On Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:13:30 GMT, James Silverton wrote:

> Tippi wrote on Wed, 1 Apr 2009 13:03:17 -0700 (PDT):
>
>> On Mar 29, 9:32 pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
>>> Is there really any use or explanation for Cheez Whiz in
>>> Asian cooking?
>>>
>> Who says you have to use it in cooking to have it appear in a
>> grocery store? Perhaps the older folks are buying for their
>> kids, and the younger folks buy it for themselves. It's sold
>> in Hong Kong (where I'm from), the Chinese name is "Jee see
>> Wei Wei" (means something like top cheese).
>
> Given the popularity of pizza in Hong Kong, I wonder if the percentage
> of lactose intolerance there is dreamed up for the occasion (like, it is
> suspected a lot of other statistics :-) Of course, it may be the good
> medical method, "I'm lactose intolerant and I know I'm normal so it
> follows.......".

i don't know this for a fact, but i'd guess the menu pizza hut menu in hong
kong is very different from the one in the states. i know i've heard of
some bizarre pizza topping in japan.

in any case, lactose intolerance in asians is no myth:

Lactose intolerance is the inability to metabolize lactose, a sugar found
in milk and other dairy products, because the required enzyme lactase is
absent in the intestinal system or its availability is lowered. It is
estimated that 75% of adults worldwide show some decrease in lactase
activity during adulthood. The frequency of decreased lactase activity
ranges from nearly 5% in northern Europe, up to 71% for Southern Europe, to
more than 90% in some African and Asian countries.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance#Lactose_intolerance_by_group>

there's also a chart with various ethnic groups at the above site. bear in
mind also that the population in hong kong is far from homogenous.

your pal,
blake