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Peculiar Drinking Habits

People of different nationalities have diverse ideas about drinking. The Chinese people generally drink hot tea in all kinds of weather. When a friend calls, it is customary for his host to serve him with a cup of hot tea whether he needs the tea or not. The people in China seldom drink cold water. They allay thirst by drinking either hot water or hot weak tea.

Here in America, many persons have the habit of drinking water, not because they are thirsty or because their systems need the water, but because through hearing a lecture, reading an advertisement, or conversing with a friend, they have become imbued with the idea that the more water they drink the healthier they will be. Some persons conscientiously drink a gallon or more a day and then wonder why they are sick. By drinking too much water, these persons in their zealous pursuit of health, have overburdened their kidneys and bladder and have brought about indigestion and stomach trouble. In their drinking habits, animals are wiser than men. "You may lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink." He is guided by his natural instincts as to what his system needs. Human beings should be careful not to flood their kidneys with water, as this causes the blood to get hot and rush to the head. In some instances it is contributory to high blood pressure. When a person is not thirsty, it is not necessary for him to pour cold water into his stomach just for the sake of drinking "Eight Cups a Day."

If one has a temporary cold and fever, has eaten salty food, has worked hard and perspired freely, or has talked too much, thus overheating the liver, it is necessary for him to drink a cup of water to quench his immediate thirst. However, one who is continually dry -(135)and thirsty must seek permanent relief by taking treatment. Those who seek to get well by merely drinking cold water, which in itself has no curative power, will, in time, injure one or more of their internal organs. Fong Wan drinks no liquor of any kind, and but seldom drinks coffee, tea, cocoa, milk, or even water. What he does drink is good soup at every meal; soup that is wholesome and delicious. Among his favorite soups are: Chinese lily root with duck; turtle soup; Chinese watermelon boiled with duck and mushrooms; six herbal compounds with pork; Chinese dried oysters in lily root soup; edible bird nest with chicken; and gensing root with squab. While rather expensive, these soups are very nourishing. Besides benefiting and building up all parts of the human system, they also have curative power. They quench the body's internal fever and cause the five principal elements of which the body is composed to work evenly through the blood circulation. Therefore, one who drinks these soups does not need other and less beneficial drinks. Some of the more common and less expensive soups that Fong Wan numbers among his favorites are: Chinese mustard green with or without pork; Sz Kwa melon with bean curd; and large white bean sprouts boiled with pork.