Why Monsters Always Want to Steam Xuanzang for Eating

2017-08-03ByLiuShijiu

Special Focus 2017年7期

By Liu Shijiu

By Liu Shijiu

In 1582, the tenth year of the Wanli emperor’s reign in China’s Ming Dynasty, Wu Cheng’en passed away, leaving behind many Da Vinci Code-like puzzles for later generations of Chinese people. These could even be called “The Wu Cheng’en Code.” The most important of all the enigmas being: “How should Xuanzang’s (a famous and fabled monk with impressive powers from the Chinese literary classic ‘Journey to the West’) meat be eaten?”

I went through the entire, ‘Journey to the West,’ and counted roughly fifteen times, from six different monsters and spirits, that clearly stated that Xuanzang’s meat should be steamed for eating. Let us try to unravel this mystery: “why would monsters and spirits steam Xuanzang’s meat when they catch him?”

Monsters and spirits yearn to eat steamed Xuanzang’s meat, considered to be the most precious of all foods on the pilgrimage to bring back the Buddhist scriptures. Xuanzang was a very enlightened individual himself, even he said his own flesh should be steamed and eaten. For instance, in the 27th chapter“The corpse fiend thrice tricks Tang Sanzang, another name of Xuanzang, the holy monk angrily dismisses the handsome Monkey King.” Xuanzang says, “My destiny is in Heaven’s hands, if the monsters and spirits are to steam me and eat me, or boil me, they will.”

So we can see, Xuanzang also thinks steaming is the first option, and boiling, whilst it is an option, is not as good as steaming.

The practicality of steaming Xuanzang was also recorded in “QímínYàoshù”.(a book on agriculture during 533-544 AD,written by Jia Sixie)

The eight volume “Qímín Yàoshù” lists as many as twenty-six different steamed dishes under the section“Steaming.” Apart from steamed lotus root, the rest of the dishes are all meat dishes: steamed bear, steamed pig, steamed chicken, and steamed goat…

The part cited about steamed bear says: “Take three sheng of pork, a bear, wash & skin clean and steam till half cooked. Next, add fermented soybeans and marinate overnight. Lastly, add glutinous rice, onion, ginger, and salt and put it in a rice steamer and steam till cooked.”

If bear can be steamed, Xuanzang shouldn’t be a problem.

Wu Cheng’en was born in Shanyang County of Huai’an, located in today’s Huai’an district of Huai’an City. It wasn’t until he was a fifty-something that he was finally selected as a “tribute candidate” by the local government to attend the imperial examinations. After two years of muddling around in Beijing he left for Zhejiang to be the official assistant officer of Changxing County and returned home shortly after. He lived out most of his life in southern China.

Yangzhou cuisine, now famous around the world, originated from the areas of Huai’an and Yangzhou. It is a cuisine that puts it emphasis on purity, mildness, and freshness. Broth steaming is the main form of cooking in Yangzhou cuisine. Wu Cheng’en’s taste was, obviously, deeply connected to his life.

Only steaming can keep the original flavors of top quality ingredients, achieving a sort of simple delight, allowing one to be lifted away with one bite. Xuanzang, a “chubby whitefaced monk,” “tender in appearance” is even more fresh and pure; evidently only through steaming can the highest realm of flavor be reached.

Some monsters and spirits suggested boiling Xuanzang, since it would save more fuel than steaming. Among the Leopard Spirit’s subordinate spirits arose the suggestion to boil Xuanzang, as it would lessen the amount of firewood needed.

The one who thought the same as this spirit was none other than Sun Wukong (The Monkey King, the most capable apprentice of Xuanzang).

In the 72nd chapter of ‘Journey to the West,’“The seven emotions confuse the basics in gossamer cave at filth-cleansing spring pig forgets himself,”seven spider spirits caught Xuanzang: “Sister, let’s have a bath before we steam the fat monk and eat him up.”“These monsters aren’t at all economical,” Monkey smiled to himself. “They’d save a lot of firewood if they boiled him. Why steam him instead?”

This kind of detail, actually casts a light on Wu Cheng’en’s normal everyday life. In ancient times, a city relied on a workman who provided firewood—normal citizens could only spend money to buy wood. The ancient phrase, “wood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, tea” were considered as the seven necessities of life. With“firewood” being number one, it would certainly need to be rationed.

Spirits and monsters having the opportunity to get their hands on a top-notch ingredient like Xuanzang, in the face of destiny to eat an everlasting-life-giving piece of meat and still thinking about saving some firewood, is superficial and petty.

During the team of Leopard Spirits’ “brainstorm” on how to eat Xuanzang, one spirit said, “bring the Tang Priestout, chop him up into little bits, and fry him with anise seed. Then everyone will be able to eat a piece when he’s steaming hot, and we’ll all live forever.” At this another junior devil clapped his hands together and said, “No, no, he’d taste much better steamed.”

I believe this sentence was actually written because Mr. Wu Cheng’en couldn’t help himself anymore from jumping up and voicing his opinion. In a life of frustrated ambitions, it was the flavors of his home town and his scholarly interests that were engraved on to his heart, becoming the consolation that uttered from in between his lips and teeth.

It is established in “Journey to the West” that Xuanzang should be steamed for eating; this is the most basic of all common senses in the world of monsters and spirits. Any other cooking method is not a pursuit suitable for any monster or spirit.

(From Youth Digest Issue 16, 2016. Translated by Sam Bowden)