Beijing beer is brewed with American hops to highlight the trade relationship between the two countries. Tibetan food conveys the message of human rights. Mushrooms may have hallucinogenic properties simply because they taste good.
What, what and how to eat when American dignitaries visit China is a serious issue. The choice of restaurants and dishes is steeped in geopolitical symbolism, as well as controversy and ridicule. Chopstick skills—or lack thereof—can be a sign of cultural competence or illiteracy.
An expensive meal can make an official look out of place. Too cheap or informal and you risk looking undignified. Authenticity, history, cooking techniques and taste all influence perceptions of meal choices.
when secretary of state Antony Blinken begins trip to China On Wednesday, some on Chinese social media wondered whether the Biden administration would have time to stop and try the city’s famous xiao long bao during his visit as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to stabilize relations between the two countries.
One commentator suggested he do so, with a certain political caveat: “Eating xiao long bao is like dealing with international relations” wrote on Weibo. “If you’re not paying attention even a little bit, you’re going to burn your mouth.”
In fact, Mr. Blinken did go to a famous soup dumpling restaurant that night. It’s unclear to what extent he considered the symbolism of the dumplings, but by indulging in a traditional popular snack and attending a basketball game, the optics suggested he was in higher spirits than he was shortly after his trip to China last year. Travel is more intimate. Spy balloons flying over the United States have heightened tensions.
But Blinken’s eating habits have generated far less interest than Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Her meals in China during two trips this month and last year attracted so much attention that the state-run Global Times regarded as This is a form of “food diplomacy.”
last year, Ms. Yellen makes headlines Once, she ate mushrooms at a Beijing restaurant serving Yunnan cuisine and discovered they were slightly toxic and could cause hallucinations if not cooked properly.
Yellen later said she was unaware of the mushrooms’ potential hallucinogenic effects when she consumed them and did not experience any unusual effects. Still, the story sparked a brief mushroom craze in China.
During a four-day trip to China this month, Yellen visited a famous Cantonese restaurant in Guangzhou and a Sichuan restaurant in Beijing. Her order was quickly posted online, and was widely praised by commenters for its variety and affordability, her chopstick skills and the fact that she and her team sat among other diners rather than in a private room. recognized.
According to Fuchsia Dunlop, a London-based chef and Chinese food writer, the dishes Yellen and her team order are classic dishes from their respective regions and have not been modified for foreign tastes.
“They’re not choosing very expensive, showy dishes and ingredients,” Ms. Dunlop said of Sichuan cuisine. “This is something that Sichuan people like to eat very much. This menu was chosen for taste, not prestige.”
When Yellen travels, the department typically seeks recommendations from local embassy staff for restaurant recommendations, according to a Treasury spokesman. Ms. Yellen will then personally research the restaurant and make a final decision.
The spokesperson added that sometimes specific venues are chosen to convey diplomatic messages. She mentioned Yellen’s visit this month to a Beijing brewery that uses American hops in an effort to highlight the importance of U.S. agricultural exports to China.
Some restaurants where Yellen has dined have capitalized on her fame, such as the Yunnan restaurant where she ate mushrooms, which offered a set menu based on what she ordered called “god of wealth” menu, a nod to her position as finance minister.
Yellen is not the first American politician to make a Chinese restaurant an overnight success. In 2011, then-Vice President Joe Biden visited a noodle shop in Beijing, and business skyrocketed. according to Chinese state media, and led the restaurant to create a “Biden set meal” noodle menu.
In 2014, after Michelle Obama visited a hot pot restaurant in Chengdu, the restaurant said it would create a “First Lady of the United States” set menu. Article on Chinese media Approvingly, Ms. Obama was able to handle the spicy soup, which was not watered down for foreign tastes.
However, she caused controversy when she went to a Tibetan restaurant in the same city where staff were happy to admit This location was specifically chosen to express support for the rights and religious freedom of Tibetans in China.
But for Mrs. Obama’s husband and other U.S. presidents, the Chinese food served at official state dinners is often Americanized or customized to better suit foreign palates.
In 2009, President Obama dined on Chinese-style steak and grilled fish, and in 2017, President Trump dined on Chinese-style steak and grilled fish, according to Chinese state media. Dishes eaten include Boneless beef braised with kung pao chicken and tomato sauce. Both meals ended with fruit ice cream, which was very different from traditional Chinese meals.
But even these meals may hint at an international trend, Ms. Dunlop said. Obama’s menu contains “very safe, conservative options that appeal to foreigners,” while Trump’s menu is slightly more modern and showcases more Chinese cooking techniques, she said.
Dunlop said the shift “may reflect China’s greater confidence in Westerners’ familiarity with real Chinese food in 2017” compared with 2009.
