Drinking Cold Drinks

[Entropy_Rising]

Han and Uyghurs a like can't help but question my preference of drinking cold drinks with all meals, now that the weather has started to get cold. I always tell them it's a culture thing. But recently a friend informed me that the overwhelming preference for hot drinks in both Sinic and Muslim cultures probably has a scientific basis, one of those allegedly being drinking cold drinks with your meals will cause the fat in your foods to congeal and coat your gastrointestinal systems for less-efficient and slightly more uncomfortable digesting. I also "guessed" that heating drinks has the advantage of killing microbes in the liquid - well, that of course is a fact, my guess being that's one of the reasons why the practice is so widespread. Is anyone more familiar with the origins of this little cultural difference? I'm not sure how valid these types of arguments are.

[Senzhi]

in a nation which relies mainly on a diet consisting of meat.

This might be rather regional than national. I have been on a diet of little meat since I arrived in China. I regularly need to go hunting for western food to keep my weight. Seafood on the contrary, is popular here.

And of course hot water and tea too.

[roddy]

Not exactly the same thing, but similar, on Snopes. I've also noted that all those Chinese people advising you to drink tea suddenly forget about their digestion when there's a chilled bottle of beer to go with dinner . . .

[Senzhi]

I've also noted that all those Chinese people advising you to drink tea suddenly forget about their digestion when there's a chilled bottle of beer to go with dinner . . .

Not only in China ...

Mea culpa.

[heifeng]

a chilled bottle of beer to go with dinner

What! chilled beer? that's strange, everyone I know (in China) is all about the room temperature beer:mrgreen:

[Outofin]

Hehe, reminds me some theory from 红楼梦.

那李嬷嬷听如此说，只得和众人去吃些酒水。这里宝玉又说："不必温暖了， 我只爱吃冷的。"薛姨妈忙道："这可使不得，吃了冷酒，写字手打р儿。"宝钗笑道： "宝兄弟，亏你每日家杂学旁收的，难道就不知道酒性最热，若热吃下去，发散的就快，若冷吃下去，便凝结在内，以五脏去暖他，岂不受害？从此还不快不要吃那冷的了。"宝玉听这话有情理，便放下冷酒，命人暖来方饮。

[maximinus]

Same for me in Harbin. The girlfriend is amazed that I can drink something cold whilst eating something hot.

But then she always insists I have a cold beer with my meal when we go out

[zhwj]

On the other hand, mainland media reported last week that scientists in Taiwan have made a shocking discovery: if you eat hot foods, you may burn yourself!

[roddy]

It's a minefield out there. Best thing to do is have a nice safe glass of milk.

[imron]

Best thing to do is have a nice safe glass of milk.

It's times like this when I really don't know whether to laugh or cry.

[Lugubert]

On the other hand, mainland media reported last week that scientists in Taiwan have made a shocking discovery: if you eat hot foods, you may burn yourself!

And hot coffee might be hot...

... safe glass of milk ...

Not so safe, if you're deficient in the enzymes required for handling milk carbohydrates. All milk preparations and containers in the US should display the warning "If you lack certain enzymes, ingesting milk products may cause diarrhoea". The rest of the world is more used to thinking critically on their own.

On meal drinking habits: I like sufficiently chilled beer with every meal (except most breakfasts). But already as close from Sweden as the Netherlands, the family where I one summer lived had no liquids during meals but as a kinky exception kindly offered me ... a glass of water at meals.

[imron]

Not so safe, if you're deficient in the enzymes required for handling milk carbohydrates.

Or if you happen to be living in China at the moment.

[zozzen]

the beer thing is really strange. Most restaurants don't offer chilled beer. Even in a bar chilled beer is rare too. In Hong Kong they call them "hot piss" and hong kong actors rely a lot on "hot piss" if they need to perform vomiting on a camera, but i also get used to "hot piss" and room temperature coca cola now.

[WHS Editor]

The Chinese philosophy of drinking warm drinks is correct in many ways. That being said as a westerner we are used to cold drinks, especially beer.

Too much cold drinks in the system is unhealthy, additionally even in summer it is advisable to drink some warm beverages. Basically it comes down to the energy it takes the body to make the cold beverage to be at our same body temperate. If the drink is very cold it takes energy away from our central nervous system, which could be used for other body functional purposes. The other reason is too keep the "chi" (Chinese philosophy of health and energy) in tact. Our stomach is where the "Chi" energy is stored, if we consume cold liquids too often, the "Chi" energy will be weakened.

Drew

[liuzhou]

Too much cold drinks in the system is unhealthy

In what way?