World Food

Chinese food

is well-known in the world. Overseas Chinese and foreigners of Chinese origin make a living overseas, and the most common industry is the catering industry. There should be Chinese restaurants wherever there are Chinese people. Chinese food can be said to be the best food in the world. This phenomenon was keenly observed by Mr. Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of the revolution, as early as the beginning of this century. Mr. Sun Yat-sen said in his book "Strategy for the Founding of the People's Republic of China": "In the evolution of China's modern civilization, everything has fallen behind others, except for the progress in diet, which is still beyond the reach of other countries." This statement by Mr. Sun Yat-sen is very correct. In fact, as Dr. Sun Yat-sen said, in modern times, Chinese civilization has been shattered to pieces by Western civilization, and all knowledgeable people must diagnose the disease. However, Chinese restaurants are quite different. They have been able to land in Europe and the United States, spread all over the world, and are invincible. Today, there are Chinese restaurants in almost every corner of the world. This strong contrast has attracted academic attention, but there is no convincing explanation. We believe that the spread of Chinese restaurants all over the world is not an isolated and accidental phenomenon. The reasons are inextricably linked to Chinese food culture. Therefore, exploring some characteristics of Chinese food culture will help us explain this phenomenon.

When it comes to Chinese food culture, many people will praise Chinese recipes and the color, aroma, taste and shape of Chinese food. But if we want to discuss food culture from a comparative perspective, the best way to do this is to grasp the essence of Chinese food culture. Without comparison there is no identification. The author here believes that a more feasible approach is to start from the perspective of dietary lifestyle when discussing Chinese food culture. In fact, Chinese food culture actually refers to the Chinese people’s food and lifestyle. To talk about Chinese food culture, we must involve Chinese culture. The relationship between the two is extremely close. Therefore, it is necessary for us to first explain some characteristics of Chinese culture.

What kind of culture is Chinese culture? This requires an understanding of the geographical environment of early Chinese culture, because the earlier the period, the greater the constraints on culture by the environment. China is located in the southeast of the Asian continent. To the northwest is the vast desert, grassland and Gobi, and to the southeast is the vast sea. The land in the Yellow River Basin, the main hotbed of Chinese culture, is very fertile, but the other environment is harsh, with wind and rain, and the living conditions are not good. After the emergence of civilization, the culture at that time was manifested in a relatively strong realist trend of thought, with a very strong ethical and moral color. Because this society needs humility and less desire, and when a society needs something, it is often when it lacks something. Chinese culture has shown precocious characteristics from the beginning. Marx once believed that Chinese civilization was a precocious baby with obvious advanced characteristics in its development process. In contrast, Western civilization is quite different. Greek civilization, the childhood of Western culture, has been written into the history of civilization with its unique atmosphere of warmth. Marx once believed that Greek civilization was a normally developing baby. The living soil of Chinese culture has gradually become dry and unsuitable for agricultural production during its development. Since the soil and other factors are very unfavorable to agricultural production, the suffering of reality cannot produce cultural romance. Therefore, Chinese civilization with its strong The moral and ascetic character is present throughout. In the pre-Qin period, hundreds of schools of thought challenged each other and tried their best to achieve the same goal by different means, with the goal of building an ideal world without fighting. But this is just an ideal. During the Warring States Period, various countries were in dispute and competing based on their strength. In the end, the Qin State unified the world by encouraging military merit and rewarding farming and warfare. This was what the people wanted. The world is in dispute and how the people live is also a choice of history. Only through unification can we avoid the situation where "a few people in the world are called kings and a few people are called emperors."? (Cao Cao's language)

In the pre-Qin period, the Chu State in southern China also showed romanticism, but it was quickly enveloped and submerged by the realism in the north. After Qin Shihuang unified China, he wrote the same text. The history of China is the history of the unification of the emperor.

Since the Western diet was originally based on animal husbandry, the proportion of meat in the diet has always been high. In modern times, the proportion of planting has increased, but the proportion of meat in the diet is still higher than that of the Chinese. Because meat is naturally delicious, Westerners do not need to decorate their meals. The natural deliciousness of internal food limits the development of cooking. When Europeans show their wealth, they mostly use eating tools to express it, such as the number of various utensils. and luxury have become the focus. In addition, we do not pursue things that are easy to satisfy in life, such as eating, as the ultimate happiness in life. The life pursuits of Westerners can be highly summarized by the same Chinese proverb, that is, "when you are full and full of lust, you think about lust." They pursue love more. Western culture embodies a "love culture", while Chinese culture embodies a "eating culture".

But we would also like to point out that many characteristics of Chinese food cannot be seen in the daily lives of ordinary people. Palace diet and store diet can better and more comprehensively express these characteristics. Common people's festival foods, such as the Spring Festival, may partially express these characteristics, but the Spring Festival is, after all, a short moment in the 365 days of the year, like a flash in the pan.

There is no good or bad culture, and there is no good or bad food culture. The difference is just the way of life or the way of eating under different environmental conditions. But how to understand and analyze this difference is very important. The purpose of this book is to make a small attempt based on this point. It is not known whether it can be recognized by most readers. In most cases, I am one of those "cooks from far away". I don't know how to cook, and I am not a gourmet. However, I know that "a meal and a porridge are hard-earned". In this sense, I think of China as a whole. Some views on food culture are put into practice in writing, and I hope to get the guidance of the Fang family

[Edit this paragraph] Beijing’s food

—The Eight Great Bowls in Beijing

Kanaze

Food is the most important thing for the people, and eating is the first need in life. No matter Chinese or foreigners, no one can live without it. What to eat and how to eat, every country, every nation, every family, and every person has their own way of eating.

Food is a kind of culture, and Chinese cuisine is famous all over the world. It is an indisputable fact that Chinese food is delicious and foreigners love to eat it. China's food culture has a long history. For thousands of years, people have formed eight major cuisines of Chinese cuisine through continuous summarization, namely Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan and Anhui schools.

Beijing is a world-famous ancient capital and historical and cultural city with a history of more than 3,000 years. Emperors of all dynasties established Beijing as their capital, all of which accumulated profound content for Beijing's culture. Food culture is one of various cultural contents, which is broad and profound. The formation and evolution of China's eight major cuisines have also gone through a long historical process. Although Beijing cuisine is not among the eight major cuisines, it is one of the main local dishes in China.

The special political status of Beijing in history has made the people living in Beijing complex and diverse, which is reflected in the diversity of food. People from all walks of life have different tastes, resulting in a wide variety of foods. There are eight authentic cuisines, local snacks, barbecue, roasting, and shabu-shabu from the Manchu, Mongolian, Hui, Korean and other ethnic groups, as well as foreign fast food imported from other regions, etc. The current catering market is unprecedentedly prosperous. There is everything you need to satisfy your cravings and hunger.

I’ve eaten everything I should eat, what else is there to eat? People are wondering what people in old Beijing ate? It can be said that there were not many truly wealthy people in old Beijing before liberation. The royal relatives and dignitaries ate delicacies from the mountains and seas, while ordinary people were satisfied if they could fill their stomachs. They could eat "eight bowls" during weddings and funerals. That's good.

What are the "eight bowls" of old Beijing? No one under the age of sixty has ever seen it, some have never heard of it, let alone eaten it. After eating in all the "good restaurants" in Beijing, many people nowadays feel nostalgic about the food in old Beijing.

Old Beijing’s “Eight Big Bowls” are actually a common and affordable dish. Chicken, duck, and fish are carefully cooked in eight ways and are delicious in color, flavor, and served in traditional porcelain bowls. Put the food on the table.

"It's like honey", "Osmanthus Mutton", "Sesame Pork Tenderloin", "Salt Exploded Dandan", etc., which are still the specialties of various halal restaurants in Beijing, were once the imperial dishes of the Qing Palace.

Among the imperial meals of the Qing Dynasty, the Muslim whole-sheep banquet was one of the grandest palace banquets after the Manchu and Han banquets. Yuan Mei, a poet during the Qianlong period, wrote in "Suiyuan Food List": "There are seventy-two ways to make whole sheep, and only eighteen or nineteen kinds can be eaten at a time. This is a dragon-slaying skill that is difficult to learn in the home kitchen. One plate Even though one bowl is full of mutton, it tastes different. "The whole sheep feast uses different parts of the whole sheep, either roasted or rinsed, boiled or fried, to create a variety of dishes with different tastes and names. . All the dish names do not contain the word "sheep", but are replaced by vivid and vivid nicknames, which is a unique feature. In 1968, Premier Zhou Enlai hosted a banquet for visiting Pakistani dignitaries. He invited Yang Yonghe, a famous halal cooking master from "Youyishun", to prepare a whole lamb feast and a variety of halal dishes, which were well received by the dignitaries. Nowadays, the whole lamb feast in halal restaurants such as "Hongbin Tower" is still a brand dish.

During the Republic of China, with the development of national industry and commerce, Beijing’s halal catering industry formed a mature market. The halal restaurants opened in the Qianmen area include: Yuanxingtang, Liangyixuan, Tonghexuan, Tongyixuan, Xiyuguan, Xishengguan, Qingyanlou, Cuifangyuan, Changyuelou, Tongjuguan (Pie Weekly) ), Enyuanju (fried dumplings) and dozens more. There are also Ruizhenhou in Zhongshan Park, Donglaishun in Dong'an Market and Youyishun in Xidan. In 1930, at the bustling intersection of Xidan, the opening of the Muslim restaurant "Xilaishun" immediately caused a sensation in the capital. The reason is that the manager of Xilaishun Restaurant is Zhu Xiang, a famous halal chef in Beijing. Zhu Xiang, formerly known as Zhu Lianxiang, is a famous innovator of halal cuisine. Because of his superb cooking skills, he worked in the royal kitchen of the imperial palace in the late Qing Dynasty. In the early years of the Republic of China, he went to "Liangyixuan" and other restaurants to teach cooking skills, and brought out many apprentices. Zhu Xiang is well-informed and open-minded. In the innovation of halal cuisine, he boldly absorbed some techniques from Western food and northern and southern Chinese cuisine, and created "fried lamb tail", "braised lamb", "fried Gansu chicken", " There are more than 100 new halal dishes such as "fried tripe with kernels in oil", and it is the first halal seafood dish, which enjoys a high reputation among peers and diners. Peking Opera master Ma Lianliang is a Hui nationality. He often comes to Xi Laishun to entertain and dine, and has formed a deep friendship with Zhu Xiang. This has led to many celebrities from the cultural and theater circles competing to patronize Xilaishun. After the peaceful liberation of Beijing, many important meetings, such as the National Political Consultative Conference and the Xinjiang Peaceful Liberation Conference, held banquets here. Thanks to the innovative efforts of Zhu Xiang and many other halal cooking masters, Beijing's halal food has become unique and famous in Beijing's food culture.

According to various Beijing "Halal Recipes" published now, there are more than 500 varieties of halal dishes in Beijing. There are many time-honored brands, such as Yueshengzhai’s sauced beef and mutton, Dashunzhai’s Tanghuo, Pie Zhou’s pies, Douzhizhang’s Douzhi, Sheephead Horse’s Baishui Sheep’s Head, Paodu Feng’s Paodu, Nian Gao King’s cut cakes, etc. They are all famous dishes that have been around for hundreds of years and are famous at home and abroad.

Recently, Beijing held the "Second Halal Cooking Service Skills Competition", with nearly 300 contestants from more than 50 halal catering companies participating to prepare for halal cooking in the Olympic Games. Taking advantage of the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing's halal catering industry will surely develop rapidly.

United States

Looking back at the food history and habits of Americans, you will find that there are many very interesting things that you never knew. At the beginning of the 10th century, the rich in the United States liked to eat swans, and ordinary people ate pork chops, steaks, chickens, ducks, and mutton, but the poor only ate vegetables. The poor people at that time liked to eat a kind of "delicious cake" the most, which was made of minced pork, raisins, green plums, sour wild fruits and camphor grass. The lobster, oysters, crab meat, and mutton that we now consider to be delicacies on the table were considered unworthy of elegance at the time and were only used as pig feed and not for human consumption.

You will find that there are many things that you never knew existed about the eating history and habits of Americans. At the beginning of the 10th century, the rich in the United States liked to eat Tianhe, and ordinary people ate pork chops, steaks, chickens, ducks and mutton, but the poor only ate Chulai.

The poor people at that time liked to eat a kind of "delicious cake" the most, which was made from minced pork, raisins, green plums, sour jelly fruits and rhubarb grass. The dragon lanterns, oysters, crab meat and mutton roe that we now consider to be delicacies on the table were considered not to be highly recommended at the time. They were only used as food and not for human consumption. At that time, the owner went to hunt for portions and returned with a full load, and often left them behind. The offal of the prey is made into meat cakes for the servants to eat, because this area is regarded as "animal". By the 18th century, Americans still ate a large amount of meat and poultry, including geese, rabbits, pineapples and even...