NICE OR NASTY Food Choice, Food Law and Health in South East Asia i NICE OR NASTY Food Choice, Food Law and Health in South East Asia John Candlish University of Malaysia Sarawak Chee-Hong Tan National University of Singapore Australia • Canada • Mexico • Singapore • iii Spain • United Kingdom • United States Nice or Nasty: Food Choice, Food Law and Health in South East Asia by John Candlish and Chee-Hong Tan Copyright © 2003 by Cengage Learning, a division of Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd Cengage Learning™ is a trademark used herein under licence In respect of the rather charming ‘period’ illustrations which originally appeared in Peoples of All Nations, (Hammerton, N, Editor) Amalgamated Press, London, published about 1920, the authors have strenuously attempted to trace any residual owner of copyright, without success They profoundly apologise if their efforts were inadequate For more information, contact Cengage Learning (a division of Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd), Shenton Way, #01-01 UIC Building, Singapore 068808 Or you can visit our Internet site at http://www.cengagelearningasia.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, web distribution or information storage and retrieval systems – without the written permission of the publisher For permission to use material from this text or product, contact us by Tel: (65) 6410 1200 Fax: (65) 6410 1208 Email: info@cengagelearning 6OFAIAJ >O Stallion Press Printed in Singapore SLP 05 04 03 02 ISBN 981-243-388-0 iv Acknowledgement We are grateful to the China Medical Board of New York for a grant in partial support of this work v This book is dedicated to the nameless millions who toil over woks in the streets of South East Asia, providing nutritious meals for the poor vi If you steal from one other it’s plagiarism If you steal from many it’s research – Wilson Minzer (1873–1933) Food comes first, then morals – Berthold Brecht (1898–1947) The public buys its opinions as it buys its meat, or takes in its milk, on the principle that it is cheaper to this than keep a cow So it is, but the milk is more likely to be watered – Samuel Butler (1835–1902) No one owns life, but anyone who can pick up a frying pan owns death – William Burroughs (1914–1997) vii Some Abbreviations Used ADI AIA ASEAN BINAS CBD CAD CITES DDT EED EFA EU FAO FDA GMC GMF GMO GRAS HRT JECFA LMO MRL NGO NOAEL OECD PCB PIC UNDO UNEP WHO Acceptable daily intake Advance informed agreement Association of South East Asian Nations Biosafety Information Network and Advisory Service Convention on Biological Diversity Coronary artery disease Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Dichlorophenyltrichloroethane Environmental Endocrine Disrupter Essential fatty acid European Union Food and Agricultural Organisation Food and Drug Administration Genetically modified crop Genetically modified food Genetically modified organism Generally regarded as safe Hormone replacement therapy Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives Living modified organism Minimum residue limit Non-government organisation No observed adverse effect level Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Polychlorinated biphenyls Prior informed consent United Nations Development Organisation United Nations Environmental Programme World Health Organisation ix Contents Preface xiii Patterns of Food Avoidance and Selection Some language – Avoidance of specific foods – Selection of specific foods – Some observations Nice or Nasty “Unusual” foods and the law – Insect eating – Cats and dogs – Rodents – Scorpions – Snakes – The Durian – Milk – Coconuts – Alcohol – Cannibalism – Some comparisons 17 Chinese Food Beliefs The Chinese cuisine – Hot and cold theories – Foods as medicines – Language symbolism – The case of raw fish – Aphrodisiac foods – The soya bean – Bird’s nest - White rice – Shark’s fin – Alcohol – Steamboat – Food for the dead – The pace of change 43 Malay Food Beliefs Kampung food – Spices and condiments – Hot and cold theories – Food and pregnancy – Jamu – Ulam xi 71 xii Contents Food Advertising Types of consumer – Slimming advertisements – Specific slimming products – Legal aspects – Coda Food and Medicine Names and claims – Interaction of health foods with medical cultures – The antioxidant imbroglio – Antidiabetic foods – Antihypertensives – Sports foods – The choice of fats – Some case studies – Summing up 103 Toxins in Food Invisible hazards – Food safety legislation in South East Asia – Adulterants – Additives – Pesticides and other contaminating residues – Mycotoxins – Heavy metals – Overfried and charred meats – Environmental Endocrine Disrupters (EED) – Micro-organisms – Naturally occurring toxicants – Risk assessment – The toxic tort – International law and food toxins – Round-up 137 Genetically Modified Foods in South East Asia Emerging issues – The problem of labels – Gleanings from the wider world – International efforts – Risk assessment 171 Trends Biological archetypes – After affluence – Natural and organic food – Street foods – The concept of healthy eating – Scientific uncertainty and the unease of the public – Summing up 195 Index 85 215 xii Trends 209 may assume that what applies to Finnish smokers may well equally apply to Russian, French, or even Thai smokers One has to use common sense But notwithstanding the circumspection of scientific reasoning, the public is resentful because the story for so many years was that these antioxidant vitamins are helpful in warding off cancers The public is particularly incensed when it is advised to choose between two alternatives and when that advice is subsequently contradicted Thus there can be a choice between butter and margarine, brown and white bread, sugar and saccharine There may also be a choice between a food and a supplement, for example, between a bottle of vitamin C tablets and a basket of fruit Intense disappointment in the efficacy of science greeted reports that margarine was not after all healthier than butter, because it contains a modicum of “trans” fatty acids The perception arises that scientists are not to be trusted One recalls the dictum of the 19th century British Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury: “No lesson seems to be so deeply inculcated by experience of life as that you should never trust experts If you believe doctors, nothing is wholesome; if you believe theologians, nothing is innocent If you believe soldiers, nothing is safe…” … to which one might add, “if you believe nutritionists, nothing is certain” But nutritionists, like all scientists, prefer to conceive of uncertainty in terms of quantifiable risk They also acknowledge that most decisions that must be made carry with them a certain amount of risk However, society apparently believes that zero risk must and can be achieved The situation is unlikely to change in the near future One of the doyens of nutritional science in Britain, Garrow, wrote in a legal journal that the whole problem of the misunderstanding of science arises because of the attitude of the media The newspapers want to get the news out first, he maintains, to make the health and nutrition stories simple, and to avoid neutrality on any issue.27 Ashby has pointed out that 27Garrow J S Medico-Legal Journal (1998) 31 210 Nice or Nasty “… the media, in general, have no interest in equivocal conclusions based on preliminary data They either ignore such reports, or transform them into firm indications of a problem”.28 Margaret Ashwell has produced an interesting table of the differences among scientists, journalists and consumers in their attitudes to nutritional information.29 Journalists and consumers are at one, unlike scientists, in their desire for “soft, emotional stuff”, “personalisation of data”, “looking at extremes (black and white)” and in their disdain for details, sitting on the fence, and taking due account of qualifiers and uncertainties A case of mediagenerated scare (in the UK) occurred in connection with phthalate esters in infant milk formulae A preliminary study in rats had shown that one of the phthalates caused a small decrease in sperm production and testis size The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food suggested that as a matter of principle the concentration of phthalates should be reduced as far as possible, but concluded that there was no evidence that the existing concentrations were harmful However, the media reaction was that a problem did exist, and it demanded that the brands of formulae with the highest concentrations be named so that they could be boycotted by consumers If all this is true, it will continue to make the explanation of nutritional science difficult One adverse factor, of course, is the universality of syndicated news items That is, what is sensational in North America or Europe, like the spurious reports about of the potential harm by vitamin C, is automatically sensational in South East Asia, at least among the sections of their populations which read newspapers There also seems to be little appreciation of the role of the control in decision-making The lack of a concept of the control is shown very clearly in those testimonials, reported mostly in glossy magazines, for dietary supplements and cosmetics Much hardearned money can be saved if people look for some evidence, 28Ashby J Nature 382 (1996) 109 29Ashwell M Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 50 (1991) 479 Trends 211 however slight, of a real difference between those who have taken, say, a vitamin capsule and those who have been given a capsule containing a substitute known to be inactive As Koshland put it: “When Pasteur was ready to test his anthrax vaccine, he infected both the previously immunised sheep and some non-immunised controls The fact the former lived and the latter died showed that he had made an effective vaccine Political and civil decisions are frequently made, however, with no attempt to obtain a control sample, which would help to determine the efficacy of a course of action I attended a school board meeting at which a new math program was proposed A board member suggested that the students be divided into two groups, one group to be taught by the new math and one by the old math, with some evaluation at the end of the year He was denounced by almost everyone at the meeting because one should not conduct ‘a lottery with the students’ lives’”.30 Summing up There is very little consensus Is the perception that saturated fat, like coconut oil, is a danger to health, in reality a folk belief as Taubes implies,31 or a well-established fact, as is the view of a distinguished epidemiologist like Kesteloot? (The latter compared heart disease incidence in the largely Chinese populations of Hong Kong and Singapore, and finding the rates different, with Singaporeans suffering more, can only ascribe this difference to dietary habits, like the greater consumption of coconut and palm oil in Singapore.32) Are antioxidants really essential to safeguard 30Koshland 31Taubes 32Zhang D E Science 230 (1985) 238 G Science 291 (2001) 2536 J and Kesteloot H European Journal of Epidemiology 17 (2001) 469 212 Nice or Nasty us from cancer, or are they a passing fad whipped up by those who have a vested interest in their promotion, either commercial or academic (and often both at the same time) Do environmental endocrine disrupters really exist, currently imperilling reproductive health, or they represent a scare whipped up by environmentalists? Are pesticide residues in foods really a risk to life and health, or in the category of phantom risk, in the opposite view? Are genetically modified foods a new source of toxins, or they merely represent a method of genetic manipulation not far removed from the traditional methods of husbandry? We fear that the resolutions to these dilemmas will be long in coming – the issues are too complex, the fears too entrenched, the commercial interests too pervasive Meanwhile, there is a new call for “public nutrition”, as practised by an applied health professional with “global attributes, prepared to be interactive, at the interface of the social, agricultural, food technologic, nutritional and health domains”.33 This is a move away from the individual patient to the wider society It is, however, demanding rather a lot from the nutritionist It may be lamented, indeed, that the most reputable nutritionists give the most boring advice, namely, to eat a good mixed diet and not waste money on supplements when (if you have the basic funds) normal foods are accessible in the shops, are of a wide variety, and are fun to cook (sometimes), and eat (usually) As we go to press, yet another study has demonstrated, at least to the satisfaction of those conducting it, that there is no apparent benefit in using vitamin supplements.34 The study was headed by none other than the Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at Oxford University, involved 20,500 volunteers, and lasted over five years in 59 locations One of the scientists involved is quoted as saying: “This study found that vitamins are a waste of money People would be far better off spending the money on fresh fruit and vegetables” One wonders whether the general public will listen 33Solomons N W American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 66 (1997) 1313 34MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study Collaborative Group Lancet 360 (2002) 23 Trends 213 Traditional food choice in old Vietnam Source: Peoples of All Nations, 1920 214 Nice or Nasty The residual belief in magic is still too ingrained in the minds of many As in all other fields, it is balance and moderation which should be paramount In yet another quotation from Pirie: “The foods that are now being eaten in many parts of the world vary greatly in nutritional value; some of them may be slightly poisonous Thus bananas and plantains contain so much serotonin that dependence on them for a main source of energy would be inadvisable; there is detectable aflatoxin in most packets of groundnuts so that some risk is associated with dependence on them; many of the common edible beans and green vegetables contain harmful substances; and most of the proteins eaten in developing countries not have such a favourable balance of amino acids as the protein in milk and eggs It is pity that these things should be so – but this is the present state of affairs When a mixed diet is eaten, the health hazards are probably negligible…”35 In other words, taking parts of the environment and putting them inside our bodies has always been a hazardous activity, and will remain so Of course we all take the risk We have to But we must maximise choice, through our own education, by mandating responsible agriculture and food processing, and above all, by eliminating poverty from our midst 35See note 3, p 196 Index Almonds 49 Ambrosiophagy 12, 78 Amino acids 27, 31, 57, 63, 93, 97, 104, 106, 123, 214 Amylvalerianate 126 Anaemia 110, 155, 206 Anchovies 32, 65, 74, 119 Androgens 149 Angels on horseback 53 Anorexia xiii, 196 Anthropologists 39 Antioxidants 106, 111, 112, 120, 134, 211 Aphrodisiacs 15, 54 Arens, W 37 Arginine 97 Arowana 12 Arristipism 11 Arthritis xiv, 16, 87, 122, 123 Artisans 85, 100 Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre xv Asparagus 50 Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) xv Atherosclerosis xiv, 49, 56, 197 A Abortifacients 78 Acacophagia Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) 160 Accidents 87, 159 Acetaldehyde 65 Acetyl CoA 91 Acyonophagia 8, 23 Additives ix, xii, 69, 105, 125, 137, 140, 141, 159, 174 Adenine 120 Adipose tissue 95, 115 Adulterants xii, 139 Advance Informed Agreement (AIA) 182 Advertising xii, 57, 85, 86, 87, 89, 92, 98, 100, 121 Aflatoxins 143, 144 Agent Orange 149 Agriculturalists 85, 155 Agrogen 181 Alcohol xi, xiii, 4, 8, 13, 29, 35, 36, 54, 64, 65, 71, 95, 130, 157, 192, 198, 199 Aldehyde dehydrogenase 65 Algae 186 215 216 Nice or Nasty Athletes Australia 183 15, 87, 117 39, 44, 150, 156, 177, 182, B Bachelor scurvy 132 Baker, Josephine 128 Bamako Convention 164, 166 Bandung 140 Bardot, B 23 Basel Convention 163, 164, 165, 166 Bataks 38 Bear paws 55 Beetles 21 Belacan 73, 74, 126, 140 Benedictine 64 Benzoic acid 141 Beriberi 36, 61, 62, 110, 206 Beverley Hills diet 12 Bilimbi 115 Biosafety Information Network and Advisory Service (BINAS) 138 Bird’s nest xi, 56, 57, 148 Blood clotting 118 Borneo 9, 36, 56, 80, 84 Bovine spongiform encephalopathy 4, 38, 137, 190 Brandy 64 Brazil 57 Breast cancer 132, 133 Brunei xvi, 166, 199 Bubble tea 121 Buffaloes 31 Bullfrog 48 C Cadmium 107, 146 Caffeine 93, 101, 157 Cajnij 121 Calcium 31, 32, 33, 51, 55, 57, 82, 105, 107, 128 Cambodia 21, 38, 39, 166 Cancer 3, 49, 50, 105, 106, 113, 120, 122, 123, 124, 130, 131, 132, 133, 147, 148, 149, 161, 196, 200, 205, 207, 212 Cannibalism xi, 10, 21, 37, 38, 39 Capsaicin 101 Carboholic CARET trial 207 Carnitine 93, 94, 97 Carotenoids 112, 128, 129, 130, 131, 171 Carrot cake 205, 206 Carson, R 142 Cartagena Protocol 165, 185 Cassava 107, 174, 178 Catechins 120 Catfish 73 Cats xi, 7, 22, 23, 30, 44 Caviar 11, 16, 54, 198 Century eggs 145 Chalk 138 Champagne 6, 11, 53 Chan, M 11 Chang, Dr R 49, 50 Char siew 146 Cheese 13, 54, 55, 205, 206 Chicken essence 14, 107, 121, 122 Chin Peng 61 Chinese diet 20, 67, 132 Chinese restaurant syndrome 56, 65 Chitosan 90 Choa Choon Neoh v Spottiswoode 67 Cholera 129 Cholesterol xvi, 18, 34, 41, 49, 50, 90, 95, 105, 115, 118, 124, 128, 133, 134, 136, 156, 173, 197, 205, 206 Cholines 106 Chromium picolinate 93 Cinnamon 134, 159 Civet cat 18, 44 Index 217 Clinical trials 90, 94, 109, 116, 123 Cobra restaurants 26 Coconuts xi, 32, 33, 34, 129 Cod–liver oil 107 Codex Alimentarius 108, 138, 141, 184 Colborne, T 149 Cold food 77 Collagen 123 Colourants 105, 137 Columbus C 125 Conjugated linoleic acid 94 Consumers’ Association 100, 206 Control of Plants Act 153, 157 Copra 119 Copybara 25 Coriander 115, 153 Corn 55, 180, 181 Coronary artery disease ix, 34, 56, 105 Creatine phosphate 117 Crocodiles 19, 25 Curries 34, 69, 76, 114, 126 Curry puffs 206 Cyanide 32, 107, 142, 150, 174 Cytochrome P450 162 D Dayaks 37, 39 Denmark 199 Diabetes 51, 81, 87, 113, 114, 115, 116, 126 Diadzein 147 Diarrhoea 30, 109, 124 Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) 142 Dieldrin 148, 165 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act 104 Dim sum 206 Dinguan 205 Dioxins 149, 159, 162 Diverticular disease 87 DNA 16, 47, 111, 112, 120, 146, 172, 177, 180, 187, 207 Dogs xi, 7, 22, 23, 44 Douglas, Mary Drought xvi Ducks 51 Durians 29, 38, 71 Dynophagia 10 E Earth Summit 183 Ecchymoses 132 Eggs 75, 78, 80 Egypt 103 Eijkman, C 2, 61, 109 Elastadoin 63 Environmental endocrine disrupters (EEDs) 147 Environmental Pollution Control Act 152 Essential amino acids 27, 63 Essential fatty acids 94, 118 Ethiopia 13 Ethylene dibromide 143 European Union (EU) ix, 108, 175, 190 F Fa Cai 52 Factories Act 153 Famines 33 Fat xvi, 5, 20, 22, 23, 31, 34, 47, 61, 65, 77, 84, 88, 89, 90, 91, 93, 94, 95, 97, 101, 105, 115, 117, 118, 121, 128, 136, 154, 166, 173, 197, 205, 206, 211 Favism Fenugreek 115 Fermented milks 124 Fever 48, 61, 154 Fibre xvi, 5, 65, 90, 93, 105, 106, 128 218 Nice or Nasty Fish sauces 74 Fishing 9, 32, 63 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid 122 Flatulence 126 Flavonoids 112, 113, 120, 156 Flushing 4, 35, 36, 64, 65, 199 Flying fox 18 Folic acid 128 Folk wisdom 157 Food Act 108, 139, 141, 145, 152, 182 Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) xiv Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) 104 Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Act 175 Food gatherers 85 Food poisoning 154 Food regulations 108, 121, 139, 142, 144, 145, 146, 148, 152, 153, 160 4-hydroxynonenal 146 Frankfurters 53 French bread 13 Frogs 7, 17, 22, 41 Fructose 128 Fruitarian Fucus 95 Fugu 11 Fungus 44, 52, 56, 79, 82, 121, 143, 172 G Galactosaemia 128 Galactosides 32 Gall bladders 41 Gallstones 87 Gastronomy 23, 41, 44, 56, 60, 73, 74, 76 Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) 159, 187 Genetically Modified Crops (GMCs) ix, 172 Genetically Modified Foods (GMFs) xii, 171, 212 Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) 165, 188 Genistein 56, 147 Genotoxins 207 Ginger 26, 41, 47, 51, 79, 80, 82, 115, 124, 125 Gingerols 125 Ginseng 96, 115 Glossophagy 14 Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase 113, 156 Glycosides 32, 106, 107 Glycosuria 114 Gold 11, 12, 15, 53, 125, 147 Gout 16 Green vegetables 28, 50, 119, 131, 132, 171, 214 Greenpeace 178, 189 Grubs 196 Guanine 120 Gula Melaka 129 H Haggis 196 Hamburgers 53, 206 Heatiness 26, 45, 46, 50 Herbal teas 95, 96 Hernias 87 Herring 119 Hitler, A Honey 26, 80, 103, 133, 134, 146, 159 Hong Kong 19, 29, 44, 53, 101, 142, 211 Hormone replacement therapy ix, 132 Horn 14, 54, 55 Hungry Ghost Festival 67 Hwang Jang 168 Hydrocyanic acid 156 Index 219 Hydroxycitric acid 91 Hypercarotenaemia 129 Hyperglycaemia 91 Hyperphagia Hypertension 3, 49, 81, 87, 116, 119, 128 Hypertonicity 30 Hypoxanthine 120 I Ibans 36, 37, 80 Iconophagy 14 Ikan kembong 205 Illipe nut 84 Immunocompetence xiii Immunomodulators 124 Indigo 193 Indonesia xvi, xvii, 10, 31, 32, 36, 71, 73, 81, 85, 109, 131, 142, 165, 199 Infectious diseases xiii Inflammation 123 Insects 20, 21, 22, 126, 187 Insomnia 49, 50, 201 Interferon 50 International Court of Justice 165 International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements 200 International Rice Research Institute 178, 179 International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 18 Iodine 32, 57, 95, 96, 128 Isoflavones 132 Isoprenoids 106 J Jackfruit 77, 82 Jaggery 129 Jamu xi, 80, 81 Japan 11, 22, 36, 55, 90, 106, 107, 132, 145, 184 Java 38, 41, 59, 68, 115, 135 Java plum 115 Johnny Walker whisky 15, 26 Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) 141 K Kalimantan 39 Kenyahs Kuala Lumpur 18, 60, 67, 72, 76, 82, 203 Kuru 38 L Labels xii, 87, 89, 91, 93, 97, 105, 108, 119, 174, 175 Lactagogues 51 Lactic acid bacteria 106 Lactose 4, 30, 32, 33 Lamarckian theory 72 Landsdowne, Marquis of 192 Laos 18, 77, 84 Lead 56, 63, 109, 137, 145 Legislation xii, 18, 98, 105, 107, 138, 139, 150, 153, 163, 164, 175, 181, 182 Lemak 126 Lentinan 123 Leptospirosis 25 Levi–Strauss, C 1, 2, 16 Linamarin 107, 156 Linzhir 49, 50 Lipophobia Lipoproteins 95 Lipotropic agents 94 Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) 172 Logophagy 14, 52, 53 Low density lipoprotein 95, 120, 133 Lysine 93, 94 220 Nice or Nasty M Mackerel 119, 205 Macular degeneration 111 Mahathir, Dr M 72 Malaysia iii, xv, xvi, xvii, 13, 26, 27, 31, 32, 36, 53, 60, 67, 71, 72, 73, 75, 77, 78, 85, 100, 108, 181, 199, 203, 205 Mangoes 129 Mannose 186 Margarine 142, 160, 209 Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) 160 Medicines Act 98, 99, 182 Mercury 145 Methionine 63, 93, 94, 95 Miami Group 182, 183, 184 Mien chin 174 Milk vii, xi, xiv, 4, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 51, 55, 60, 72, 109, 118, 128, 138, 140, 144, 150, 175, 210, 214 Millet 178 Minerals 74, 80, 82 Miranda, Carmen 128 Monosodium glutamate 45, 56 Monsanto 179, 180, 181, 188 Morphophagy 14, 54 Mushrooms 50, 54, 123, 157 Mutton 47, 48, 77, 198 Mycotoxins xii, 143, 144 N n–3 fatty acids xiii, 119 Naphthalenes 142 National Institutes of Health (NIH) 136 Neophilism Neophobism Neutrophils 122 New Guinea 38 New Zealand 177, 182 Newspapers xvi, 16, 20, 29, 66, 88, 168, 209, 210 Nicotinamide 128 Nipah virus 173 Nitrous acid 120 Nonyah kueh kueh 206 No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) 160 Novartis 180, 186 Nutriceuticals 14, 41, 103, 104, 105, 112, 116, 119, 133, 134, 136 O Obesity 3, 49, 87, 88, 89, 90, 93, 94, 95, 99, 101, 115 Odds 189, 190 Oestrogens 132, 133, 147, 148, 149 Oil palm 36, 119 Optimal foraging theory 21 Organic food xii, 199 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 164 Osteoporosis xiv, 105, 133 P Palak paneer 205 Palytoxin 156 Pangolin 18, 19 Pantothenic acid 97 Papayas 77, 129, 171 Paraquat 193 Parathion 142 Paru lembu goreng 205 Pastoralists 85 Patents Act 182 Pellagra 110, 206 Penal codes 139 People v Collins 189 Pepper 38, 41, 74, 76, 80, 125, 160 Peptides 74, 97, 106, 196 Index 221 Peristalsis 125 Peroxyl radicals 130 Pesticides xii, 141, 142, 148, 152, 153, 159, 160, 187, 200 Petai beans 75, 116 Peyer’s patches 124 Phallophagy 14 Pharmafoods 14, 103, 106 Phatic exchanges 15 Phenylalanine 110, 125 Phenylketonuria 110 Phospholipids 95, 106 Phthalates 210 Phytohaemagglutinins 155 Phytooestrogens 132, 133, 147 Pigs 31, 54, 71 Plankton 73 Plasmodium species 113 Plutophagy 11, 26 Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) ix Polyunsaturated fatty acids 107 Pomelo 52, 53 Pork 8, 9, 41, 44, 45, 48, 51, 71, 146, 173, 198, 199 Potassium 3, 116, 128, 129 Potatoes xv, 60, 115, 129, 180 Prawn mee 205 Pregnancy xi, 5, 51, 78, 109 Premature babies 113 Prions 168, 173 Prior informed consent (PIC) 163 Probiotics 124 Protein 2, 5, 20, 22, 27, 31, 32, 38, 47, 48, 49, 51, 54, 55, 57, 60, 61, 63, 68, 73, 77, 80, 82, 109, 110, 117, 133, 138, 144, 172, 173, 174, 176, 177, 186, 198, 199, 204, 214 Public nutrition 212 Pulo Run 125 Purine bases 16 Pyramid schemes 88 R Raffles, Sir S 38 Rapeseed 192, 193 Raspberries 115 Rats 22, 25, 94, 95, 115, 116, 118, 122, 134, 188, 210 Raw fish xi, 53, 58, 205 Reactive oxygen species 47, 111, 130 Reagan, R 12 Red ants 126 Red blood cell 113 Red books 18 Refugees xvii Rendang 204 Retinoids 106, 129, 130, 171 Rhino horn 14, 54, 55 Rhodamine B 140 Rice xi, xv, xvii, 2, 22, 36, 41, 45, 47, 51, 59, 60, 61, 62, 67, 69, 71, 73, 78, 82, 106, 107, 112, 114, 120, 139, 156, 159, 172, 178, 179, 180, 198, 199 Rickets 110, 206 Risk assessment xii, 158, 161, 185, 191 Rodents xi, 25, 147, 159 Rotterdam convention 165, 168 Roux 45 S Sago 20, 35, 60 Sago worms 20, 35 Sale of Food Act 139, 141, 145, 152, 182 Sale of Goods Act 99 Salisbury, Lord 209 Salmon 5, 39, 53, 119 Samosa 205 Sardines 119 Satay 146, 203 Scarsdale diet 12 222 Nice or Nasty Schizophrenia xiii Scorpions xi, 25, 26 Scurvy 110, 132, 206 Sensible diet 89 Serotonin 122, 201, 214 Shabu shabu 65 Shark cartilage 122, 123 Sharksfin 11 Shellfish 74, 148, 155 Shogaols 125 Sin chew 67 Singapore iii, iv, xv, xvi, xvii, 11, 13, 18, 19, 20, 23, 26, 42, 43, 45, 46, 50, 53, 57, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 67, 69, 71, 72, 81, 85, 96, 98, 99, 100, 107, 114, 124, 127, 130, 132, 138, 139, 142, 144, 145, 146, 150, 152, 153, 154, 157, 160, 163, 166, 168, 181, 182, 198, 202, 203, 205, 206, 207, 211 Singlet oxygen 130 Smith, A 192 Smokers 13, 113, 207, 209 Snakes xi, 26, 27, 39 Social anthropologists Sommer, A 171 Sorghum 178 Soto ayam 203 South East Asia i, iii, iv, vi, xii, xiii, xv, xvii, 3, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 20, 23, 25, 26, 27, 36, 38, 41, 53, 56, 60, 65, 67, 71, 73, 74, 76, 82, 86, 87, 88, 100, 104, 107, 109, 112, 113, 115, 116, 119, 121, 124, 125, 126, 129, 131, 132, 138, 140, 146, 155, 156, 157, 162, 171, 172, 174, 175, 180, 191, 193, 198, 199, 200, 203, 210 Soya beans 55, 68, 147, 148, 156, 172, 174, 180 Soya sauce 56, 177 Specific dynamic action 47 Sports foods 117 Spratism Starfruit 116 Steamboat xi, 58, 65, 66 Stout 64 Street foods xii, 201, 202, 203, 204 Substantial equivalence 187, 188 Sucrose 36, 121, 128, 159 Sulawesi 132, 181 Sumptuary laws 12, 15 Sunset yellow 140 Superoxide 47, 111 Syndrome X 115 T Taboo 2, 4, 8, 77, 80 Taiwan xvi, 46, 50, 121, 142, 159 Tamarind 74, 91 Tapai 78 Tapeworms 155 Tapioca xv, 80, 121, 156, 157, 167, 172 Tea 8, 13, 45, 54, 80, 120, 121, 140, 159 Terminator genes 179 Termites 20, 21 Tetrodotoxin 156 Thailand 11, 15, 21, 25, 26, 34, 55, 56, 73, 85, 138, 155, 166, 181, 196 T–helper cells 124 Threadfin 119 Thrifty geneotype 114 Thrombosis 124 Tigers 14, 29 Tocopherols 106, 112 Tongkat ali 80, 81 Tooth decay 106 Tou fu 31 Toxic tort xii, 161, 162 Triterpenoids 123 Truffles 11, 54, 198 Tryptophan 201 Index 223 Tuak 36, 37, 199 Tuberculosis xiv, 88, 122 Tunku Abdul Rahman 61 Turtles 43 U Ubi badak 82 Ubi jaga 81 Ulam xi, 81, 82, 84 Ulam rajah 82 United Nations ix, xiv, xvii, 138, 160, 165, 178, 195 United Nations Development Organisation (UNDO) 138 United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) 178 V Vampirism 10 Varicose veins 87 Veblen T 6, 11 Vegetarianism 4, Vegetarians 207 Vitamin A xvi, 106, 112, 129, 131, 171, 172, 179 Vitamin B1 2, 62 Vitamin D 31, 32, 33, 51, 128 W Water bugs 126 Watermelon 129, 171 Whisky 15, 21, 26, 64 Wine 16, 17, 36, 45, 51, 55, 64, 131, 137, 156 Wolfberry 49 Worcester sauce 74 World Health Organisation (WHO) xiv World Trade Organisation (WTO) 165, 180, 191 X Xanthine 120 Xenooestrogens Xerophthalmia Xylitol 106 Y Y-chromosome Yams 60 Yu sheng 53 Z Zinc 55, 128 148 131, 132, 171 149 .. .NICE OR NASTY Food Choice, Food Law and Health in South East Asia i NICE OR NASTY Food Choice, Food Law and Health in South East Asia John Candlish University of Malaysia... University of Singapore Australia • Canada • Mexico • Singapore • iii Spain • United Kingdom • United States Nice or Nasty: Food Choice, Food Law and Health in South East Asia by John Candlish and Chee-Hong... of South East Asia consume no alcohol-containing foods or drinks, either for religious reasons, as in Indonesia and Malaysia, or because of the alcohol-flushing syndrome, as in most people in