A Bite of the West

by Su Yuan

Western food was not intro- duced to China until the mid-17th Century， when missionaries from the West began widely proselytizing in the Orient. Some missionaries brought along their native foods and even cooks， while others instructed Chinese cooks how to prepare food according to their native culinary arts. Western cuisine soon attracted interest in China， specifically amongst the ruling class. Emperor Kangxi （1654-1722）， for example， paid special attention to Western food as missionaries introduced him to more and more about the West. Along with increased communication between Qing Dynasty officials and Western missionaries， some simple Western dishes began to appear on dinner tables of high-class homes. Even so， the influence of Western cuisine on Chinese dining culture back then was no comparison to its impact today. In Guangzhou， Chinas first port open to foreign trade， the Westerners seen “cutting semi-cooked meat with a sword” were considered coarse and primitive in the eyes of locals.

After Shanghai was opened as a foreign trade port， Western food found its way to Chinas eastern and northern regions， and gained popularity with more Chinese people. In 1866， the fifth year of Emperor Tongzhis reign， Shanghai published a book， Foreign Cookery， compiled by Martha Foster Crawford， wife of American missionary Tarleton Perry Crawford. The cookbook was originally aimed at expats， but as Western cuisine gained steam in China， several more editions were printed to meet the demands of Chinese cooks. It included more than 100 Western recipes as well as an explicit introduction to desserts.

Back in the 19th-Century， dining at a Western restaurant was considered luxurious consumption. At the time， a meal at The Best Fragrance， a famous Western restaurant in Shanghai， would cost about 40 times the price of a decent Chinese meal. Thus， Western restaurants were primarily patronized by elites and dignitaries， as described in a poem： “Strange foods with exotic flavors puzzle the customers of Western eateries， where foreign visitors are outnumbered by high-ranking officials coming day after day.”

Beijings dining scene also embraced the arrival of Western food. After the 1911 Revolution， greater numbers of Western restaurants sprang up across the city and accommodated waves of patrons. Eating Western food gradually became a popular way of socializing. To cater to common citizens who could barely afford authentic Western restaurants， some Chinese restaurants developed dishes modified to suit Chinese palates. In his Collection of Culinary Essays， prominent writer Liang Shiqiu（1903-1987） recounted a meal with his father at Zhongxing Teahouse in Beijings Dongan Market when he was a child. The teahouse manager enthusiastically recommended their steak to Liangs father， pleading， “Please give it a try. Its inexpensive， yet as tasty as the steak they serve at SixNation Hotel.”

The Six-Nation Hotel， officially known as Grand Hotel des Wagon-Lits， is the fruit of a 1905 joint venture between six nations： Britain， France， United States， Germany， Japan， and Russia. A renowned Western-style commercial mecca at the time， it was located at the former Foreign Legation Quarter in Dongjiaominxiang. Ambassadors， diplomatic envoys， officials， and upper-class elites from a plethora of countries patronized its accommodations， food， and recreation， making it a frequent social destination for local heavyweights. In between the clinking of wine glasses， the hotel also witnessed some earthshaking events， including the assassination of Zhang Zhenwu， one of the leaders of the Wuchang Uprising which sparked the 1911 Revolution， plotted by Yuan Shikai， then President of the Republic of China， and Vice President Li Yuanhong.

In the preface to Gormandizers Literary Notes， renowned scholar Zhu Jiajin（1914-2003） wrote that Western food in Old Beijing mainly fell into British， French， Russian， and German cuisines， and the most authentic British and French dishes were found at Grand Hotel des Wagon-Lits and Beijing Hotel， where chefs refused to yield to Chinese tastes. As one of the top hotels in Beijing， Grand Hotel des WagonLits introduced Beijing residents to not only Western bread， coffee， and steak， but also comprehensive dining etiquette such as napkin manners， the use of utensils， and avoiding making noise. The gentlemans rule of “ladies first” was also introduced to China through the hotel.

After 1949， Grand Hotel des WagonLits declined， and its once dominant position was seized by Moscow Restaurant， commonly called “Lao Mo” by Beijingers， which opened in 1954. The popularity of the Russian restaurant was undoubtedly closely associated with the change in political ecology at the time. In the decades prior to Chinas reform and opening-up， the chance to dine at Lao Mo was seen as a source of pride in the eyes of Beijing youth. Especially for children of high-ranking officials， dining there was sort of a ritual pilgrimage， rather than a simple meal. Lao Mo also hosted many grand banquets offered by state leaders to important foreign guests.

According to rough data， Western food

could be found on Chinese tables at least 200 years ago. Over the last two centuries， Western food in the East has seen ups and downs， but has always remained a niche product， far removed from the tastes of the vast majority of Chinese people. Blame may not lie with Western cuisine itself， but more likely in cultural differences between China and the West.