Seven stars for Zhaoqing
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All's fare when it comes to Guangdong's cuisine |
An alien falls to Earth and there's a heated discussion between three people about what to do with it. The Beijinger proposes the alien should be scientifically examined, while the woman from Shanghai says it would be better displayed as part of the ongoing Expo. Not surprisingly, the guy from Guangdong disagrees and says it would be best to eat the alien and find out whether it's tasty.
This joke, recounted over lunch by a Guangdong man, demonstrates how seriously the province takes its food. Here, dining is practically a religion.
There are even rituals before eating, like washing the bowls, chopsticks and cups with hot water, before pouring out, with a flourish, the rinsed water into a communal bowl that is passed around on the revolving table.
Smoking throughout the meal, large quantities of beer and white spirits, leisurely use of toothpicks while eating fresh fruit and discussing the issues of the day in the sing-along Cantonese dialect, are also features of a typical Guangdong repast.
The province is justly famous for its food and, as the joke shows, it has a reputation for eating anything edible. What this means in practice is that guests will often be presented with delicacies they are unused to, such as snails, pigs trotters and the rarely-eaten parts of various animals. It is a kind of test.
While Zhaoqing cuisine has typical Guangdong elements - diverse, balanced and non-greasy - it can also claim a few specialties found nowhere else. West River, which flows through the city, is the source of many of these delights, including the mainly reared catfish, and caught-in-the-wild freshwater fish, of which there are hundreds of varieties.
Best of all are the small but intensely sweet shrimps the river produces, which arrive on a large plate and which connoisseurs are expert at dissecting and eating in huge amounts.
Finally, there is Pabst Blue Ribbon beer to wash the food down. The United States pilsner is brewed in Zhaoqing and tastes better than the original, according to locals. It was the first US beer made in China.
There are many waterfront restaurants in Zhaoqing where you can sample its culinary fare and I recommend taking your time and watch the boats sail down the river and enjoy the theater involved in sampling some of the best cuisine that China has to offer.
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