Samgyetang Ginseng Chicken Soup
On my second day in Jeonju I had a chance to sample a dish I hadn’t had in Korea before; Samgyetang (삼계탕), which literally translates as “‘ginseng chicken soup” and is traditionally served in the summer for its supposed nutrients, which replace those lost through excessive sweating and physical exertion during the hot weather. Read more
Bibimbap Heaven in Jeonju
If you’ve never tried Korean food than you’re missing out big time. While kimchi may not be everyone’s dish-of-fermented-cabbage there’s oh so much more to try and among my favourite dishes is Bibimbap – literally meaning “mixed rice”. It just so happens that bibimbap originates from Jeonju so while I was there I tried the original… Read more
A Date For Your Diary
On my final evening in Taipei we headed out from the hotel in search of dinner and quite by accident stumbled across a wonderful little restaurant called “Diary” on Dongfeng street in Da-an district (台北市東豐街53號). Attracted by its striking interior of exposed concrete walls and roof beams, softened by wooden tables and subtle lighting, we ventured inside… Read more
Louis XIV in Taipei
I’ve had some pretty good food in my time but rarely do my exploits extend to multi-course fine dining. Whilst I was in Taiwan I had the pleasure of experiencing some excellent haute cuisine curtsey of some very generous friends. One place in particular which stood out was Louis XIV, located in Taipei’s Da-an district, which serves exceptional French provencal cuisine. Here’s some pics to whet your appetite. Read more
Vegetable Overload
I’m a committed carnivore and very few days in my life have gone by without some sort of meat consumption taking place. I’m also someone who dabbles in the art of cooking (with mixed results). Yesterday evening I invited some friend over for dinner but there was a catch – one of them was a vegetarian. Meat and fish were out so it was time to learn something new… Read more
JUMBO Dim Sum
As any long-term readers will know I absolutely love dim sum. It’s the food of Chinese gods and southern China is the best place to sample it. On Sunday morning our hosts for the weekend took us to the famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant located in Aberdeen Harbor. Read more
Chinese Culture 101 | Part 5 – Food / Dining
This post is part of a series exploring Chinese culture. See the links at the bottom of this page for more.
Much of Chinese culture revolves around dining and culinary experiences where both business and pleasure are combined with an astonishingly wide array of tastes and smells. Being such a large and ethnically diverse country with different climates and natural resources each region has its own local specialities which the Chinese are often keen to try and introduce to others. Generally you will find hot and spicy food in the north with mild and cooler food in the south (more about regional cuisines here).
Photo by KellyB
A Chinese dining table is usually round allowing everyone to engage equally in conversation and will be set with two bowls (for rice and soup), a plate (for meat and vegetables), a cup for tea, and a pair of chopsticks for each person. Food dishes are placed into the centre of the table to be shared between everyone. Don’t be put off if you see people spitting bones/seeds onto the plate as this is perfectly normal when eating Chinese food.
Photo by faungg
Contrary to what you might find in your local China Town, Chinese food is generally healthy and often beautifully presented. Texture, flavor, color, and aroma are key considerations for all Chinese cooks (above nutritional content). In addition specific foods have different meanings and must be eaten on various occasions such as festivals, weddings, or to welcome an honored guest.
Heavy drinking is often a part of doing business and it is expected that you’ll keep up with others. If you do not want to drink alcohol make it clear before you start. Be warned that Chinese spirits are particularly potent!
Next time we look at the core concepts which influence Chinese thinking and how this effects personal and professional relationships.
Read more
Vietnamese Spring Restaurant
If you’ve never tried Vietnamese food go now and try. Your stomach can thank me later.
If you need a little more convincing here’s a few action shots from my visit to “Spring” last weekend, a new restaurant which has popped up in my locality:
Chicken Salad (Goi Ga) - onion, peppers, basil, mint, chicken, peanut, cilantro, sweet & sour dressing
Prawn Spring Rolls (Gỏi cuốn) – little parcels of fresh goodness with Nước chấm dipping sauce
Baguette (Bánh Mi Thit) – French bread containing paté, ham, various vegetables garnished with coriander
This was my third experience of Vietnamese food (the other times being in Guangzhou and Seoul) and although it was just a light lunch everything was delicious and healthy with so many fresh vegetables. The decor was also pretty tasty with a simple green/grey colour scheme.
If they eat this kind of thing everyday in Vietnam then I’d say they have it pretty well!
Secret Pig’s Hoof Restaurant
Someone commented the other day that my life in China sometimes appears to be one big culinary extravaganza and unsurprisingly I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with them! Chinese food is undoubtedly amongst the best in the world but what makes it even more special is that you don’t have to go to a posh restaurant to enjoy it (although this post is going to be somewhat of a contradiction!).
After a very long week at work I ventured to the district of Futian to a Sichuanese restaurant called Ba Shu Feng Ju (巴蜀风居 - near Coco Park). It was getting a bit late so wasn’t very busy and if the interior was anything to go by the food was certainly going to be special. I’d describe the style as being “Chinese traditional-modern” if that makes any sense. The walls were made from moulded concrete with a smooth finish and architectural lighting
Aside from the swanky decor the other thing which set it apart was its amazing menu. Never before have I seen such a wonderful collection of chinglish in one place. From “Miscellaneous sauce noodles” to “Acid and hot potato vermicelli” and “Pork bits sauce noodles” this place had it all. The crown jewels had to be the “Secret Pig’s Hoofs” which despite their mysterious allure I left to the imagination and instead picked out some delicious pork cooked in pumpkin (above) and stone crushed beef (below).
Despite the late hour the food was cooked to near perfection and was just what I needed after a long week! As well as the meat we ordered some sweet glutinous rice fried covered in a type of brown sugar (unhealthy but delicious) as well as some greens. Interestingly in China there is no concept of desert so sweet food is mixed with savoury during the meal.
Once the feasting was over there was still quite a bit left over but in China it’s perfectly normal to ask for the left-overs to be packaged up so you can take them home to enjoy later – in fact it’s a supposed to be a good sign of respect to the chef if you do since you clearly appreciated the mastery!
Whilst China has many problems, food certainly isn’t one of them.
Chinese Cuisine
One of the great things about living in China is the variety and quality of food on offer. Being such a large and ethnically diverse country with different climates and natural resources each region has its own local specialities and tastes (some being more palatable than others). Real Chinese food is a million miles from the greasy junk you’ll find at your local takeaway and is usually high in nutrients, low in calories and well-balanced. As a general rule you’ll predominately find noodles in the north and rice in the south with five main regional divisions* -
- South-eastern – Canton (Guangdong) – Famous for roast meats and delicate sauces as well as stir fried dishes with vegetables and the delicious delights of dim sum. Probably the most well-known and popular around the world.
- Western – Sichuan – Highly spiced, peppery and oily dishes prepared using vast quantities of dried chilli, Sichuan pepper, sesame seed oil and fermented bean curd paste. This distinct style of cooking is not for the fain of heart!
- North-eastern – Peking - Imperial Chinese cooking at its best. Consists of mildly spiced dishes rather than rich foods. Peking Duck, Mongolian hot pot, soft-fried foods, and delicious dumplings all on offer.
- Central – Hunan (and Shanghai) - Characterised by rich sauces and complex flavors. Tender vegetables, accompanied by freshwater fish and crustaceans are prepared mainly with ginger and Shao Xing wine.
- East Coast – Fukien (Fujian) – Famous for seafood and clear, light soups. Fukien is also noted for its subtle use of cooking wine, its soy sauce, egg rolls and suckling pig.
(*summarised from here)
Of course not all Chinese cooking is to everyone’s taste, especially if you’re used to a western palate, and using chopsticks takes a bit of getting used to. I’m quite happy to try almost everything once (much to my mums surprise!) and generally like most of it. The only thing I dislike is having to de-bone most meat/fish yourself and then spit out the rejected bits onto the table – it’s against my British sense of good table manors but quite the norm around here!
All the pictures in this post are from my trip to Xi’an which boasted some amazing food and especially strong spirits (56%) which the locals drank to ward of the cold weather (as well as smoking like chimneys). Unfortunately I’m not sure about what all the dishes are called. More about Xi’an cuisine can be found here.
Above: cauliflower like you’ve never had it before!
One of the local specialities not to be missed are traditional flatbread called Youzhi which are filled with shredded cured pork meat creating a delicious and cheap snack called Rou jia mo.
The flatbread are also used in a beef/mutton soup called Yangrou paomo which is made by breaking the bread into small pieces before being added to the soup with seasoning and then eaten with pickled garlic cloves. The custom of having the customers crumble their own breads supposedly make the food taste better!