Pandas

Pandas’ main food group is bamboo. They eat a lot of it and because of that are known to poop up to 40 times a day.

Having just seen the Pandas in China and witnessed some of their bathroom behavior (the one we saw chose both times to go behind trees rather than be in full view), I found this information of great interest. Pandas are adorable in videos and mesmerizing in person. It was an interesting phenomenon, the desire to just stand there watching them. Hoping they might turn a bit more toward you so that you can get a full-face view. Observing them as they lumbered about their enclosure. The babies were playful and silly, and the adults had an aura of peace about them.

Whilst in China my travel buddy and I were experiencing a touch of distress of the lower tract. It was somewhat transitory or capricious. Fine for days and then not so much.  On our last day we had become aware of another change, but we were heading home, and it caused no real distress.  Our Chinese friends very nicely offered to make us one final noodle soup with the left over duck broth from the night before.  It was delicious so we agreed.  As we began to tuck into the soup, I noticed large apple-like looking pieces floating in the bowl. I had not remembered them from the night before and they were quite crunchy. 

“Hey Ron, what are the apple looking things in the soup?”

“Bamboo shoots,” came the reply.

I had a moment of contemplation and recalculation. We both had mild colds and had done a lot of walking through the many sights to see in China. On the one hand bamboo shoots contain many nutrients that are good for us. Here is the breakdown:

Macronutrients: Calories: 25 kcal per 100g, Carbohydrates: 4.2g per 100g, Fiber: 1.8g per 100g, Protein: 2.3g per 100g, and Fat: 0.5g per 100g. 

Micronutrients: Vitamin B6: 0.1mg per 100g, Vitamin C: 4.8mg per 100g, Potassium: 400mg per 100g, Magnesium: 30mg per 100g, and Manganese: 0.1mg per 100g. 

Other Nutrients: Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, and Threonine 

At first glance we thought it sounded like a good food choice, but then I did “but on the other hand” as I remembered that Pandas poop up to 40 times a day. They eat bamboo. We were just about to get on an airplane to fly to Hong Kong, have an overnight layover and then fly back to the United States, for me a 19-hour journey. I posed the question out loud, “Do you think it is wise to eat bamboo shoots given their level of fiber and our current status? Remember NiHao?!! I think it might be contra-indicated!!” 

My traveling companion and I glanced at each other and immediately became 12-year-old adolescent boys and could not stop laughing. It was one of those wonderful moments that causes you to keep laughing for hours and in inappropriate places. The perfect ending to a perfect trip. 

P.S. I left the bamboo shoots in the bowl.