Food 2
The regions sherry-colored wine, Shao Xing, is exported worldwide and is an important ingredient in many dishes. We tried some in the Oriental Furniture canteen but we thought it was awful. The Chinese Furniture worker said it was best dilute in dishes and laughed at us. Popular regional dishes are cold appetizer dishes such as drunken shrimp, said our Chinese Furniture contatct, and wine chicken, stewed “lion’s head” meatballs, sea cucumber with shrimp roe, and pickled greens with pork are also popular. We eat this type of food regularly on our Oriental Furniture business trips.
Chili peppers and red peppercorns are used in Sichuan (Szechuan in Cantonese) cooking to stimulate the taste buds and counter the bitter cold of winter. Our Oriental Furniture account manager is from this region and he can really eat the hot stuff. In the Chinese Furniture canteen he often laughed at us struggling while he added extra to his own plate. Sichuan dishes are considered spicy, although the heat is not immediate, it can creep up on you. Through pickling and salt-curing, the vegetables and meats of this region are preserved to last through the harsh winter. The combined flavors of vinegar with sweetly fried food originated in this central western region. Other eell known Sichuan dishes we ate in the restaurant with our Oriental Furniture account manager are Szechuan beef, stir-fried green beans, cold noodles with peanut sauce, and spicy stir-fried Ma-Po tofu. It wasn’t servied to much in the Chinese Furniture canteen at the factory.
Unbleivably, the food from Hunan is even hotter. Out Chinese Furniture expert buyer Vincent Liu is from that part of China, which is so poor he and one of his current Oriental Furniture colleagues told us they used to catch snakes in the woods for their breakfast. It’s often difficult to distinguish Hunan from Sichuan cuisine, as many Chinese restaurants in North America tend to serve both regional styles side-by-side. The cuisines dovetail nicely as the two provinces also are neighbors in Chinaís heartland. The Hunanese use preserved basics such as hearty oils, garlic, and chili-based sauces. The stir-fried meats are often seared prior to stir-frying, creating sauces and dishes that exude comfort. Popular dishes from Hunan are orange beef or chicken, spicy eggplant in garlic sauce, and hot crispy fish. However, ,mostly their are vast quantities of Chillis involved, Vincent the Chinese Furniture buyer was very proud of his regional tradtion and often insisted on it being served in the Oriental Furniture canteen.
