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Why would I, a person well-known among my friends as a lousy cook write this essay on Chinese food? In the first place, because in spite of my clumsiness in the kitchen, I know a lot of the theory of cooking. Secondly, probably because by now I have my regrets for escaping my mother's kitchen and thus have become a book-worm instead of a good cook. When I was young, I thought that the kitchen was a horrible place to be. My mother was a very good cook and my sisters always scolded me for being slow and clumsy. Thus I found solace among the interesting books that filled our library. But now, years later, I have realized that being a good cook means that you will be appreciated by your friends, because you can serve them all kinds of delicacies all cooked by yourself.
Moreover my sister who never finished high school is now famous for her cooking and she has catered for more parties than I have delivered articles to the media. While the media is ruled by the brains of the editors, she delivers to people who are hungry and are ready to enjoy a good meal.
Confucius (551-479 B.C.) once said that the path to your friend's heart and love goes from your cooking. That is probably why since early times, the Chinese have been searching for ingredients to enhance their cooking. Their search made them brave the strong winds, rough waters and the treacherous coral reefs of the waters around the islands of Nusantara, now called Indonesia. From wrecked ships filled with exquisite ceramics that are still intact, found along the coasts of some islands, experts have estimated their presence since the Tang dynasty(618-908 AD). After centuries of searching and business dealings they soon knew how to win hearts with their cooking. As early as the 13th century Zhao Rugua mentioned in his book Zhufan zhi or "Monograph on the foreigners" (1225) that merchants who wanted to trade in Brunei used to present the king with delicious dishes first, before starting any business. Thus cooks were among the staff of the trade missions sent by the kings to foreign countries.
In Bali several pura's (temples) have shrines devoted to the Cong Po Kong or ancestor of the cooks. During our survey there, we found an important one in the Pura Ulun Danu Batur in Kintamani, another one was in the adjacent Pura Teluk Biu. The third one was in the Chinese temple of Gianyar, located amongst a complex of Balinese shrines. Another lesser known one was found in a remote area, in the woods on the lake of Tamblingan.
The one in the Pura Ulun Danu Batur was allegedly devoted to the cook of the famous admiral Zheng-He who made several expeditions to the islands of Nusantara (now Indonesia) in the beginning of the 15th century. This cook made a trip to the neighboring islands in search of ingredients which he could use for his cooking. However, his boat was stranded on the coast of Bali. According to the myth around him, he then prayed to Heaven and an angel came to his rescue. The angel promised to give him a flight back to his base on condition that he would not look down to earth. Somehow the cook did and fell down in the area of Kintamani. He decided to stay on this beautiful island and luckily he had with him some lychee fruits, a few white onions and some groundnuts. He planted them and thus changed the environment and probably also the menu of the inhabitants. He married a Balinese woman and they had a beautiful daughter who married the king. When he died, the daughter build the shrine to honor him. In later years the shrine increased in size because the number of worshippers had grown.
We know nothing of the shrine on lake Tamblingan, but the replica of the Chinese hat and suitcase carved out of riverstone fitted the description of a merchant from Thailand, who went to Bali to do business, just around the time that the Dutch came to annex Bali to their colony.
To obtain the best and exotic dishes the Chinese have not ceased in their search and it is therefore not surprising that some restaurants have bird's nests, beche de mère or sea cucumbers, shark's fins, bear paws, frog legs, snake meat, monkey's brain and many other parts of a score of animals that one would never dare to dream of on their menu.
However, one can not be exotic throughout the whole menu, because just as the principles of Ying and Yang (darkness and light) govern the universe, Yin and Yang also apply their influence on the food of the Chinese people. Yang which is associated with the sun and light, means hot and warm food, whereas Yin is associated with darkness and the moon. Hot, which has nothing to do with the temperature of the food, means that it produces warmth when taken, such as red meat, ginger etc. On the other hand certain kinds of food have a cooling effect or are refreshing, such as gourd, melon and fish, but also bird's nests. It is important to know these characteristics as food is usually considered medicinal. Knowledge of this principle is essential in serving a good meal, for a meal with too much Yin may cause stomach upset, whereas too much Yang may cause the blood pressure to rise.
The preparations forms an important part for the ritual of cooking. Chinese cooks frown at the freezer, a status symbol of the Westernized housewife and all the ingredients, especially fish should come straight from the market, if possible even fresh from the sea, but at least still alive. Then the meat, fish, vegetables and other ingredients have to cut to the proper sizes. In the town where I live, women used to help each other to prepare banquets. They would get together and sitting on a large bench with legs crossed and would cut the vegetables while gossiping, joking and laughing. Yet the carrots and onions would come so thinly sliced as if they have been done in a food processor. Meanwhile the chef does his job, among which I likes most was the chopping of the meat. Whether it is chicken, pork or beef, he would chop them while producing a rithmic sound. To be able to do that he needs a sharp chopping knive and a large wooden board made of special hard wood.
To be effective, the food should be cooked properly according to one of the several techniques of cooking. Therefore cooking utensils play an important role in the household of the Chinese. Some utensils have been adopted by other cultures, so we can find the anglo which literarily means "wind stove" in many Indonesian households. These kind of stove is usually made of terracotta and consists of two parts. The upper part is a shallow bowl with holes to be filled with charcoal. The lower tubelike part has a big hole where wind is supposed to pass. This wind has to be generated by fanning. Another tool, the wok has even been accepted internationally, because of its versatility. Having a rounded bottom, the heat spreads more evenly. It also can contain any amount of oil or grease depending on what the cooks want to do: stir-fry or deep-fry or just frying.
Some dishes taste better when steamed, others have to be braised, whereas stir-fry is recommended foor vegetable dishes. A good cook should be familiar with all these techniques, otherwise the whole meal will be spoiled. Still, the cook is free to experiment, improvise and even invent new dishes. It is the courage to experiment and improvise that makes him succesful.
One Chinese Balinese told us that he had always been working as a journalist but did not earn enough money. He had ten children and his wife was earning money by selling goods at the market. One day he took up the courage to buy an oil stove and put up a tent on Kuta Beach. His dishes became famous amongst the tourist who were hungry after a day of sight-seeing and shopping and soon the day came that he told his wife not to sell at the market anymore but instead to help him in his newly rented shop.
The exotic dishes have never made it to the world outside the Chinese. Although they claim to have medicinal value, like bear paws may increase sexual potency and monkey meat and brain is supposed to cure and prevent rheumatism, foreigners are usually not adventurous enough to try them. But the more ordinary dishes have conquered the world. Tofu and toge (beancurd and bean sprouts) can be found in supermarkets around the world and people are familiar with dishes such as chopsuey (capcai in Indonesia, a dish of stir-fry mixed vegetables) and fuyonghai (crab ommelette). And I have not mentionned the famous noodles and meat dumplings yet, which, after Marco Polo had exported it to Italy became spaghetti and their varieties and the delicious ravioli.
While cooking is considered highly important, the art of eating should not be underestimated. The Chinese have a special way to enjoy their food, therefore they don't say: Bon Apetit (good apetite) like the French or "enjoy your meal" like the English speaking people, but rather: Man man che, which means: eat slowly.
To achieve that the Chinese use a very exotic tool, the chopsticks, which are difficult to handle according to people from other cultures. Yet there are probably more people in this world, who eat their meals with chopsticks than with fork and spoon.
Man man che
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