Food

China riding high on a gastronomical tide

By Richard Xu (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-06-01 08:25

EXPERT'S TAKE  RICHARD XU

As food is at the core of culture and lifestyle, gastronomy in China is as diversified as its 56 ethnic groups, 23 provinces, four municipalities, five autonomous regions and two special administrative regions, drawing on a 5,000-year-old heritage.

Yet, this does not include tens of millions of overseas Chinese around the world who have integrated Chinese cuisine into the mainstream culture of other societies.

True to the saying, for tradition to survive it has to evolve with the times. And Chinese cuisine, being among the most diversified, has been undergoing changes since time immemorial.

The 21st century saw China grow in leaps and bounds to become a major player in the world economy. With tens of thousands of Western expatriates in the country, gastronomy in China is awakening to the joys of Western culinary culture, making the country the biggest potential market in the world for new cuisine, food and beverage products, and culinary education.

Moreover, the hosting of events such as the Olympics, the World Expo and other major international trade shows in China accelerated the boom in its hospitality, food and beverage sectors. In the process, the competition constantly raises the bar of culinary excellence and innovation to new heights, making the new generation of chefs the torchbearers for China's gastronomic ascent into the future.

Revolutionary culinary concepts, new even in Western cuisine, are now being adopted into the vernacular of Chinese cookery, creating an on-going fusion within China's own rapidly evolving cuisine.

Riding this gastronomic tide, Chinese and Western cuisine come together in remarkable fashion, merging into an epicurean culture that is only as limited as the imagination, driven by creative Chinese chefs and "culinarians" of all ages, ready to show the world the treasures of "China-Western Cuisine".

Go to the restaurants in Beijing and Shanghai and you'll know what I mean. Many have taken a noticeably Western approach to the presentation of their dishes, without detracting from the quality of the meal. Rather, it elevates dining in China to a similar level of high cuisine often found in the West - where jaded diners expect panache and adventure with each bite.

These past years have shown that dining in Beijing is no longer exclusive to roast duck. Every month there are restaurant openings and visits from highly-acclaimed chefs from around the world.

There has been a reversal in the way Western and Chinese restaurants have had to adapt to the change in clientele. Many high-end Chinese restaurants are beginning to plate separately, changing the shared aspect of Chinese banquet dining into a more personalized experience.

On the other hand, many Western restaurants have begun focusing on the sharing of food, featuring larger plates and tapas-style dishes (which the Chinese have been keen on).

ROOM Beijing for example not only uses many local ingredients, such as its extensive use of glutinous rice, but presents the food in an environment surrounded by contemporary local art. Where the West tries to become more oriental, China seeks to Westernize.

This blending of dining cultures should not be lamented, but be celebrated, as further knowledge brings balance.

In every exchange, both sides always profit and as surely as these celebrity chefs come to China to share, they also come to learn.

Richard Xu is editor-in-chief of New Western Cuisine Magazine.

(China Daily 06/01/2011 page50)