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Stephen Jack
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The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
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"From Aravind Adiga’s raucous, Booker Prize-winning ‘White Tiger’, to the much-feted ‘Narcopolis’ by Jeet Thayil and the vibrant reportage of Katherine Boo’s ‘Behind The Beautiful Forevers’, much of the recent, globally celebrated Indian writing has a"
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“When the Dongpo pork was finally ready he carried it out to a courtyard table. A large square slab of pork belly with toffee-toned skin capped alternating layers of meat and fat. The dish is fei er bu ni, 'fatty but not greasy.' The fat, much of it rendered down, permeated and deliciously moistened the meat. The garnish of finely grated young, tender ginger also helped to offset the oil. The meat was so tender it was easily pried away in bite-size pieces with chopsticks.”
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“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.”
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“When the Dongpo pork was finally ready he carried it out to a courtyard table. A large square slab of pork belly with toffee-toned skin capped alternating layers of meat and fat. The dish is fei er bu ni, 'fatty but not greasy.' The fat, much of it rendered down, permeated and deliciously moistened the meat. The garnish of finely grated young, tender ginger also helped to offset the oil. The meat was so tender it was easily pried away in bite-size pieces with chopsticks.”
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
“Go on, eat one," he urged.
"I'm not sure …" I hesitated, not out of revulsion—these little dead creatures just looked out of place on a serving dish. Normally I'd expect to see them pinned neatly to an entomologist's display board.
"You don't need to worry, they're fresh. Cooked this morning."
I picked one up with my chopsticks, twirling it around for a closer look. It was an inch and a half long and, except for the antennae, it was perfectly intact: head, thorax, abdomen, wings and legs. Its compound eyes, however, bulged no more; they'd been burnt out.
"Do I eat the head?" I asked.”
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
"I'm not sure …" I hesitated, not out of revulsion—these little dead creatures just looked out of place on a serving dish. Normally I'd expect to see them pinned neatly to an entomologist's display board.
"You don't need to worry, they're fresh. Cooked this morning."
I picked one up with my chopsticks, twirling it around for a closer look. It was an inch and a half long and, except for the antennae, it was perfectly intact: head, thorax, abdomen, wings and legs. Its compound eyes, however, bulged no more; they'd been burnt out.
"Do I eat the head?" I asked.”
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
“When I was growing up, if a pet dog or cat went missing, some joker would say, "Better not order Chinese for a couple of weeks." The underlying suspicion never entirely went away that Chinese cooks might be substituting Porky with Fido or Kitty.”
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
“The Chinese noted with surprise and disgust the ability of the Mongol warriors to survive on little food and water for long periods; according to one, the entire army could camp without a single puff of smoke since they needed no fires to cook. Compared to the Jurched soldiers, the Mongols were much healthier and stronger. The Mongols consumed a steady diet of meat, milk, yogurt, and other dairy products, and they fought men who lived on gruel made from various grains. The grain diet of the peasant warriors stunted their bones, rotted their teeth, and left them weak and prone to disease. In contrast, the poorest Mongol soldier ate mostly protein, thereby giving him strong teeth and bones.”
― Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
― Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
“How a matching pair of thin sticks came to be used in one hand like tongs or finger extensions remains a mystery, but chopsticks have proved themselves ideal utensils for eating certain kinds of dishes. Chopsticks are such a simple device that their invention seems more a triumph of dexterity than of technology.”
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
“A well-formed baozi has a pleated top that gives it the appearance of a puffed-up ivory flower. Baozi are cooked in distinctive circular lattice steamers; interlocking stacks of these can be seen at restaurants—bamboo chimneys billowing aromatic steam. The most succulent baozi are cooked to order and eaten right from the steamer.”
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
“Later, Daoists, in their quest for immortality, grabbed the reins of this alchemical tradition and rode it with a vengeance. Daoist seekers scaled misty mountains, crossed vast deserts and navigated the vagaries of the high seas, all to get their hands on exotic plants, creatures or minerals to experiment with. While the elixir of life eluded them, they discovered decoctions of death and sickness time and time again as potions despatched alchemists and sometimes even emperors.”
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
― The Devil's Chow: A Chinese Food History
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