Having read Charles Campion's so-called "article" about Chinese takeaways, my first reaction was utter disbelief. Although the article was written earlier this year, it was worthy of a 1960s 'don't let the crooked foreigners infiltrate this great land' rant.

So many factual inaccuracies, prejudices and complete rubbish were laid to bear in such a short piece. It's no surprise that the Chinese takeaway sector united in force to face down this so called respected food critic. Mr Campion may claim that his article was obviously tongue in cheek and shouldn't be taken too seriously, but threatening people's livelihoods and encouraging small minded, misguided attitudes is a serious offence. Morally, it was such an odious work that no newspaper should have even touched it. And yet here it was published in all of its glory in one of the most widely circulated newspapers in England.

Surely in this so-called enlightened, supposedly politically correct world we live in, these prejudices should be confined to where they belong: in the dark ages?

The Chinese catering industry deserves to feel proud of overtaking the Indian sector as the most widely consumed food in England. But pitting Indian food against Chinese food, as Campion did in his article, undermines this achievement and leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

Campion's confrontational approach was neither necessary nor, which I imagine he was hoping for, humorous. It was crass and insulting claiming that Indian food is part of the British heritage, "as familiar to the British as a Constable painting, a double-decker bus or a bacon sandwich" while Chinese food is the outsider unworthy to even be considered as a contender. To even try to compare the two foods and then suggest that millions of people are wrong by enjoying Chinese takeaways is ludicrous.

And when Campion gets on his high horse and starts complaining about the high profit margins takeaways receive, that's when I almost exploded. Many Chinese businesses are small, family-run affairs, that involve working long hours for often, little reward.

From a nutritional standpoint, yes MSG is used in Chinese takeaway food but it's also in a number of other foods including crisps and salty, processed snacks. However, more column inches seem to be devoted to condemning the use of this additive in Chinese food rather than assessing whether a packet of ready salted or cheese and onion crisps will cause more harm.

Furthermore, Campion's claim that Chinese food is unhealthy is also factually incorrect. Chinese food often tops the food survey polls as one of the healthiest takeaway foods around. OK, fried rice and sweet and sour pork do have their fair share of calories and fat content, but boiled rice and vegetable based dishes, which are staples of Chinese food, are often low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals.

What's so galling is the fact that this food critic, supposedly someone who has tasted a wide range of foods from around the globe, could stoop so low and bash out such a poor article that must have taken all of five minutes. And if he can't see the damage that can be caused by such a shoddy piece of work, then perhaps he shouldn't be reviewing and writing after all.

 

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