Whilst travelling China, I couldn’t help but get the sense that the Chinese culture is ALIVE. They eat meat off the bone, they use natural elements to stay healthy, and they keep themselves moving…!!!

As an English person, some of this seems quite alien to me! I often prefer my meat pre-sliced and like it to be presented to me in a supermarket-ready package. I wouldn’t dream of chewing a piece of meat and then spitting the bone out. I would never eat ‘fiddly’ fruit in public, nor would I crunch on a prawn shell (and swallow it!) But, by avoiding all this, am I just being numb, and eating the ‘shiny’ food that isn’t necessarily that good for me?? We think chicken feet are gross, but they are actually very good for you, despite the ‘awkward eat’.

The Chinese are also so much more aware of their bodies and wellbeing too. They never drink cold water, believing that warm is better for the insides. They eat health-boosting foods and there are whole shops devoted to herbal remedies, some costing thousands of pounds. The slightest sniffle (which seldom occurs) and they wrap up warm and set about fighting off that illness. In the UK, we would just carry on whining until we collapse in front of daytime TV, and then pump ourselves with paracetamol.

Their awareness of the body and keeping it supple runs through all ages too. It’s quite a sight to see Chinese OAP’s doing numerous stretches in the local parks. In the UK, we would be ashamed to do this, our limit is a class of Zumba once a week with a good friend. The Chinese are so aware of how the body moves, in fact I think my recent masseur was appalled by my inflexibility, and set about changing that, moving my body in ways it had never known before. But, damn I felt better after! In the UK, we might have a slightly hard massage, but moan throughout…!

So, are we just numb? You may disagree. Leave a comment, I’d love to hear your thoughts!