Drinking in China

 For The Real Deal, You Gotta Pay

It’s an all too common scenario after a night out in Shanghai. You awake the next morning with a thudding headache and a fire in your throat. At this point you wonder: Did I really only drink beer last night or was it something else? Fake beverages - alcohol mixed with non-essential and unsafe chemicals - is a rampant problem in China. Often the only indicator that you have consumed a fake beer, vodka, whiskey or wine is the morning-after affects. It can be extreme. Some friends of mine got together over dinner and had about three beers each. After returning home and going to bed, each one had problems sleeping. Instead they were fighting headaches, burning throats, and nausea. All this pain from just three beers each. 

"You can’t rely on bars or even some supermarkets to guarantee the booze they sell is legitimate."

It can be hard to know the quality and safety of your drink by taste. A good look at the labeling of your drink is always required. You can’t rely on bars or even supermarkets to guarantee that the booze they sell is legitimate. The corner store right next to my building, a legal franchise, sells fake Australian wine. How do I know? The wine description on the label is so fuzzy that I can’t even read it. The cans of western beer often taste like acid and it gets you thinking: I never remembered Bud or Heineken tasting like this! 

At a drinks function one time, a German expat who has lived here in Shanghai for over a decade said the only way to guarantee that you drink safe alcohol is to pay the right price. That means not buying cheap drinks and being wary of discounts. The more you pay, the more likely your beverage will be real. 

The same rule also applies when buying other food goods, particularly meat. Being a conscientious consumer in China boils down to a simple rule: price determines quality.