Late First Blog from China...

ACCIDENTAL CELEBRITY

Well, Grand Culinary Tour China is off to a rockin' start, 'n rolling already into Chendu, capital of Sichuan, third of eight cities en queue, blog time or not! Think aborted orbital launch that lands halfway around the world: fast, non-stop, hard, sleepless, spectacular, and wrapped in a blur of wild taxi rides.

Lack of sleep during the 24 hours of travel crashed my preemptive attempt to mitigate a 15-time-zone jet lag by staying up all night for the morning flight. Our first meal in China, after touring Ngong Ping 360, a giant bronze Buddah statue and monastery accessed by aerial tram, was lunch in the very modern downtown business district of Hong Kong. Highlights were a rich-brothed
Fish Ball and Fish Tofu Soup with vegetable, and a pear drink made with the pear poaching liquid. This was a good, modest culinary beginning. A taxi and a bus ride over to the mainland, through Chinese customs, brought us to dinner in Shenzhen. Crispy Roasted Duck, Deep Fried Fish with Pepper Sauce, Green Beans with Red Pepper and Pork Fat, cold marinated bamboo strips and wood ear salad, sweet pork spare ribs, and braised pigs feet. Overall, great tastes, especially the roasted items, yet for my palate, a rather meaty affair, especially as Jinsong and I were to run a "cross-country 10k race" in the morning.

After four precious sleep hours, up and out to a gorgeous city park built around a steep mountain overlooking Shenzhen. This was a 432 meter (1500 ft) Mountain Climb over 4K, followed by even steeper granite stairs, muddy boulder-hopping, and a wicked descent requiring heavy thigh-brakes! I took only one small lunge to the ground on a long, narrow, grassy, muddy descent portion; the only one where I could actually stretch out my legs. Well, I do love a hard physical challenge, befriended several local runners that day, and was even interviewed both on local Shenzhen TV-5 and a newspaper. It seems this long-legged foreigner at least LOOKED like a good runner to the locals. But sleepless in Shenzhen (10 hours in 4 days -- yikes!), this was kick-ass all the way up and all the way down -- notice that my 4-digit race number washed away (!) by halfway through the race!

Introduction

The cultural and culinary chasm between Asia and the West – really, between Asia and the rest of the planet – is certainly no secret, has been long (if not always well) documented, and is now, for many reasons, both tantalizingly and challengingly closer and easier to taste and experience than at any time in history. Yet, has the West’s love affair with Asia, and/or Asia’s ventures westward, actually bridged or at least help bridge this most profound cultural divide? My current answer is a qualified “no” and borders on “this will never happen”. Yes, the efforts and opportunities to bring East and West, USA and PRC, together, are greater than ever and expanding quite rapidly: the love affair and the cultural and culinary exchanges and sharing, show no signs of slowing – just the opposite. Yet the difficulty of finding common ground on which to eat (some on the ground, others in chairs, actually) – agreement on fundamental culinary principles, if not practices – is monumental. Just how daunting is revealed the more one learns and experiences. I strive, personally and professionally, to learn, experience, and understand as much as possible of the cuisine of China, with one eye focused on bridging this Great Divide. The first stop is Hong Kong/Shenzhen. Talk to you then!