By staff reporter ZHANG HUA

An 8th century painting of a Chinese banquet.

In May and June, sightings of vipers reported in four residential communities across Beijing caused panic among local residents. The police had to be called in to capture the reptiles. It transpired that on certain experts saying snakes carry the SARS virus, restaurants serving game dishes had set free snakes earmarked for their diners, and that some had slithered uptown.

Omnivorous Diet Curtailed

According to an ancient saying, food is the prime desire of the masses. A broad scope of food and beverages is paramount to the Chinese people. This is particular so in subtropical Guangdong Province, where flora and fauna resources are abundant, and rare species are believed to have particularly nourishing properties. The flesh and gallbladder of snakes, for instance, are eaten to invigorate the blood circulation, expel wind, promote qi, and nourish the liver and eyesight.

After SARS broke out, the China State Forestry Bureau and State Administration for Industry and Commerce issued urgent notices prohibiting wildlife hunting and trading. They also conducted all-around investigations into farms that tame and breed wild animals. Meanwhile the China Wildlife Conservation Association called on the public to stop eating wild animals for the sake of the ecological balance, as well as public health.

Chief of the WWF Yangtze River Project Liang Haitang's comment is that utilization of wild animal resources was universal and justified in the days when nature was primitively exploited. Knowing what we do today, we should leave wildlife alone, for reasons of conservation and also human health.

Liang warns that excessive exploitation of wild species habitats, such as forests and wetlands, may result in the escape of viruses long confined to nature's cycles that could be disastrous to human communities.

It has yet to be confirmed that the corona virus, cause of SARS, originates in fauna, but the Chinese people have nevertheless drastically changed their eating habits. Some admit blanching at the news that SARS could be related to wild animal species. Sociologists say it resulted in a restoration of human reverence for nature, and this trend prompted many game restaurants to change their menus.

No More Eating from One Dish

In one restaurant in northwestern Beijing, Liu Zhijun and his colleagues were served a fish dish. It was first brought out for them to see, and then divided and served separately according to their numbers, as were the other dishes they ordered. The meal proceeded in a peaceful and orderly manner, with none of the usual clatter of a normal Chinese dinner. Liu was delighted with this new dining mode. After SARS erupted in China, separately served meals were promoted. The government and individuals had come to the conclusion that the custom of eating from the same dish is liable to cause cross-infection.

Although this new dining trend has obvious merits, it nevertheless encounters resistance from traditionalists, who argue that eating from the same dish expresses friendship and good will. According to the oriental mindset, it is enjoyable and companionable to sit at a table and take food from the same pot, as it brings people closer.

Others point out that this new dining mode will add to the burden of labor on restaurant staff. Another negative aspect is that diners do not necessarily wish to eat the same amount of any particular dish, so even portions are undesirable and wasteful.

But those in favor of this dieting revolution are in the majority. One Mr. Hu is convinced that dividing up Chinese dishes can work. He proposes that Chinese banquets be held in buffet form, or that diners use separate serving and eating tableware. Eating this way minimizes the risk of cross-infection at the table. Mr. Hu says that on his trips to the US he has noticed that most resident Chinese there dine in this way, and that it in no way diminishes their eating enjoyment.

In an effort to promote the separate-serving mode of dining a seminar -- Hygiene and Food and Beverage -- was held in Beijing. Chinese chefs demonstrated ways of eating separate servings of a meal, such as Chinese food eaten Western style, apportioning dishes after presenting them to guests for approval, and Chinese buffet style.

"We should emphasize both etiquette and health," says Professor Zhao Fengzeng of the Center of Phthisis Prevention and Treatment, the China Center of Disease Prevention and Control. He insists that Chinese should pay more heed to dieting hygiene.