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发帖数: 9656 | 1 http://air.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870395910457608277285
Yes, it's spicy. But what exactly makes Sichuan food so special?.Article
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By MITCH MOXLEY
CHENGDU—Chef Zhou Shizhong's chopping knife is poised for the kill.
"You have to be quick," he tells his class, a soft-shelled turtle squirming
under his palm. "Or else it'll keep hiding."
James Wasserman for The Wall Street Journal
Dry pot mushrooms with tea leaves at Wen Xiang Old Courtyard, Chengdu,
Sichuan
A tiny head appears. An expert slash to the neck. A squirt of blood.
Students squeal and snap photos with their mobile phones as Chef Zhou whisks
the twitching turtle into a wok of boiling water.
"Poor thing," a student says. "So cruel," laments another, covering her
mouth and giggling.
I'm attending class at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine on the
outskirts of the provincial capital, where about 50 students, dressed in
paper hats and forest-green aprons, are watching a master at work. Standing
beside a tray of ingredients including bean sauce, cooking wine and MSG,
Chef Zhou, a 21-year veteran of the kitchen, guides students through the
steps of preparing Sichuan classics: spicy chicken, pork with rice chips and
braised turtle with potatoes—which, it turns out, is quite tasty.
These squeamish students, and the 8,200 others who are enrolled in the
college—including about 15 foreigners—are training for careers as chefs
and restaurant and hotel managers. Expressed more grandly, they're being
groomed to serve as ambassadors for what's often considered China's best
cuisine.
Last March, Sichuan's capital was designated a Unesco City of Gastronomy,
Asia's first. Forget Paris or Tokyo—the world's only three official
gastronomic cities are Popayan, Colombia, Östersund, Sweden, and
Chengdu, best known for its nearby panda center. The designation is part of
Unesco's Creative Cities Network, which seeks to promote social, economic
and cultural development in urban centers around the world. To be declared a
gastonomic city requires meeting rigorous criteria—a well-developed
cuisine that uses local ingredients, a vibrant community of chefs and
traditional restaurants, a tradition of culinary practices and cooking
methods that have withstood technological advancements and more.
The Institute played a big part in achieving Chengdu's designation, with its
professors helping to write the application. Now, it's sending students
abroad, part of a larger effort to promote Sichuan cuisine to the world.
American photographer James Wasserman and I recently set out to find out
what, exactly, makes Sichuan food so special. We discovered a city where
eating is always an adventure, where you rarely go wrong by closing your
eyes and pressing your finger on a menu, and where food is a source of
cultural pride.
Sichuan food is renowned for its intense, spicy flavors, owed to the liberal
use of chili peppers, numbing Sichuan peppercorn, bean paste and garlic.
Westerners are familiar with versions of some classic Sichuan (also spelled
Szechuan) fare—think kung pao chicken. But the cuisine features some 5,000
dishes, the vast majority seldom tasted beyond China's borders.
The province is hoping to change that by increasing Sichuan food's appeal
abroad and by promoting Chengdu as a tourist destination not just for pandas
, but for steaming plates of braised turtle as well.
Chengdu's Vice Mayor, Wang Zhonglin, has said he is "vigorously devoted to a
food-culture industry," and the city recently hosted its seventh China
International Food Tourism Festival, promoting Sichuan cuisine to
delegations from 22 countries.
James Wasserman for The Wall Street Journal
A Chengdu resident at the tea house in Wenshu Temple, Chengdu, Sichuan
.Sichuan even boasts its own food museum. Built in 2007, the Chengdu Sichuan
Cuisine Museum cost 100 million yuan (US$15 million), covers 12,000 square
meters and features more than 3,000 bronze, pottery, porcelain and wood
cookers dating back 2,000 years.
Our first night in town we check out Xiaotan Douhua, a little place not far
from our hotel. Opened in 1924, this hole-in-the-wall popular with locals
offers 33 combinations of noodles and soft tofu, the choices written on
wooden tablets hanging on the wall. I ask the chain-smoking chef, Li Xi Chao
, to recommend some dishes. "I like them all!" he replies.
We take the advice of the old lady at the counter and order bowls of san zi
dou hua, a tangy mixture of tofu, strips of fried dough and soy beans in a
spicy-sour broth; dou hua cao zi mian, thin noodles with tofu and chopped
onion; and a plate of buttery-tasting chopped beef with coriander and garlic
. The dishes blend perfectly, not overpowering but with enough bite to make
our foreheads' sweat. The san zi dou hua, in particular, is a triumph.
For a light lunch the next day we stop at Wen Shu Yuan temple's vegetarian
restaurant, where we eat a refreshing meal of cold tofu in soy sauce and oil
, and fresh greens with walnuts—a nice palate-cleanser after last night's
spice.
One of the requirements of the Unesco designation is a wet market, and
Chengdu has several. We venture to a major market in the Qing Yang district,
where we snack on sweet-potato noodles and fresh spring rolls before
browsing the market's many offerings. Shoppers wander among buckets of frogs
(illegal, my interpreter says), fish and eels and tables of skinned rabbits
and dozens of bean pastes. Stalls offer pickled peppers, ginger, radishes,
tofu and stacks of fresh vegetables. There are numerous brands of MSG on
offer, including Wang Sho Yi Chicken Essence Seasoning, whose label features
a smiling cartoon chicken giving a thumbs-up. And then there are the likes
of pig brain, duck gizzard and cow stomach and throat—all popular additions
to fiery Sichuan hot pot.
Based on several recommendations, we visit Jin Li Street, famous for its
xiao chi ("small eats"). This turns out to be a disappointment. We try bean
thread noodles with shredded cucumber and carrots in a spicy-sweet sauce; "
fish fragrant" pork slices with steamed lettuce and cloud ear shreds; and a
mysterious dish of sour vegetables and meat pieces. We finish it off with a
dessert-like item named "three big bombs"—balls of glutinous rice flour the
chef bounces off a table fitted with bells.
It's hit-and-miss—I get the feeling this street is just a bit too touristy
for great dining. James takes particular offense at the mix of spicy and
sweet in the combined dishes. "My tongue's going crazy right now," he says.
The next night we dine with Taylor Gregson, a 27-year-old from Vermont who
spent last summer studying Sichuan cooking at a local college. We meet at
Wen Xiang Old Courtyard, where Mr. Gregson tells me about his course over a
dinner of shredded pork, stir fried vegetables, spicy boiled fish and dry
pot mushrooms with tea leaves.
Mr. Gregson, the only foreigner in his class, "was thrown in from day one,"
learning three new dishes a day and, for homework, perfecting knife skills
and flipping dirt in a pan. The highlight? "When I finally cooked something
that tasted good."
Mr. Gregson is one of a short but growing line of foreigners seeking out
Sichuan's secrets. British author Fuchsia Dunlop, author of "Shark's Fin and
Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China," was the first
foreigner to attend the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine and has helped
introduce the province's fare to an international audience.
Ms. Dunlop says it's a misconception to label Sichuan food as simply spicy.
In fact, the cuisine offers a "bouquet of flavors," she says, with
gradations of spice combined with other tastes, such as sweet and sour (
curiously called "lychee flavor") and ginger juice. "They like to say '100
dishes has 100 different flavors.' You never get bored."
As China continues to open, Ms. Dunlop says, more people are realizing just
how good Sichuan food is. "In China in general people tend to be very
obsessed with food, but in Sichuan there is a sense they have something
marvelous here," she says. "It's really a moment for Chinese regional
cuisines to come out to the world."
While the world takes notice of Sichuan, the province is also learning from
the outside world. (This isn't new: Chili peppers were introduced by the
Spanish, via Latin America, some 400 years ago.) In Chengdu, several
restaurants—including Gingko, Zi Fi and Yunmen Emerald Restaurant—are
combining Sichuan classics with modern and molecular cooking.
Meanwhile, the Sichuan Institute sends about 150 students a year to work in
the U.S., Europe, Singapore, the Middle East and elsewhere, part of what
Chef Zhou tells me is a mutually beneficial cultural exchange. The students
pay 30,000 yuan ($4,550) for the opportunity (which the college says they'll
make back in six months) and work in both Chinese and Western restaurants.
Many of the students go on to open Sichuan restaurants abroad, while others
bring back techniques and ingredients that are introduced into local dishes.
Fan Dong Yun, a 20-year-old culinary arts student, is in a special class
that prepares students to go abroad. Next June, he will have his first
internship—on a cruise ship, he hopes. He says he's excited to meet cooks
from other parts of the world and to exchange recipes.
Mr. Fan tells me he's fond of all types of food, but when I ask his favorite
, he scoffs: "Sichuan food, of course."
Copyright 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved | C********g
发帖数: 9656 | 2 最辣的中国菜肴
2011年 02月 07日 10:09
周世忠（音）大厨拿着菜刀准备要动手了。
一只甲鱼蜷缩在他的手掌下。他对学生们说，下手要快，不然它就会一直躲着不出来。
James Wasserman for The Wall Street Journal
四川成都闻香食府的干锅茶树菇
甲鱼的小脑袋伸了出来，周大厨利索地割断了它的脖子，血水四溅，然后他迅速将还在
抽搐着的甲鱼扔进一锅沸水中，学生们发出阵阵尖叫声，一边纷纷拿出手机来拍照。
一名学徒说，可怜的东西。另一个人感慨道，太残忍了，一边捂着嘴傻笑。
这是我在位于成都市郊的四川烹饪高等专科学校(Sichuan Higher Institute of
Cuisine)的课堂上看到的一幕。课堂上，大约50名头戴纸帽子、系着草绿色围裙的学生
正仔细看着周大厨如何操作。他的旁边放着一个托盘，里面摆满了酱油、料酒、味精等
各种调料。21岁的周大厨已经是一名经验老道的师傅了，他正在一步步指导学生们做着
传统川菜：辣子鸡、锅巴肉片和番茄炖甲鱼--事实证明，它的味道好极了。
这些看着杀甲鱼觉得恶心的学生，以及该烹饪学校招收的另外8,200名学生--包括大约
15名外国人--来到这里学习是为了今后成为厨师或是餐厅和酒店经理。往大了说，他们
接受培训是为了成为川菜这一通常被视为中国最佳烹饪艺术的使者。
去年3月，成都被联合国教科文组织授予了“美食之都”的称号，它也是亚洲第一个获
此殊荣的城市。忘了巴黎和东京吧--世界上享有正式“美食之都”称号的只有三个城市
：哥伦比亚的波帕扬(Popayan)、瑞典的厄斯特松德(Ostersund)和成都。评选“美食之
都”的活动是联合国教科文组织“创意城市网络”项目的内容之一，它的目的是为了在
全世界范围内推动城市中心的社会、经济和文化发展。获封“美食之都”的称号需要满
足严格的条件--一类用当地原材料制作的、发展成熟的菜式，一批充满活力的厨师和传
统饭馆，一套经过了技术改良的烹饪传统方法，等等。
成都之所以能获得“美食之都”的称号，这家烹饪学校起到了重要的作用，学校的老师
曾参与起草了申请书。如今，学校把学生派到了海外，希望将川菜的烹饪艺术推向世界。
最近，我和美国摄影师沃瑟曼(James Wasserman)踏上了行程，去探寻究竟是什么让川
菜如此与众不同。我们发现，在这个城市，吃永远都是一种奇遇，即使闭上眼点菜，你
也很少会出错，美食是本地文化自豪感的来源之一。
川菜素以味重辛辣而闻名，因为它大量使用了辣椒、胡椒、豆瓣酱和大蒜。西方人对于
一些颇具代表性的川菜不会感到陌生--想想宫保鸡丁吧。可其实川菜涵盖了大约五千种
菜式，其中绝大部分在国外几乎都无法品尝到。
四川省希望通过增加川菜在海外的吸引力来改变这种状况，他们还希望在对成都进行旅
游宣传时不仅要打出“熊猫牌”，还要吸引游客们冲着热气腾腾的炖甲鱼而来。
成都市副市长王忠林曾说，他积极致力于发展食品文化产业。成都最近举办了第七届中
国国际美食旅游节，向22个国家的代表宣传介绍了川菜。
四川甚至还拥有自己的美食博物馆。兴建于2007年的成都川菜博物馆造价人民币1亿元
（约合1500万美元），占地12,000平米，藏有三千多件两千年前的铜制、陶制、瓷制和
木制的烹饪工具。
在成都的第一晚我们去了小谭豆花。这是个不大的饭馆，离我们的酒店不远。它始创于
1924年，店内空间狭小，但在当地人气很旺。饭馆提供33种不同搭配的面条与嫩豆腐，
菜单就写在 上的木牌上。我让烟瘾很大的大厨李喜超（音）推荐一些菜。他说，我统
统都喜欢！
我们采纳了柜台上那位老妇人的建议，点了馓子豆花--酸辣口味的汤中加入了豆花、馓
子和黄豆；绍子豆花面--细面中搁了豆花和葱花；一盘切好的牛肉，拌入了香菜和大蒜
，吃起来有几分黄油的味道。这几样菜真是绝配，不至于让我们汗流浃背，但却足以让
额头冒汗了。尤其是馓子豆花，相当成功。
第二天为了吃上一顿清淡的午餐，我们来到了文殊院的斋菜馆。在那里我们享用了一顿
清新可口的饭菜，有酱油和菜油佐味的凉拌豆腐、核桃仁搭配的新鲜蔬菜--味道好极了 | d******e
发帖数: 91 | | l*******2
发帖数: 5311 | 4 好奇怪，为啥不喜欢鱼香肉丝，
这种甜辣我觉得很好吃 | i******k
发帖数: 4625 | 5 洋猪儿吃不来细糠，嘿嘿
【在 l*******2 的大作中提到】
: 好奇怪，为啥不喜欢鱼香肉丝，
: 这种甜辣我觉得很好吃
| G*H
发帖数: 624 | | G*H
发帖数: 624 | 7 翻译得不错.只注意到一个地方不准确:Sichuan Pepper不是四川辣椒,而是花椒.
【在 d******e 的大作中提到】
: well translated!
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