Chapter 2 Food

Text Reading

◎Text A

Eight Cuisines

（F: Foreigner C: Chinese）

F: Before I came to China, I was told that Chinese food is very delicious. When I am here, I find it more delicious than what I imagined. And I can see that Chinese food stresses color, smell, and taste. Is it correct？

C: Correct. Actually in Chinese cooking we pay attention to beauty of harmony, which is the essence of Chinese cooking art. The taste of food has nothing to do with the color, but when we describe good we call it “meishi,” the primary element of which is color because only a good color combination can arouse people's appetite. Color is emphasized in home cooking as well. Color combination is at its best with some of the traditional household dishes, such as tomatoes with eggs or green onions with tofu.

F: I assume color combination is stressed even more with major culinary styles since I was told there are some culinary styles in China.

C: That is true. Chinese cuisine has a number of different genres, but the most influential and typical known by the public are the “Eight Cuisines.” They are: Shandong Cuisine, Guangdong Cuisine, Sichuan Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine, Jiangsu Cuisine, Zhejiang Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine, and Anhui Cuisine. The essential factors that establish the form of a genre are complex which include history, cooking features, geography, climate, resources, life styles, etc.

Take Guangdong food for example. It is hot and humid in Guangdong, people are mindful of the dryness-heat on their internal organs; Therefore Guangdong food is mild in both taste and color combination. You can't find a lot of hot and spicy food in Guangdong dishes because warm colors in the hot summer can be repulsive to people' s appetite. Sichuan food is just the opposite. Sichuan is also very humid but unlike Guangdong; Sichuan people choose to use extremely hot peppers to stimulate appetite.

F: A friend of mine once invited me to eat Sichuan food and I know it is really hot and red. By the way, Boiled Salted Duck impressed me very much, because it was so delicious. What kind of cuisine does it belong to？

C: That is Jiangsu Cuisine which is popular in the lower reach of the Yangtze River. It makes aquatic products as the main ingredients, and stresses the freshness of materials. Its carving techniques are delicate, of which the melon carving technique is especially well known. Its cooking techniques consist of stewing, braising, roasting, simmering, etc. The flavor of Jiangsu Cuisine is light, fresh, and sweet with delicate elegance. Typical courses of Jiangsu Cuisine include Boiled Salted Duck, Stewed Crab with Clear Soup, Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish, and Liangxi Crisp Eel, etc.

F: So many delicious dishes! I have a Chinese friend from the north, perhaps Shandong province, and he told me there are also lots of delicious food there.

C: It seems that he told you something on Shandong food. Some people, especially those in Shandong say that mild dishes are short of the rich taste while dark color dishes are short of savor. And Shandong food combines the best of taste and savor. Shandong food tends to highlight taste and color in order to satisfy the needs of both.

F: That' s an interesting observation. Can you tell me the others of those eight culinary styles in China？

C: OK. Have you ever tried fish head with chopped chili? That is the typical meal in Hunan Cuisine. Hunan Cuisine lays a stress on the use of oil, dense color, and techniques that produce crispness, softness, and tenderness as well as the savory flavors and spices. Braised fins in brown sauce, sauté fresh cabbage with chestnuts, Dong'an chicken, and spring chicken, are of the highest reputation. Chairman Mao, together with other leaders, praised Hunan Cuisine in 1958, which is the pride of Hunan people.

F: Wow, I am going to try it sometime next week. Then what about in Zhejiang？

C: Zhejiang Cuisine is characterized by fresh, tender, soft, smooth, sweet, glutinous, and refreshing flavor. It consists of Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, and other local food，which is marked by Hangzhou's fineness and diversification, Ningbo's softness and originality, and Shaoxing's pastoral interests.

F: Yes, I have found that, too.

C: Then come to Fujian Cuisine. Seafood is indispensable to Fujian Cuisine. Fujian Cuisine has four distinctive features, that is, fine cutting techniques, alternative soups, unique seasonings, and exquisite cooking. Chefs can always cut the thin jellyfish into three pieces and into very thin thread. And thanks to the abundant resources of marine products, the soup of this cuisine genre has its freshness and keeps its own savor with ease. The seasonings add sweet and sour flavors to the dishes. To add to its appeal, the food is served up in or on elegant bowls or plates.

F: It sounds good.

C: Among the dishes on the Anhui Cuisine menu, you will find less fried or quick-fried dishes than those that are braised, steamed, and stewed. People here are inclined to add ham as a seasoning and sugar candy to enrich the freshness and are quite accomplished at the art of cooking. They are experts especially in cooking delicacies from land and sea. Stewed chicken with bamboo shoots soup, for example, is a very famous dish in Anhui Cuisine.

F: It seems that appealing dishes are countless.

C: That's true. In other places there are also great tastes and no matter where you visit, there will be fascinating food that you can enjoy.

F: By the way, I was told that in China a serving of fruit signals the end of a meal. Is it right？

C: Yes, that's right. In China, fruit is also symbolic. Oranges symbolize happiness; apples symbolize peace; pomegranates symbolize fertility; and peaches symbolize longevity.

八大菜系

（F：外国人C：中国人）

F：我来中国之前就听说中国菜很好吃。来了以后发现比我想象的还要好吃。我觉得中国菜强调色香味俱全，对吗？

C：是的。中国烹饪注重的是色香味俱全，这是中国烹饪艺术的精髓。食物的口感本来与颜色无关，但是我们形容好吃的食物时称之为“美食”，其首要元素是颜色，因为只有美的颜色组合才能激发人们的食欲。即使是在家庭烹饪中我们也强调颜色的搭配，比如一些传统的家庭菜肴中，西红柿炒鸡蛋或小葱拌豆腐，颜色都搭配得非常好。

F：我听说中国有好多大菜系，我想各大菜系更看重菜品的色泽吧。

C：对的。中国菜有很多不同的流派，但最具影响力和代表性的是八大菜系，即鲁菜、粤菜、川菜、湘菜、苏菜、浙菜、闽菜和徽菜。形成一种菜系的基本要素是复杂的，包括历史、烹饪特征、地理、气候、资源、生活方式等等。

以粤菜为例。因为广东地区又热又潮，人们对去除五脏之火就特别上心，因此粤菜的口味和颜色都比较温和。粤菜鲜有辛辣的食物，因为在炎热的夏日暖色调的食物会让人没有食欲。川菜则正好相反。四川也很潮湿，但和广东人不同，四川人选择用非常辣的辣椒来开胃。

F：有个朋友带我去吃过川菜，确实是又辣又红。对了，我还吃过盐水鸭，太好吃了，让人难以忘怀。盐水鸭属于什么菜呢？

C：那属于苏菜。苏菜盛行于长江下游地区。它以水产为主要材料，强调材料的新鲜。苏菜雕工精细，尤以瓜雕见长。烹饪手法包括蒸煮、焖炖、烧烤以及慢炖等。苏菜口味清淡、鲜嫩微甜，精美雅致。苏菜的招牌菜有盐水鸭、清汤蟹肉、松鼠桂鱼、梁溪脆鳝等。

F：这么多好吃的菜哇！我还有个中国朋友来自北方，好像是山东的，他和我说他们那里也有很多很好吃的菜。

C：你说的是鲁菜。有人，尤其是有些山东人认为清淡的菜肴缺少浓郁的味道，而色泽深的菜肴则缺乏品味。鲁菜则把两者相平衡了。鲁菜注重味道和颜色，能同时满足口味和品味两方面的需求。

F：有意思。你能再说说中国八大菜系中其他菜系的特点吗？

C：没问题。你吃过剁椒鱼头吗？这是湘菜的特色菜肴。湘菜油重色浓，注重用很多香料烹制出香辣、香鲜、软嫩的菜肴，红烧鱼鳍、栗子烧白菜、东安鸡、神仙鸡都是最具盛名的。毛主席和其他领导人曾在1958年盛赞湘菜，这一直为湖南人所骄傲。

F：哇，我打算下周去试试湘菜，那么浙菜如何呢？

C：浙菜的特点是鲜、嫩、软、滑、香、糯、清爽。它由杭州、宁波、绍兴及其他地方菜组成，其中人们普遍认为杭州菜精致而多样化、宁波菜柔软和原汁原味，而绍兴菜尤以田园风情见长。

F：还真是，我也发现了。

C：再看闽菜吧。海鲜对闽菜来说是必不可少的。闽菜有四大特色：刀工精妙、汤菜考究、注重调味、烹调精细。厨师们总是可以把已经很薄的海蜇切成三片，再切成细丝。丰富的海产品使得该菜系的汤不仅新鲜，而且可以轻松地保持其自身的风味。调味料给菜肴增添了甜酸的风味。为了增加它的吸引力，福建人总是把食物盛在非常好看的碗盘里。

F：听起来不错。

C：徽菜擅长烧、炖、蒸，而炒或爆炒少。安徽人喜欢把火腿和糖作为调味料提鲜，而且在烹饪艺术上也颇有建树。徽菜向以烹饪山珍海味而著称，其中竹笋煲鸡就是道不错的菜。

F：似乎好吃的菜肴数不胜数啊。

C：是啊。除了这八大菜系外还有很多别的好吃的菜，总之，无论你去哪里，都会有你喜欢的美食。

F：顺便问一下，我听说在中国，上水果就标志着一顿饭的结束。是这样的吗？

C：是的。在中国，水果还具有象征意义：橘子象征幸福，苹果象征平安，石榴象征多子，桃子则是长寿的象征。

Exercises

Ⅰ Please write down the typical dish or main features of each cuisine.

Ⅱ Match the Chinese food in Column A with the English translation in Column B.

Column A Column B

1．剁椒鱼头 seafood

2．豆腐 stewed chicken with bamboo shoots soup

3．海鲜 tofu

4．竹笋炖鸡汤 fish head with chopped chili

5．红烧鱼鳍 spring chicken

6．栗子炒白菜 braised fins in brown sauce

7．神仙鸡 sauté fresh cabbage with chestnuts

◎Text B

Deadly Delicious

（F: Foreigner C: Chinese）

F: Yesterday, when I was angry, one of my Chinese friends, asked me to eat more tofu and green beans, which can decrease internal heat. I was confused about what that meant.

C: Well, doctors of traditional Chinese medicine believe people need a balance of yin and yang to be healthy. For example, if you are often weak and tired, maybe it's because you have too much yin in your body, and you should eat hot yang foods, like beef. Eating dangshen and huangqi herbs are also effective. While people who are stressed out and easily angry may have too much yang. Doctors of traditional Chinese medicine believe that these people should eat more yin foods like tofu.

F: It seems that I really have to eat more tofu.

C: One should be careful not to eat too much of either yang or yin food. How much yang or yin food one should eat depends on many elements, such as season, cooking method, cooking seasoning, the individual's constitution, etc.

F: Oh, it's a little complicated for me to understand.

C: There are more stresses on Chinese food. The Chinese ancients also took the relationships of inter-generation and inter-restriction among the five elements, namely Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, to discuss and infer the mutual relationships and the complicated laws of movement and changes among things, including food.

F: It's not so easy for me to grasp it in a short time.

C: Have you watched the film Deadly Delicious? Maybe that film can make it easier to understand Chinese food.

F: Not yet. What is it about? Chinese food？

C: The movie of Deadly Delicious just finds its inspiration in inter-generation and inter-restriction of traditional Chinese delicacies.

A gourmet can kill you. The wealthy businessman Chen Jiaqiao was dating a pretty air hostess named Coco. Coco wasn't sure how to keep him satisfied—and she was sure she couldn't do it with her cooking since he's a gourmet. Luckily, Coco met a gourmet chef Gu Xiaofen, who provided Coco with numerous delicious Chinese recipes designed to satisfy Jiaqiao's picky palate and stimulate his sexual desires. Xiaofen's help comprised more than providing recipes; she frequently prepared the key ingredients and handed them off to Coco. The plan was a startling success; Jiaqiao seemed perfectly content with his beautiful young girlfriend.

F: Nothing special.

C: However, Jiaqiao was struck with sudden physical pains before long, plus his eyebrows and hair began to thin, and he began to feel weak. Consultations with doctors yield proposed remedies, but few actual cures. Finally, during an acupuncture treatment, one doctor discovered that Jiaqiao had been poisoned. The truth of the matter is that Xiaofen, his wife, not only taught Coco to do some delicious dishes, but also prepared another dish which will be harmful to his health when taken together with what Coco prepared. The combinations of food were killing Jiaqiao.

F: It uses a common theme—food and relationships—to essentially tell a human horror story. Can food really do that？

C: Not exactly. Experts point out that the power of the food's inter-restriction is much exaggerated in the film.

《双食记》

（F：外国人C：中国人）

F：昨天，我正在生气的时候，一个中国朋友让我多吃豆腐和青豆，说是这样可以降降火。这是什么意思？

C：传统中医认为，人需要阴阳平衡来保持健康。例如，如果你时常感到虚弱和疲惫，也许你是阴气太盛，你应该吃些热性的食物，比如牛肉。吃党参和黄芪也很对症。相反，压力过大和易怒的人可能是阳气太盛，中医认为他们应该多吃凉性食物，比如豆腐。

F：看来我是要多吃豆腐了。

C：热性或凉性食物都不能吃太多。而热性及凉性食物的摄入量，则应视时令、烹饪方式、烹饪调料及个人体质等因素而定。

F：这个对我来说有点难理解了。

C：中国食物还有更多讲究呢。中国古人还利用五行（五行是指金、木、水、火、土五种基本物质元素）的相生相克关系，来探讨和推断所有事物，包括食物之间的相互关系及复杂的运动规律和变化规律。

F：一时半会儿我还真理解不了。

C：你看过电影《双食记》吗？也许这部电影会让你更容易理解中国食物。

F：没有。是讲什么的？是讲中国食物的吗？

C:《双食记》电影的灵感就来源于中国传统美食中的相生相克说法。

美食家可以杀人。富商陈家桥和一位名叫可可的漂亮空姐约会，可可不知道怎么留住他——而且她知道肯定不是厨艺，因为她不擅长下厨，而他是一个美食家。幸运的是，可可遇到了美食厨师顾晓芬，她为可可提供了许多美味的中国菜的食谱，可以满足家桥挑剔的口味，刺激他的欲望。晓芬的帮助不仅仅是提供食谱，她还经常给可可准备关键的食材。这个计划取得了惊人的成功，家桥现在似乎对他这个漂亮的小女友十分满意。

F：听上去没什么特别的。

C：然而不久，家桥就出现了身体上的疼痛，眉毛和头发开始变得稀疏，他开始感到虚弱。医生也束手无策，找不到真正有用的治疗方法。最后，在一次针灸治疗中，一名医生发现家桥是中毒了。真相是：晓芬是家桥的妻子，她在教可可烧菜给家桥吃的同时，回家又给家桥准备一份与之相克的食物，而这些食物的组合几乎可以置家桥于死地。

F：看来这部电影用了一个常见的主题——食物和人际关系——来讲述一个人类恐怖故事。食物真的能做到这样吗？

C：也不尽然。专家指出，影片中食物之间相克作用的力量被过分夸大了。

Exercises

Ⅰ Answer the following question after reading the text.

What is your idea about Deadly Delicious？

Ⅱ Match the items in Column A with the items in Column B.

Column A Column B

1．inter-generation 滋补饮食

2．inter-restriction 药膳

3．tonic diet 相生

4．herbal cuisine 热性食物

5．yang food 日常生活

6．daily life 相克

Chinese Eyes on the World

Kimchi

（R: Reporter C: Chef）

R: Hi there. I'm doing a story about Asian cuisine and wonder if you could give me some details about Korean food? I'm particularly interested in kimchi.

C: Of course! Well, kimchi is basically a salted, picked vegetable dish, often a basic side dish in any Korean meal. The fermentation of different vegetables, complemented by salted fish and other seasonings, gives it a unique flavor. It's also a nutritious dish，providing vitamins, lactic acid, and minerals. Kimchi can also be preserved for a long time.

R: OK, so pickles. Is there more than one type of kimchi？

C: Yes. there are many types of kimchi. Whole cabbage kimchi is the basic one. The cabbage isn't actually whole though, it's cut in half lengthways. Next is wrapped kimchi，where seafood, fruit, and many other ingredients are wrapped inside cabbage leaves.

R: Mmmm... that one sounds lovely. It smells good too.

C: It's delicious. We can try some later. As to white cabbage kimchi, it is less watery than other types. It uses more pickled fish and red pepper, too. Then, stuffed cucumber kimchi, which can be done by using baby cucumbers. Followed by hot radish kimchi, where the white radishes are cut into small cubes.

R: OK, I see. There are so many! Are there any other？

C: Yes, over here we have whole radish kimchi, using whole small, salted radishes. Next we have radish water kimchi, which is made without red pepper powder. And finally, water kimchi, made of thinly sliced radish and cabbage, watercress, and spring onions.

R: Wow! And this is just a selection? Which is your favorite？

C: I have to say I enjoy the stuffed cucumber kimchi. It is suitable for spring and summer, when most people lose their appetite. Cucumbers are fermented after being stuffed with different seasonings. The crunchiness and fragrance of well-fermented cucumber make them a true delicacy. Only the desired amount can be prepared at one time as it easily turns sour. Which would you like to try?

R: All of them! But, I think I'll try the wrapped kimchi. That one sounds the most interesting to me.

Cultural Exchange

Ⅰ Try to learn how to make Chinese dumplings.

Ⅱ Create a one-page advertisement for your favorite food.

Describe how it tastes, looks, and makes you feel when you eat it. You can also include a drawing to show how good it looks.

Pin or tape your advertisement to the wall with your classmates' advertisements and see how many of you choose the same food.

Ⅲ Make a survey of foods that people don't like to eat.

Talk to five people outside the classroom. Ask them questions about each of the foods below.

Have you ever eaten...？

If so, did you like it/them? Or if not, would you be willing to eat it/them？

There are four different ways to answer the questions：

A. Yes, I'd like to eat it/them.

B. Yes, but I didn't like it/them.

C. No, but I'd be willing to eat it/them.

D. No, and I wouldn't be willing to eat it/them.

Foods

dog meat

horse meat

snail

raw fish

alligator

hot dog

milk

pizza

sheep's eye

frog's leg

bear's paw

calf 's liver

animal intestine

oyster

beef

brains

ant

beef tongue

snake

pork

corn on the cob

peanut butter

raw vegetable salad

cheese

monkey meat

yogurt

noodles with tomato sauce

After you finish your survey, compare your answers with your classmates'. Are their answers similar or very different？

Ⅳ Play a game.

Can you guess what kind of food it is just according to its ingredients？

Ingredients: rice, soy sauce, mustard, seaweed

Ⅴ Enjoy the following idioms on food.

Do you know the meaning of the following idioms？

fig leaf

talk turkey

say turkey to one and buzzard to another

have a turkey on one's back

as poor as Job's turkey

swell like a turkey

red as a turkey cock

freckled as a turkey egg

nest egg

have eggs on the spit

run with the hare and hunt with the hounds

The pumpkin has not turned into a coach.