‘Chopstick’ through central China(2)
In the words of writer Valerie Sartor: “To be a Chinese cook, one must be a diplomat, an artist, a philosopher and a chemist, blending flavours, nutritional potential and beauty into a series of elegant dishes that delight and nourish the guests.”
Accordingly, it is with some sense of gravitas that I join a group travelling through Henan and Shanxi. The refined and varied cuisines of these provinces are to form for us a kind of table-piece for the whole trip, with meals becoming a central event that will define and refine subsequent perceptions.
However, one “hurdle” is the extraordinary ubiquity of baijiu, a fiery sorghum-derived liquor. Given the tactful advice of China experts that “it’s rude to turn down an offering (of liquor), so one must be prepared to deal with this hospitality”, it has to be said that learning to deal gracefully with this gracious drink takes just a little time. But it’s a learning experience well worth undertaking.
This trip starts in the ancient city of Kaifeng, which had a population of around 1.5 million about 5,000 years ago. Today, the population is around 780,000 and fast climbing once again, as new housing developments set around a scenic lake are complemented by restoration of historic city infrastructure, including the 1,000 year-old Rainbow Bridge.
Fiery red chillies make this Shanxi dish a chillihead’s delight The bizarrely-named “Zero O’Clock Supermarket” seems to define the constantly unexpected character of Kaifeng.
