Soup is big player in Cantonese cuisine especially if it’s the long-simmered bone broth kind which I came across at a stall in a local park. Bone broth is made by simmering or boiling the bones and connective tissue of animals in water with the addition of herbs, spices and sometimes small amounts of vegetables. This stock which is thought of as highly nutritious is commonly used as the base for soups here in China. You can make bone broth using bones from just about any animal — pork, beef, veal, turkey, lamb, bison, buffalo, venison, chicken or fish.

Chinese people believe that drinking bone broth may be beneficial for the joints and digestive system, among other things. The say that bone broth may also help people lose weight as it’s high in protein, which helps the body feel fuller for longer and supports calorie restriction.

According to Chinese medicine practices, many Chinese soups have health benefits such as improving immune system, skin conditions (beauty effects!!), appetite, or cure sickness. I am sure I can find a Chinese vegetable-based soup that has the same health benefits as the bone soup. I will let animals keep their bones while I get my nutrients from plants.