Written by: Liu Fawei
Posted on: December 31, 2018 | 
| 中文
President Putin trying to make Chinese Pancake and Goubuli stuffed buns
For tourists, local food is always simply a key to learn about the place that they are visiting.
In the past, “Jianbing” (a kind of Chinese style pancake and a local special food of Tianjin) and Goubuli Stuffed Buns (a famous local special food of Tianjin) have been very popular among many foreign tourists when they are in the country. Now, they have become the favorite food of Mr. Putin, President of Russia. Recently, when President Putin was visiting Tianjin, he and other Russian guests were invited to a banquet in honor of him, given by Xi Jinping, President of PRC. Putin managed to make “Jianbing” and Goubuli stuffed buns himself. “You will have to remember that I am the person who made them!” said Putin to Xi Jinping when he was handing them to Xi Jinping, and asked him to try them.
Indeed, Chinese traditional food culture is enjoyed by many foreign state leaders. There are many interesting anecdotes about how they liked Chinese food, and these became a part of their stay in China. When Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, was visiting Sichuan Province, she visited an old Sichuan restaurant, learned how to make Kung Pao Chicken (spicy diced chicken with peanut, a famous Sichuan special dish) right there, by observing the whole cooking process, she wrote down what was needed as raw materials and cooking steps, and said that she would show it off when she went back home. A skilled user of chopsticks as she is, Merkel almost finished the whole dish, and invited everyone present to take a bite of it. Soon after, she went to a nearby market, to buy a bottle of Pixian Bean Paste (a spice for Kung Pao Chicken) for her home kitchen.
Similarly, Cameron, former UK Prime Minister, is also very fond of Sichuan cuisines. During his visit to China in 2013, he had his “hot-pot experience” in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan. He ordered a “Yuanyang” pot (with red soup in half and white soup in another half). He was trying the crazy spicy flavor, and he only ate the food from the red soup (very hot), while did not touched anything from the white soup (not hot) from the beginning to the end.
As food is always an important part of everyone’s life, what is behind the Chinese cuisines is the diversity of Chinese culture. Even among the 8 Cuisines of China, there are many different dishes in each of them. The clashes, fusions, and coexistence of these cuisines and dishes in the food culture, are just a manifestation of the tolerance and inclusiveness of Chinese culture.
When SCO Summit was held in Qingdao of China, it attracted worldwide attention, and so did the local cuisines of Shangdong and Qingdao. On the menu of the welcome banquet, the cuisines were from “The Feast of Confucius Mansion.” All the dishes were cooked in a delicate manner. For example, there was a dish called “Bazhenzhong” (a kind of soup with eight kinds of fine ingredients) and they were stewed for about 8 hours, and then it took the cooks about two hours to perfect them. So, it took 10 hours’ cooking time, before it was on the table.
The dishes of “The Feast of Confucius Mansion,” though appeared to be plain, had a long history. They dated back to 272 BC, about more than two thousand years ago. The descendants of Confucius strictly followed his teachings of, “eat no rice but of the finest quality, nor meat but is finely minced,” which is meant to stress that “one must be very particular about one's food.”
“The Feast of Confucius” appeared at the welcome banquet for SCO Qingdao Summit, not only bringing the fine taste of the food to the people who attended, but also passing on the Chinese traditional concept that “it is wonderful to have friends coming from afar,” and it also conveys the special spiritual temperament of SCO to the whole world. Each of the authentic Shandong dishes, and distinctive architectures of Qingdao, showcased a beautiful and hospitable Qingdao City and its rich culture.
How popular is Chinese food in the world?
According to the statistics from Global Survey Report on China National Images 2016-2017 issued by the Academy of Modern China and World, the general images of China have steadily risen. Chinese cuisines, traditional Chinese medicine, and Wushu are three things that are most representative of Chinese culture. Of all the foreigners interviewed, about 80 percent said they had tried Chinese cuisines, and 72 % of them gave high praise to it, thus Chinese cuisine has been an important “medium” for many foreigners to learn about China.
According to the Report of Global Professionals’ China Inbound Tourism, issued by Institute of Chinese Tourism and LinkedIn, when asked what they mostly expected for China tour, the interviewees believe that the history, culture and Chinese cuisines are what they expected. When those professionals who have visited China were asked what they were satisfied about in their visit to the country, they said that they enjoyed Chinese cuisines, and landscape and cultural experiences, are what they were most satisfied about.
According to the statistics from Asian American Restaurant Association, the number of Chinese restaurants in the US, are 3 times more than that of McDonald’s, which is an obvious evidence of how popular Chinese food is in the country.
Now, the Chinese elements appear in many South Korean variety shows, and many media companies come to China to shoot their cuisine programs. Many television hosts are surprised at the varieties of Chinese food when they come into Chinese Restaurants and gourmet shops, for there are so many kinds, and it is difficult for them to choose from. Indeed, trying Chinese food has become the best way for a foreigner coming to China, to learn more about Chinese culture.
Peterka, a student from Tanzania, participating in a training program in China, said, “Chinese cuisines are wonderful, and too many for me to choose from.” It was his first time in China, but he has been totally captivated by Chinese food. “I am going to have my friends and family come to China, and I want them to personally try all kinds of Chinese food in China!”
Translated by Yang Jing
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