The soup restaurants are packed with customers. The empty night markets leave stall owners no choice but to close early. The temperatures on the island are still well above freezing, but Taiwan's moist air and lack of central heating make the weather seem deceptively colder. It is on days like this that many Chinese turn to steaming broths and stews specially prepared with Chinese herbs to warm the body and fend off colds. The Chinese believe that to lead a healthy life, the body's internal positive and negative forces must be balanced.
Any imbalance causes illness.
To rebalance the body, the Chinese turn to certain foods, each of which have certain properties, including moist, dry, cool, warm, draining, and nourishing. According to Chinese medicine, people with poor circulation should pu by eating foods like ginseng, shrimp, and eel. Garlic, pears, and tea will drain the body of disease. During the winter, most people take special care to eat nourishing or pu foods to boost the body's strength to combat disease and resist infection. Chinese beliefs in the benefits of pu and other herbal medicines date back centuries.