On the day of the Lantern Festival, I passed by a bookstore in Shijo, Kyoto, and because it was still early, I walked into the bookstore and took a look. At a glance, I saw a book placed in the middle of the bookshelf at the entrance, the book is called "Farewell Dumplings", and there is an eye-catching introduction written on the cover: "When we say goodbye, we must make dumplings!"
The author of this book is a professor of rural Chinese issues who returned to Japan to write the book after visiting the rural areas of northern China.
I didn't read the content of the book carefully, but the introduction about dumplings on the cover is really confusing, which makes the Japanese misunderstanding of "Chinese eat dumplings" deeper.
A few years ago, I wrote a column for the Asahi Shimbun, and in order to clear up this misunderstanding, I wrote an article "Not every Chinese can make dumplings".
I wrote in the article that I am from southern China and we don't make dumplings. Even during the Chinese New Year, the Chinese New Year's dish of the southerners is not dumplings, but eight-treasure rice. Like dumplings, Babao rice symbolizes good luck and wishes, representing the Chinese's wishes and blessings for the new year.
I don't know what the readers' feedback was on my article, but the Japanese editor-in-chief of the Asahi Shimbun was the first to express "surprise" and "disbelief" for my article - the editor-in-chief used to be the director of the Asahi Shimbun's China General Bureau, and was recognized by the Japanese media as a "China expert" who could be said to be an authentic "China expert".
But it is no wonder that such a "China expert" actually has a deep misunderstanding about "Chinese people eating dumplings".
Because the influence of dumplings in Japan is too great. I don't know when dumplings have served as a representative of Chinese food culture. Walk into a Japanese supermarket – even a supermarket in rural Japan will find a counter selling gyozana. Izakaya is a representative of modern Japanese dining culture, but no matter which izakaya you walk into, you can eat gyoza because gyoza and sake are both standard and indispensable for izakaya.
In addition to izakayas, there are also many gyoza specialty stores in Japan. For example, the dumpling chain "Gyoza Wangsho" is located all over Japan.
Opened in Kyoto in 1967 in the 42nd year of the Showa era, this restaurant has grown by selling gyoza, and today has nearly 800 directly managed and franchised stores.
Of course, with the Japanese people's obsession with gyoza, it is still not enough to open many chain stores, and it is better to set up a statue of gyoza. In addition, there is a dumpling statue in Japan - if you have the opportunity to travel to Japan in the future, it is recommended to visit the station in Utsukan City, where there is a dumpling statue in the center of the square.
On the day the statue was erected, Utsunomiya City held a grand unveiling ceremony for the statue, which was enthusiastically reported on television, newspapers, the Internet, and other media throughout Japan.
Utsunomiya City has become a "Dumpling Mecca" throughout Japan, and there is not only a "Dumpling Street" but also a "Dumpling Festival" held every year. Japanese people who love dumplings will make a "dumpling strategy" in advance when they go to Jitsunomiya City, and the "Dumpling Festival" in Utsunomiya City is held on the first Saturday and Sunday of each of the 11 events.
The reason why it was fixed at the beginning of November is, I guess, to avoid a time conflict with the "All Japan Gyoza Festival", which is held at the end of October every year by the Japanese Gyoza Association, which is held by the Japanese Gyoza Association (yes, there are also special Gyoza Festivals) in Japan at the end of October every year.
The number of visitors to the All Japan Gyoza Festival is usually measured in 10,000 units, which is a testament to its popularity.
The Japanese love for gyoza is incredible, but even more incredible is the way they eat them. Japanese gyoza shops rarely sell gyoza, and they are mainly fried gyoza, and they are often served as a set meal with white rice. I once saw a Japanese person writing on a Japanese forum, "White rice and fried dumplings go perfectly together." ”
Why? Because "dumplings are too good for rice". Turning China's staple food into a side dish is not easy for Japanese "gyoza control".
(This article is excerpted from "Youth Digest" "Youth Digest" |.) Youth Digest Magazine Subscription_Magazine Shop: Magazine Discount Subscription Network (zazhipu.com))