China Food Scare: A Dash of Racism

July 25, 2007 — -- As a recent late afternoon transformed into early evening, the staff at Manhattan's China 1 Antique Lounge restaurant prepared for its 6 p.m. opening. Red, silk-covered lanterns adorned the ceilings of this empty restaurant, which fuses Chinese and American cuisines.

To give it an authentic appearance, the decor was meticulously selected from an area of China called Ningbo.

But the large aquatic tank with Chinese fish, intricate woodwork and sheer drapes covering the hidden nooks may not soothe patrons' fears after recent Chinese food scares.

Owner Andrew Krauss said the business doesn't use Chinese food imports, and he hopes that consumers will distinguish between Asian-American restaurants and those that might serve tainted food imported from China.

Krauss said there should be absolutely nothing to fear, but he conceded that factors like the food tainted in China have the potential to affect certain small businesses.

For decades, stereotypes of uncleanliness have accompanied not only Chinese food in America but Asian edibles in general.

The recent reports of imported tainted pet food, toothpaste and, more recently, seafood have brought Chinese products to the forefront of the news. These scares about food imported from China might have unintentionally reinforced some people's fears about Asian food.

There's even a name for these fears -- Chinese restaurant syndrome -- according to medlineplus.gov, a Web site run by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, which defines the syndrome as "collection of symptoms that some people experience after eating Chinese food. A food additive called monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been implicated, but it has not been proved to be the substance that causes this condition."

Symptoms can include headaches, flushing, sweating, a sense of facial pressure, of swelling, chest pain and numbness or burning around the mouth.

Despite providing more than one-third of the food imported into the United States, including half of its garlic, 40 percent of its apple juice and 80 percent of its vitamin C, China has a reputation as a food exporter that remains at least partially soiled.