Formula

On September 11, 2008, Chinese parents were hit out of the blue with an announcement saying their baby formula was potentially contaminated, and their children might be at risk of kidney failure.

In the days since, we have learned that hospitals were reporting unusual renal health problems among infants as early as March 2008, and that Sanlu, one of the leading producers of formula, had known about the problem in early August - before the Olympics started - but did not reveal it to the public nor the government until one of their foreign partners alerted the New Zealand government. We have also learned that 20% of the formula manufacturers in China have similarly contaminated product, and that even some brands of ice cream, yogurt, and liquid milk have been compromised.

It has been determined that some farms have been watering-down the milk they provide to dairies in an effort to cheat the system, and that they have added the industrial chemical melamine to skew test results to make it appear as if the diluted milk has adequate protein. Melamine is the same chemical that killed hundreds of animals in the 2007 scandal around Chinese-manufactured pet food. It affects kidney function, eventually causing large stones and ultimately failure with continued exposure.

Traditionally, the advice given to parents traveling to China to unite with their adopted child was to buy extra Chinese formula, and use it when back home to transition over to Western-produced product. (That's what we did with our daughter - even using the Sanlu brand.)

However, on September 12, the US FDA issued a health advisory explicitly stating that Chinese-manufactured infant formula should not be used. The brands the FDA lists as inspected and approved are:

Abbott Labs PBM Nutritionals

Mead Johnson Solus

Nestle SHS/Nutricia

The Canadian government, and the Australia-New Zealand Food Standards authority, have also issued similar communications.

What this means is that traveling parents must now purchase and pack their own formula for the entire trip. It's extra bulk in your luggage - something else will need to stay home - but essential for your piece of mind, and your child's health.

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An expanded version of this article will be published on our main site at weninchina.com, along with additional links to government sources and news articles.

Fast Food in China: KFC and Pizza Hut

As you read through our essays on weninchina.com, you will see a common thread of encouragement to get out of your hotel room and start walking around your neighborhood. There are many familiar icons to help you understand what you'll see, and familiar situations that will allow you to do things like shop for groceries - from the first day you're in-country.

A great example of an American brand you know well that will help you feel more in control, and will help you learn more about the Chinese people, is KFC, and its sister brand Pizza Hut.

KFC was the pioneer fast-food restaurant in China, opening its first location in 1987. They are much larger than McDonald's here, with over 2,200 stores as of mid-2008, and you'll find them not just in the big cities, but also smaller towns too. You are almost certain to have a KFC within walking distance of your hotel! Pizza Hut came over in 1990, and has ramped up to 360 locations as of mid-2008. These two brands have defined what "quick-service" and "casual dining" restaurant formats mean for the Chinese people. Everyone else is playing catch-up.

A big part of why China has embraced these two chains is that they have greatly adapted their menus to the tastes of the locals. Don't worry, you'll still be able to get pepperoni and a bucket of fried chicken. But yes, you can also get a Tuna Fish Combo Pizza and fried squid at Pizza Hut, and congee, codfish burgers, and egg soup at KFC.

The restaurants look much the same as they do back home. The ordering process is also the same. At KFC, you'll walk up to the cashier - and she will pull out a laminated card (the photo above) with English titles of everything on the menu board. Even if you don't know a word of Chinese, all you have to do is point at what you want and pay. At Pizza Hut, the menu is in both languages, with plenty of pictures, so again, just point at what you want.

Prices are a notch below what you'd pay in the States: about $12 for the large pizza (feeding two adults and two kids); a combo meal at KFC runs about $3, and a "bucket" about $9. While this is still pretty spendy for local wallets, it's welcome news for your adoption meal budget.

Drinks at both chains are mostly about juices, teas, and smoothies. You can get regular Pepsi, but that's it for carbonated pop. Everything's good, though, and yes, you can trust the ice. 

In Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao, and Guangzhou, Pizza Hut also delivers. The phone number is 4008-123-123, and most importantly, they have English-speaking staff.

The China websites for both brands are interesting to click through: KFC.com.cn, PizzaHut.com.cn.  Much of Pizza Hut's menu can be found on 4008123123.com as well.

On weninchina.com, we have an expanded version of this article that goes deeper into the KFC/Pizza Hut history in China, gives more detail about what the food tastes like, adds a page from the in-store Pizza Hut menu, and of course features more photos and links. We are now up to 27 essays about the travel experience in China, written to be useful for families, especially those who are completing adoptions.

New content now online at weninchina.com

We have just added two new essays:

Travel and Tourism: Chinese Domestic Flights
Describing the procedures and experience of flying within China.
People and Culture: Lucky Fish
Going beyond the guidebook definition to show you how language and art intersect to create specific cultural meanings.

weninchina.com now offers 26 entries to help adoptive families prepare for their journey to China, in the categories of Lodging, Food, Travel and Tourism, Money and Shopping, Safety and Health, and People and Culture, with many more being developed. We encourage parents and fellow travelers to share their stories to help smooth the way for the next group, and to better understand their new child's culture.

You can contact us at weninchinainfo@mac.com, through posting a comment via this blog, or at our website.

Olympic Souvenirs

You will not escape the marketing blitz around the Summer Olympics being held in Beijing this August. The organizers are hoping to earn US$70 million in royalties from licensed merchandise, so expect to find it very convenient to part with your money.

The mascots are collectively called "Fuwa," are incredibly cute, and with over 300 authorized products, impossible for you NOT to purchase for your child.

Prices are not going to be any cheaper than similar merchandise here in the States ($16 for a t-shirt, $5 for a set of pencils, for instance.) No haggling or discounts just because you'll be in China...

Official shops are in major tourist areas like the Great Wall, inside the Forbidden City, big shopping centers, and international airports. Your guides will know where to take you.

Counterfeit merchandise is plentiful, but of dubious quality (remember the lead paint scare from last year.) Do your best to buy legitimate merchandise, keep a clear conscience, and set a good example for your newest family member. Questions to ask are:

1. Does the item in question come from an official shop, or one of the big retailers in town? That's good.  Does it come from an outdoor market, a temporary stall, or the back room of a tiny shop? Don't bet on its authenticity.

2. Does the packaging say "Beijing 2008 Official Licensed Product" with the manufacturer's name and address, as well as contact info for the Olympics licensing service. 

3. For clothing and larger pieces of merchandise, does it have an attached tag featuring holographic security thread, watermark, and microembossing? Excellent.

If you don't have enough time during your trip, or spare cash, an excellent option for Olympic merchandise when you're back in the States is China Sprout, an authorized reseller on this side of the Pacific. We've used them ourselves and are very happy with their service and shipping.

For an expanded version of this article, plus additional links and photos, click here to visit the "Olympic Souvenirs" page at our home site, weninchina.com. Elsewhere on our site you'll find tools such as weather forecasts and currency conversion, helpful links, and dozens more essays on other topics of interest to families planning adoption trips to China.

Taking you where the guidebooks don't

After years of hoping and waiting, and eighteen hours of flights, we finally made it to Beijing. It was coming up on midnight by the time we checked into the hotel and made our way up to the room.  Excitement about the trip and anticipation of meeting our daughter had worn off; we were completely exhausted and nervous about being in an alien culture. And we really needed to use the bathroom.

I put the key in the door and opened it. Our room was dark, so I flipped the light switches. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. With the dim light from the hallway, I could see there were instructions above the light switch, in Chinese...

This is the point where the travel guidebooks and your adoption agency's preparation stop being useful, and you have to figure things out for yourself. That's where weninchina.com comes in. 

We give you the practical how-tos about your China adoption travel experience, supplementing what your adoption agency has presented. We don't get into adoption paperwork, process, or politics; but we do get into what kind of shoes to pack, how you get breakfast, and where to exchange your money.

We aim for our home site to be the first travel resource adoption agencies refer their China Program families to. weninchina.com will be continually evolving and expanding - with your feedback, suggestions, and photos, we can help our fellow traveling families have a great experience.

And if we can save you the ten minutes of fumbling around in the dark to figure out there's a slot above the light switches to slide your room key card into to activate the electricity - like I did -, then we have removed a stress and made your trip a little bit better.