"Taste something": Open your mouth to eat, open your heart

Editor's note: Fuxia, author and author of Shark Fins and Peppers, has compiled and revised many of his essays published in the Financial Times, The New York Times, Food Magazine, Los Angeles Times and other well-known media, and collected them into a book called "Taste of Things". In this food essay, Fuxia vividly describes the various differences between Eastern and Western food cultures and wonderful interesting things about food through the four themes of "eating east and west", "strange dishes and peculiar tastes", "heart and stomach communication" and "history of food".

This article is the preface to the new book, titled "Eat with Your Mouth Open, Open Your Heart."

"Taste of Things" (English) by Fuxia Dunlop translated by He Yujia

Video Editor Xue Song Source: Shanghai Translation Publishing House (00:57)

It's my long-cherished wish to eat at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California, which is recognized as the finest restaurant in North America. Rumor has it that it is impossible to book a table in the "laundry room". So, when I found a relationship and finally made a reservation, it felt ecstatic. However, it was in 2004, and in faraway China, most people had never seen a delicious exotic meal. The three "diners" who went to the "laundry room" with me were top Sichuan chefs who had never been to the so-called "West" before and knew very little about the so-called "Western food". As a result, all four of us experienced a strange dinner that made people restless (for more information, see the article "Sichuan Chef in America" in this book).

The meal that night seemed to me to be wonderful, but the three Sichuan masters thought that there were accusations, such as uncooked lamb, things that melted into cream, and desserts that had to be served several times, which was really greasy. That was the first time I saw "Western food" through the black eyes of Chinese: they were the first to be seen, and with the addition of culture shock, the "lethality" was multiplied. I was also an eye-opener and will never forget. I suddenly understood how strange and peculiar the food I was familiar with seemed to outsiders, just as my compatriots would look at Chinese delicacies such as sea cucumbers and chicken feet as strange. Almost all Europeans and Americans will think that the meals in the "French laundry" are delicious, but their views are not universal. Chef Yu Bo said at the time: "It's all funny, but I just can't tell whether it's good or bad: I'm not qualified to judge." This is a very pithy statement that still resonates with me today.

In my memoir-like gastronomic notebook Shark Fin and Peppercorns, I have had the privilege of tasting so many special foods in China over the past quarter-century. A long time ago, I vowed to "eat everything"; the Western world has many "what can be eaten" and "what cannot be eaten" prejudices, and I will never be discouraged from food. I understand that China's food culture is a leader in the world, and its diversity, breadth and refinement are unparalleled. I have a good reason: in such a gourmet country, if everyone regards a certain food as a delicacy, it must also deserve my attention. This spirit of adventure has paid off handsomely. I taste Chinese food, get to know the people who "produce" these plates, and share food with Chinese friends, which is really a joy in life. The more I learned, the more I became fascinated: the all-encompassing nature of Chinese food and the ingenuity and talent of the chefs to create delicious meals has always amazed me.

The cultural barriers could not stop me from hitting the southern wall, and I also tasted a lot of incredible food, some of which would be regarded as bizarre by my British compatriots, and even deeply disgusted. Today, some of my favorite foods are still classified as "weird" from a cultural point of view, such as fish maw and beef tendon, fish head and tofu. I also accompanied many Chinese friends on their first serious adventure in the world of "Western food". We went to restaurants in London, Sydney, and Turin, and I witnessed their first reactions, usually one in a mixture of appreciation and uneasiness; these reactions fundamentally changed my understanding of both Chinese and Western food. Today, I love to use light Chinese soups with "dry" dishes; I prefer to eat stir-fried greens than salads; if I eat in American restaurants for weeks, I usually feel that those foods are too "hot". If I am at home, I will make Chinese food most of the time to eat, and I often take the "diet therapy" method in Chinese culture to deal with my own small illnesses and pains.

It is said that traveling abroad and learning foreign languages can "open your eyes to broaden your mind", and my experience just proves that this statement is true. Although my focus has always been on food, many times I have gone on cross-cultural food adventures, from that "French laundry" dinner, to a guided tour of China for foreigners, to arranging a "heavy flavor" European cheese tasting session for Shaoxing catering experts (see the book "Eating Cheese in China"). These experiences completely changed my life, not only as a "re-education" of my taste buds, but also as an ideological rebirth, allowing me not only to say "no" to Western prejudices about Chinese food, but also to see my own culture from the perspective of others.

These experiences have also been a constant reminder that hate and like need to be "relative" to a large extent. What I think of as "habitual" may seem "strange and strange" to you, and vice versa; what you call "fermentation", which I see as "decay"; the "deliciousness" of your food, I feel "disgusting". And so on, and so on. When it comes to cultural preferences, the concepts of "right" and "wrong" are often difficult to define precisely. As the old English saying goes, "there is more than one way to skin a cat," which means "all roads lead to Rome." Naturally, like all sentient beings, I have personal likes and dislikes; but to this day, I understand a truth in my heart: these likes and dislikes are not absolute. Since I, an English woman, can learn to enjoy Shaoxing's moldy amaranth stems (see the article "Shaoxing Stinky, Smelly and Beautiful" for details in this book), any Chinese will gradually fall in love with blue cheese if they want to.

Writing in English, I have always tried to give Western readers a new perspective on Chinese food and give them a new understanding of Chinese culture as a whole. I am committed to detaching myself from my own cultural background, rejecting preconceived Western stereotypes, and writing about Chinese food and culinary traditions in a fair, comprehensive and rational way, including controversial topics such as "eating dog meat" and "adding MSG". Whether it is Westerners who come into contact with Chinese food, or Chinese contact with Western food, there will be obstacles and difficulties, and I try to understand both sides, sometimes proposing new solutions for them (the article "Chinese Cuisine, is the Art of Door" in this book takes you to understand the à la carte tips of Chinese food; "Chinese Food with Wine" explores the problem of wine and Chinese food).

Originally, I never thought that my works would be translated into Chinese, and that what I wrote would be well known to Chinese readers. In 2018, the Chinese edition of Shark Fin and Pepper" was released, and I was encouraged by the various affirmations. I have heard that many Chinese readers feel that under this foreigner's pen, their food culture is both surprising and thought-provoking. I guess they reacted a little bit like me eating with three Sichuan chefs in the "French laundry"—the established perceptions shattered, and there was an epiphany that if the footholds were different, the whole world would change dramatically.

Since ancient times, Westerners have had many terrible stereotypes about Chinese food, and the most widely spread (and absurd) is the "cheap", "weird" and "unhealthy" of Chinese food. However, many of Chinese's views on Western food are also quite mean and biased: they usually find Western food "simple" and "boring", and there are no tricks except sandwiches and hamburgers. I hope that my English works will prompt Western readers to abandon prejudices and rethink their attitudes towards Chinese food; I hope that after they are translated into Chinese by translator He Yujia, Chinese readers can examine their own preconceptions about so-called "Western food" from a new perspective.

Cultural diversity enriches us all. Biodiversity is both a wonderful and valuable resource for the world, and cultural diversity, which offers us a variety of perspectives for growth and development. This progress is not only in our diet, but also in our relationship with the world at large. I believe that Chinese food provides Westerners with valuable insights into a healthier and sustainable diet. And since the export of chili peppers from the Americas in the 16th century to the current fashion of adding Chinese ingredients to French desserts, the Chinese culinary tradition has become more profound because of Western influences, and it has been the same in the past.

Deeper down, although the world is big and people's diets are different, concepts such as "right" and "wrong", "normal" and "strange" rarely make absolute conclusions. To understand this truth, its significance is far more than simple food. I write, and the subject is food, of course, in part because of likes, and what I personally fascinate: I just purely like to eat Chinese food, make Chinese food, and think about Chinese food. But my work also takes me into the middle of two "walls of prejudice" — one wall of Western prejudice against China and the other China's prejudice against the West. I was between two walls, and I was able to see that both prejudices were underpinned and fallacious.

In today's world, the situation is complex, and we need to work hard to understand each other more than ever. Food, often our first medium of contact with a foreign culture, is also a perfect martial arts arena, allowing biased prejudices to be challenged, differences to be tested, and new ways to understand what was once considered strange and strange. Therefore, dear Chinese readers, I hope that you will enjoy all the thoughts in this book about Chinese food and cultural differences, and I also invite you to follow me into the area between the two walls and try to taste the stinky cheese – the mouth tastes, the mind also "tastes".

Just as I have been translated as a Chinese work in the past, this book is still translated by He Yujia, and I would like to sincerely thank her for her excellent translation and translation; and I also thank the excellent editors of Shanghai Translation Publishing House for nearly thirty years (Oh my God, I can't believe it's been thirty years!). Mentors and friends who have had the privilege of meeting in their Chinese food adventures.

I hope that this book related to food will also become everyone's "spiritual food" (there is a phrase in English called "food for thought").

There is also a good word I would like to give you, unfortunately I can't find the right wording in English, so I send you a French sentence: bon appetit (good appetite)! Turkish: Afiyet Olsun (Enjoyable Dining)! And Chinese: Eat slowly!