For My Gourmet Club Friends

I know it seems as though food is one of the main subjects of this blog, but it's unavoidable in China. Food is taken seriously here: everyone cares about food, is proud of local specialties, cooks, eats out, and eats together. Tonight, if I were home, I would be attending the first fall gathering of the Gourmet Club that my husband and I belong to. My husband will be there tonight at the September Wine and Cheese gathering. So - this is for you, fellow Gourmet Club members! The Club began as a typical midwestern organization in our Naperville neighborhood, Over the years many of the members have moved to other parts of town but stayed part of the club, Some have moved to other cities and returned; one couple has even moved to another country and then returned! We're not really gourmets, but we like to get together, share recipes, and have a good time without spending a lot of money. I've always said it should be the We'll Try Anything Once Club. We plan the entire year's menus during the summer, and share the hosting of six full dinners between October and June. Gary and I will be making Moroccan food this spring for the group.

In China, the dishes even at inexpensive restaurants are excellent, especially those that serve primarily local people. Tonight I went out to dinner with three Europeans who are here with some students. We began at Beihai (literally North Lake) Park, not far from the Forbidden City, which features a huge tower, the White Dagoba, quite unusual in comparison to most structures in Beijing:the Insight City Guide: Beijing describes it as "an onion-shaped shrine in the Tibetan style, built on the ruins of a Ming palace in honour of the fifth dalai Lama on the occasion of his visit to Beijing in 1651" (123), and notes that the lake in the center of Beijing was split into two in the 15th century(121), and Beihai is built around the northern lake. In the winter, "[in] days gone by, the ice was smoothed with glowing irons for imperial celebrations" (121). People still skate on it in the winter. But it was hot and steamy today, and we were happy to see a red sun beginning to set in the west as we walked around the park, which, like so many public locations in Beijing, is undergoing renovation in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. We took at look at the famous Fangshan Restaurant in the park, begun by three imperial chefs after the dissolution of the monarchy, which features elaborate gold-leaf walls, painted ceilings, and an antique sedan chair. But it was going to be at least 200 yuan (RMB) for dinner (about $25) which is an almost scandalous price in China for a savvy traveler.

We opted instead to take a cab to a restaurant my companions had been to before, one that was clearly a local favorite, full of families and groups of friends, smoking and eating and having a good time. Peking duck was one of the offerings, but we opted for Mandarin fish, You can see that it is spread open and presented almost in the shape of a Blooming Onion. There are no bones, making it quite easy to pull apart and eat with chopsticks. Before Mr. Fish appeared this way the waiter brought an orange plastic pail to the table - as we looked down we realized it was a live fish, gills still flapping, delivered to demonstrate its size and freshness.