Take it slow and stay safe

Gutter oil, melamine-tainted dairy products, fake eggs - these are only the tip of the iceberg of gastronomic nightmares that the Chinese consumer must face when shopping for food.

There's no question that food safety and food education are among the biggest problems these days. But there is hope on the horizon as both Chinese producers and consumers become more educated, and that is where Slow Food Saturday come in.

For the past two years, Slow Food Saturday, an event by the Mutianyu Schoolhouse, has been trying to teach and educate Beijing residents, taking them out to the outskirts of the city to learn where their food comes from, and also to bring them back to their culinary heritage by showing them how locals have been preparing traditional dishes for centuries.