FOREWORD

Modes of travel have so improved in recent years that the world seems to have really grown so much smaller and international intercourse has become so much easier. Increasing numbers of visitors are coming to China each year and they sooner or later become acquainted with Chinese food. It is natural that many of these people find themselves desirous of learning something of the mysteries of Chinese cooking and the art of imparting the subtle flavourings to the various dishes. There can be no doubt that the taste for Chinese food among foreigners is growing very considerably. The introduction of Chinese food at the well-known hotels in Hong Kong and the increasing popularity of Chinese restaurants in Shanghai testify to the increasing interest of foreigners in Chinese cooking.

Although East and West are getting closer through increased contact, Chinese customs still differ widely from those of the West and, in some instances, are actually the reverse of Western ideas. To avoid misunderstandings as well as to assist in the full appreciation of Chinese food in the surroundings of Chinese homes and restaurants some knowledge of these customs will be found very helpful:

At a Chinese dinner the host sits opposite the guest of honour because, from the oriental point of view, the highest seat should logically be opposite the lowest. The left-hand side of the host is regarded as being higher than the right-hand side. It is permissible by Chinese custom to remove the short outer jacket, wearing only a long robe for dining. Soup and fish are served only at the end of the dinner instead of at the beginning as is the custom of the West. Warm wine is provided, in contrast to the Western custom of icy cold drinks.

The interior surroundings, in the way of furniture and decorations, are usually very plain in most of the old-style restaurants.

At a Chinese meal such articles as milk, bread, butter or cheese are never served. Sometimes dishes considered by us to be rare and delicious may be thought unpalatable for consumption by foreigners—as, for example, bear paws, chicken feet, duck tongues, pig trotters, etc.

It is not surprising, then, that a stranger confronted for the first time with unaccustomed articles of our diet should feel dismayed and uncomfortable. As an illustration, I recall the experience of a friend of mine, an English lady of title, who was on her first visit to this country to see her son, the head of a large foreign tobacco company in Peiping. Her fist encounter with Chinese food was at a dinner in a restaurant. The unaccustomed dishes upset her so badly that she practically decided not to accept any further invitations to Chinese dinners. This was the excuse she made to me when I asked her later to dinner. However, she finally persuaded herself to try once again, and accepted my invitation. Her second adventure was more fortunate, and she told me that on this occasion she found the food really delicious and was now anxious to make a third trial. From that time onwards my friend would eat and enjoy herself even in restaurants. She returned to England many years ago. In one of her letters to me she reminds me of the delicious dishes she had tasted while in China. Had this lady not remained long enough to have had the opportunity of discovering really attractive dishes, she most likely would have concluded that Chinese food was revolting, and would have conveyed this impression to the people back in her own country.

Many of my foreign friends have expressed the desire to see, in a handy form, an explanation of Chinese customs and practices supplementing the information on the preparation and enjoyment of Chinese food, and have thus given me encouragement and confidence to attempt the task in this little book. I also desire to assist my friends to prepare a few dishes in their own homes so that they may be able to demonstrate how delicious Chinese food really is.

It is my sincere hope that this little volume will be helpful to all epicures who desire pleasure and enjoyment from the exotic as well as the delicious in food.

D.C.