Why Taiwanese Women Don’t Get Fat

Posted in Food Behavior on April 12th, 2007 by mei| | .

Says who?

Granted most Asians are generally of a smaller build than many Westerners, it does not mean that they aren’t getting bigger and bigger and bigger… In fact I’m pretty agast at now fast obesity is on the rise. The Chinese/Taiwanese are supposedly getting themselves into a (undesirable) dietary position that Americans got themselves into in half the time. Thing is they are getting fat so fast they don’t even recognize it yet, thus, they are still eating with impunity. Portion sizes are getting bigger and refined carbs are available cheaply everwhere. Combine this with the culture where late night snacking is common and eating fast gives people a longer naptime during lunch break, I’d say this is red alert for the bankrupt folks at the National Health Insurance Bureau.

Yes, there are those who have become super health conscious as well. LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) seems to be on many people’s lips but I can’t help but wonder about the number of people who are actually getting fatter than not.

Anyhow, this post is not about the transgressions of a healthy Taiwanese diet and lifestyle but more about the hows and whys Taiwanese ladies (make that Thai-wanese, if you count yours truly) are traditionally able to keep so nice and svelte. My version of the oft-referenced “French Women Don’t Get Fat” book and Maki’s “Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat” post, if you may.

At a hundred pounds nothing (fifty kilos for you non-US folks), less than a US size zero (between a 32 and 34 for you 北歐老外 and for those here locally, my nightmarket-procured clothes says I’m an “Asian Size” - whatever that means） I consider myself somewhat of an authority figure on the subject matter. Now where’s my ego-inflating drum roll?　

Like the Japanese, as Maki describes, the Taiwanese has a saying that one should only eat till she is 80% full （吃到八分飽）. Meals, especially dinners, are family affairs (ever watch Ang Lee’s Eat Drink Man Woman?) where food is to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace - a habit conducive to concientious eating. Dinner only happens when all my family members were present and we NEVER ate in front of the TV.

We also always have at least one leafy green veggie dish on the table. Usually, there’d be a well balanced smorgasboard - soup, meat/poultry/lean protien, vegetables, grain… Never too much of any one thing. And there’s ALWAYS fruit after meals. I almost never had desserts (but when we buy something sweet there’s no guilt involved :>). Fruit was dessert. Dinner was usually at 6pm, never much later and we would never snack after that. Moreover, after meals my family would usually have our daily constitutional to help digestion.

Yours truly also didn’t grow up with a lot of fattening dairy. Not that I don’t like it. (I discovered dairy in college where I put on my fair share of the “Freshmen Fifteen.” My parents didn’t recognize me at the airport when I went home the first time! Lost it all when I moved off campus and started cooking for myself… but anyways…).

Chinese cuisine (well, that’s a vague rubric) is inherently wholesome but times are a-changing. Fast fatty food is fare. That notwithstanding, many Taiwanese women who pig out on helluva nouveau greasy chows are still skinny. I call this a vestige of the-asian-starvation-gene-hence-high-metabolism phenomenon (only a few decades ago did most people started having enough to eat).

And then there are those who don’t pig out, lest they do get fat. There is a lot of societal pressure for women to stay thin here in this conformist culture. I can’t tell you what the average clothing size is here (the nightmarket standard of “Asian Size”?) but some of you laowais could probably attest to how small clothing sizes are.

Last but not least, there’s my favorite neuroses factor. Guys, I’m sure you’d know if you dated a neurotic gal before. Brain power does burn a lot of calories. Hey, I’m sure she’s sexy, smart and soulful but sometimes you can’t have it all. My ex-bf called me a terrorist, m’kay.

So there’s my 2nt dollars on the subject matter. I should sign off now. Afterall, my midnight snack is waiting for me, you know.

One Response to ' Why Taiwanese Women Don’t Get Fat '

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  1. clare said,

    on April 14th, 2007 at 1:28 am

    hi! am friend of gene’s and a real foodie. i totally love you blog!! my chinese “name” is meishijia because when i lived in shanghai, all i wanted to talk about in my mandarin classes was food words. really appreciate your writing and perspective (and pics!!)

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