ALL THINGS BIG AND SMALL 2.0

I have been watching Chinese historical movies. And I have observed that meals are a part of every event. Doesn't matter if the Xiongnu barbarians are at the palace gate; the Emperor will still be feasting in his harem.  Generals consume a whole roasted lamb while discussing war strategies. Scholars debate the merits of Confucianism versus Legalism in between nibbling delicate morsels of Yangtze river snails stewed with Bamboo Shoot. Farmers celebrate a good harvest by offering the Gods a Pig's Head, a Cow's head and a Sheep's head . And so my lunch  today: -Bitter Cabbage Rice with Waxed Pork Belly and Duck Liver Sausage - Radish, Tomato and Pork Rib Soup - Stir-Fried Leek with Tau Kwa - Pan-Fried Pumpkin Cake with Minced Chicken Meat and Chili Paste - Fermented Rice Wine Bitter Cabbage Rice with Waxed Pork Belly and Duck Liver Sausage Leek with Soya Bean Cake  Pumpkin Cake with Minced Chicken Meat and Chili Paste Radish, Tomato and Pork Rib Soup Fermented Rice Wine...

A dinner menu is like a musical composition. Harmonious and balanced, with a theme, and if possible saying it in a special way that unerringly identifies you as the composer. Each country has it's type of cuisine that reflects the psyche of it's people. And so the sophistication of French cuisine, the 'friendliness' of American cuisine and the stodginess of the British. But in China, there is no national Chinese cuisine, as each region and it's peoples are so different. The Cantonese can be likened to the French, their sophisticated cuisine reflects an obsession with food, with elaborate sauces and concoctions using animals and parts of animals that no one else would use. The fiery people of Szechuan and Hunan need to keep themselves warm in such a frigid climate and this is reflected in their cusine. So too, the robust cuisine of the poor Fukien peasants of coastal South China with it's clumps of noodles and fatty pork dishes for people who only get to eat like...