegetables and didn’t ever eat at fast food restaurants. Yet, I was still overweight by 15 to 20 pounds and didn’t have the energy or the stamina that a young guy should. What was wrong with my eating habits or food choices? I didn’t know because it seemed I was doing what most other moderate eaters did. But, in hindsight, most of them were not in very good shape either. 

Flash forward four years. I’ve been living in China, teaching English, not doing any special exercising, other than some light weight lifting, and I am easily in the best shape of my life. More importantly, I feel healthy and strong in ways I could never have imagined before. I can walk from one end of my city to the other without even noticing the distance (it’s not too small either). I look around me and see that most other people are in pretty good shape too. Especially the elderly who eat what they’ve always eaten. 

Here we are, eating at some little shithole restaurant with the classic dirty walls and chef with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and we all  seem to be pretty healthy. I do see more obese people here these days though. I do see kids and young people who look much too unhealthy for their age, and puff going up the stairs. But, honestly, I don’t eat with them that much, because they are mostly eating at the “clean” fast food restaurants and dull chains that are popping up everywhere. I hate those places, the food tastes terrible, and if you are eating terrible tasting food in China you are doing something seriously wrong. You can’t throw a bird-flu infested chicken without hitting a great place to eat in most parts of this country. Sure, it’s likely the place will look like hell, and the meat might not be what you think it is, but it is damned delicious, and if you eat there instead of KFC I’m going to bet you will live much longer too. 

So, I don’t get too worked up about the latest food scandals. Sure I’m being poisoned by the food in some way or another, but is it really any more than I was being poisoned four years ago? I’m going by my gut here and saying,”hell no.” Plus, I’m happier now, with all aspects of my food and physical life, and I’m definitely willing to eat a little rat to get that. 

Illustration and writing by Ryan (Wuwei) Wilson