Never heard about the recycled oil before but I mostly only ate at higher end places because I was on business. It was made clear to stay away from street food such as Hot pot because you'll never really know what's in it. It's low cost fare for the locals. I accidentally ate a breaded chicken foot at a company who had their own lunchtime dining room and cooked their own shit. It was in a more remote city not close to Shanghai, where I usually camped out. It was unpleasant. From then on, if I didn't recognize something, I stuck with the veggies. They say everything on the animal is edible. I disagree.