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China Elevator Stories

“You should eat animal fat”

I chat with the owner of a small dumpling restaurant in Dalian.

08/12/2014

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Ruth Silbermayr

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In November 2014, my husband and I spent a week in Dalian with our baby. Every morning, we visited a small dumpling restaurant for breakfast. The menu featured a variety of dumplings, congee, tea eggs, and pickled vegetables. I usually opted for the vegetarian dishes.

Chinese breakfast illustration - Ruth Silbermayr

One day, the shop owner asked, “Do you feed your baby milk formula or breast milk?”
I replied, “He drinks breast milk.”
She then said, “You should eat animal fat. Your milk supply won’t be enough if you don’t.”

Has anyone ever told you that you should eat meat?

This is part of the series ‘Conversations with Locals in China,’ where I share conversations with Chinese people on my blog.

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