Since the study last month from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) that claimed Chinese food is packed with salt, fat and calories, some local Chinese restaurants have lost about 15% business.
Apparently, many health conscious people have been scared away from consuming Chinese food, at least for now. In response to this concern, four local Chinese restaurant owners want people to know that in their restaurants, a lot of options are available if they choose to eat healthy food.
Healthy Chinese Restaurants Abound
Seven Seas, a Chinese seafood restaurant in Rockville, Maryland, is famous for its on-site, live seafood, freshwater tanks. This unique offering has won the restaurant Washingtonian's most coveted "Restaurant Award" and favorable reviews from critics, including Zagat and most recently, the Washington Post.
The owners of Seven Seas, Corinna & Edward Shen, don't think the popular takeout food (e.g., General Tso's Chicken) is authentic Chinese food. Seven Seas recently celebrated its 20th year of being in business. To coincide with their anniversary, the restaurant is promoting a healthy menu.
One offering, "Chicken with Chinese Yam & Wolfberry," is a chicken dish, which is lower in fat and salt and uses Chinese yam (a very popular herb that is believed to be good for the spleen and treats weak digestion and fatigue) and wolfberry (an herb that enhances the immune system and contains antioxidant properties).
"Paper Hot Pot" is another dish on Seven Seas' menu. The pot is made of a very strong paper that can be placed on direct heat, and won't burn. But the best part is that the paper absorbs more oil from the food as you eat, and so this is great for people who want to watch their fat intake.
Mr. and Mrs. Shen point out the importance of making smart choices. Don't overeat one type of food, they advise. Most Chinese restaurants are very flexible about their ingredients, so you can ask for less fat and salt when ordering. At Seven Seas, customers are doing that all the time. The Shen's are encouraging healthy eating by providing a menu that is lower in calories and fat.
Some Chinese Restaurants Will Cook to Order
New Fortune Chinese Seafood Restaurant owner Mr. Quang Thai said their Cantonese-style food was originally low in salt and oil. He has run the restaurant for nine years and offers customers more than 140 different kinds of dishes, including their popular dim sum. He too emphasizes that his restaurant has always been open to preparing food per customer's request. He encourages customers to ask for low salt, low fat alternative ways for preparing food.
Mr. Thai states that Chinese food is always trying to offer a balance in either the way the dishes are prepared or how to serve the food. He states that's why Chinese restaurants will regularly offer plain rice instead of fried rice with dishes rich in meat, and serve hot tea after your meal to help wash away the salts and/or sugar just consumed.
Charlie Chiang owns nine Charlie Chiang's restaurant in Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland and has been in restaurant business for more than 31 years. Mr. Chiang thinks Chinese food can be very healthy if you eat right. He jokes that there are very few fat Chinese people around here. He stresses that his restaurant is always using the freshest ingredients, the finest seasoning and spice.
Charlie Chiang's has always offered vegetarian, low-sodium, and low oil menu per customer request. Instead of fried shrimp and dumplings, customers can request steamed shrimp and dumplings. Their vegetable dishes are cooked by pre-boiling the vegetable, then quick stir-frying with very little oil. His mother-in-law reduced her high blood pressure by mainly eating their vegetarian dishes.
Meiwah restaurant is the 2005 Washington Post winner for Best Takeout and Best Sushi. Meiwah's owner Larry La has been in the restaurant business for 19 years and has run Meiwah for nine years.
Mr. La stated that he has no objection to the CSPI study, but he does want to speak out on behalf of his Chinese restaurants located in Chevy Chase and Washington DC.
Ask for Healthy Chinese Food
Mr. La also emphasized that many Chinese restaurants like to offer customized menu by customer request. They will gladly cut the salt, oil and only use good oil such as vegetable oil for cooking. He mentioned that Meiwah serves brown rice upon request. He encourages people who have health concerns to try steamed food instead of deep fry, stir fry over deep fry, and request sauce on the side to use as needed rather than leaving it up to the chef 's choice.
After talking with these Chinese restaurants' owners, my conclusion is that everyone should be able to eat Chinese in a way that suits their health standards. So, even health conscious people can still enjoy Mother's Day and Father's Day dinner at Chinese restaurants as long as they speak up and make their wishes known to the chef.
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