Story of Food

Author: Zhu Zhenfan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Eating well is good, eating skillfully is good, but also eating for the sake of it. Then why not eat with depth and culture? The culture of food, apart from delicious ingredients and exquisite techniques, requires a bit of heart—love it passionately, immerse yourself in it, imagine or taste—both filled with wonder and joy, intertwined with lingering charm and gratitude. There are also the of adding a bit of salt, reducing a bit of sweetness, or not being too much or too little. This is the art and scholarship of it. A dish of Kung Pao Chicken tells a story of Ding Baozhen eliminating the evil eunuch An Dehai; a bowl of salted pork congee is linked to the history of Lu Xiufu of the Southern Song Dynasty protecting the young emperor during a famine. Beyond the pleasure of the cuisine, the characters, stories, and connections to historical backgrounds make the act of eating even more profound and rich.
Eating well is good, eating skillfully is good, but also eating for the sake of it. Then why not eat with depth and culture?