Every time I reach out my chopsticks for that final spring roll, my friends all tut at me and say the food is too “hot.”

Dear Mr. Know-It-All,
Every time I reach out my chopsticks for that final spring roll, my friends all tut at me and say the food is too “hot.” Of course it’s hot! That’s why I’m trying to pick it up before it goes cold. What am I missing?  — Hot Stuff

You’re missing your friends trying to help you, Hot Stuff. They’re not trying to keep your from burning your tongue; they’re trying to keep you alive for longer. When they say your spring rolls are hot, they mean that they’re full of yit hei—literally, “hot air.”

Ultimately, this comes down to the concept of yin and yang: of balance in all things, from philosophy to aesthetics to medicine—to food. The idea is that most food you eat is either “heating” (the aforementioned yit hei) or “cool” (“leung”). The objective is to maintain a balance between the two kinds of good.

“Heating” foods stimulate the body and increase the metabolism. Hot foods include some meats, spices, chili, and fried foods. “Cool” foods, on the other hand, tend to slow the body down. Think melons, cucumber, and tomato. According to this philosophy, too much “heat” can lead to dry skin, rashes, eczema, nose bleeds and other unpleasantness. But too much “cool,” and you’re liable to dizziness, weakness and aches.

So it sounds easy, right? Eat equal amounts of hot and cool, and you’ll be fine. But two problems: first, it’s not always obvious what’s hot and what’s cool. Fried foods may be heating; but so too are lychees. Watermelon is cooling; but so are eggs. Second, we’re not all the same. Some of us are naturally hot; some are cool. Eat too much of your own “type,” and you’re going to feel very bad.

So: the best idea is to eat all things, and eat them in moderation, according to your “type.” And a tip, Hot Stuff: yes, that spring roll you’re jonesing for may be full of yit hei. And no, you may not care for the leung cha cooling tea sold on the streets of Hong Kong. But beer is plenty leung too. So by all means: grab the spring roll. Toss back a cold Tsingtao alongside it and watch the universe slide back into balance.