Bravo for MIL! Hot chili peppers for the win!
We go to a Vietnamese noodle house restaurant. The food is much healthier than Chinese, lighter without being cooked with fat or additives. Mom-in-law likes the won-ton soup, while my wife and I like the chicken with rice noodle soup. We throw in lots of bean sprouts, peppers, and some chili sauce. I like it hot. If it doesn't ward off disease, it does provide for an enjoyable meal. Wife and mom-in-law are Chinese. But we like Vietnamese, Thai and Indian foods more so than Chinese, more spicy and less fat.