An Extravagant Open-air Banquet

By Liang Wendao

An Extravagant Open-air Banquet

By Liang Wendao

There is a family in Beijing with such an enormous demand for beer that one beer brand wants to be their exclusive supplier. According to one of their housekeepers, five kilos of meat and five kilos of fish are barely enough for their daily consumption.

This is the family of Huang Ke,also known as “Lord Mengchang of modern society.” He has often been invited to appear as a guest on TV shows and is the target of various media reports. His fame comes from the open-air banquets held in his home every day. Starting around 5 or 6 p.m. in the afternoon until midnight,his “friends” go in and out of his home in an endless stream. When they arrive, they show themselves to their seats as if it was their own place.Tablecloths are always on the tables and dishes are constantly arriving from the kitchen.

Interestingly though, Huang Ke is not acquainted with all of them,as some guests are brought by his friends, and some of whom show up by themselves after hearing about him through his friends, and some are purely attracted to his fame and the desire to make friends with him.Huang Ke doesn’t mind it at all, and he treats them equally and welcomes them with open arms, as he believes that whoever comes is a guest.

The guests often behave as if they were the host—they not only indulge in extravagant eating and drinking,but even flick through Huang Ke’s book and CD collections at will. If the background music is not to their taste, they would take the initiative to change the song. They usually chat over drinks, so it’s common to end up leaving drunk. If needed, they can stay overnight at Huang Ke’s place and leave the next morning when they sober up. Huang Ke says, “It’s not an issue. I’d like to make my guests feel like home.”

I remember that the first time I went to his home, I made a spectacle of myself, as I asked how much

北京有这么一个人，他家的啤酒消耗量居然大到连某啤酒品牌想为他独家供货的地步。据他家的阿姨说，他们一天买肉要买十几斤，买鱼也得十几斤，否则根本不够吃。

这个人叫黄珂，有“现代孟尝君”之称，上过不少电视节目，是许多媒体追访的对象。他的名气来自他家摆开的流水席。每天傍晚从五六点开始，直到半夜一点多，总有川流不息的“朋友”进出他家大门。来人都不客气，进得门来便自动入座，而桌上也总有杯筷碗碟侍候，厨房里则不断做菜上桌。

最有趣的是这些“朋友”并不一定真是黄珂认识的朋友，他们也许是他朋友带来的朋友，也许是经过朋友介绍但自己跑上门来的朋友，甚至是纯粹慕名而来想要交个朋友的“朋友”。而黄珂毫不介意，本着远来都是客的原则，一视同仁，一律招待。

I remember that the first time I went to his home, I made a spectacle of myself, as I asked how much everyone got charged. My question made the whole room roar with laughter, with people sputtering,cups banging on the table and hands clapping. As I see it, such a banquet must feature some secret family recipes that usually cost an arm and a leg. Yet, to my surprise, Huang Ke didn’t care about money at all, and he said, “Why would I charge friends whom I invited to dine in my home?That’s funny. Well, how about this?Next time, you may bring some materials and make some Cantonese dishes for us.”

Sometimes, a few guests roll up their sleeves to cook themselves and compare notes with each other. But generally speaking, this would rarely happen, as the Sichuan dishes served in Huang Ke’s home is extraordinarily delicious, and you won’t find them elsewhere. In particular, one dish called “Huang Clan’s Beef” stands out among others, which is well known by people near and far. Another dish called “Mao Xue Wang” (duck blood in hot chili sauce) is also a must try,and some gourmets even rate it as the best Sichuan dish in Beijing. Yet,Huang Ke seems to think otherwise,who often says, “Spicy taste is the essence of Sichuan cuisine, and spiciness can be the perfect cover for any distasteful food. The reason for Sichuan dishes to prevail is actually due to the bad quality of the food materials nowadays.” From his words,we can see he really understands Sichuan food, and he could serve authentic Sichuan cuisine in his home.

Rather than being rich and powerful, he is just an ordinary businessman, who lives in a simple house that is plainly furnished.Entertaining friends is just his joy in life, and exactly as some are fond of collecting antiques, he is fond of“collecting friends.” Among his friends are all walks of life, with scholars and artists are in the majority, and quite a few businessmen and politicians as well. Talking with them is like reading a book that can open the mind.

Huang Ke loves to make friends,to gain knowledge, and to see the diversity of the world. In fact, the open-air banquets that he holds are a gateway to know the world without leaving home. Moreover, he keeps a calm and peaceful mind to the affairs of human life.

Serving so many friends and strangers every night, the two big dining tables are like a crossroads where destiny brings people together.After all, these people are merely transient guests in each other’s life.Therefore, Huang Ke always claims himself to be a guest as well. ◆

(From The Tastes of Life, Guangxi Normal University Press.Translation :Zhu Yaguang)

“朋友”们常常反客为主，不只据案大嚼，举杯畅饮，还会随意翻弄主人的书籍唱片；要是嫌主人放的音乐不好听，便自己跑过去换一张。聊得尽兴，喝得高了，难免就要喝醉。不怕，您随便睡，第二天早上酒醒再走。黄珂说：“没关系，客人到此便成主人了。”

我第一次上他家吃饭就闹笑话，因为我竟然问他每位收多少钱，结果哄堂大笑，笑得拍桌子摔杯子沫星四散。我以为谁家这么开饭一定是“私房菜”，没想到黄珂根本不在乎钱：“请朋友来家里吃饭要收钱？哈哈，要不这样吧，你下回带点材料上来，弄几手粤菜让大家尝尝。”

也的确有客人会自己下厨，活动手脚，顺便和“朋友”切磋技艺。但一般人都不这么干，因为黄珂家的川菜做得太好，外头饭馆吃不到。特别是一味“黄氏牛肉”，远近驰名。当然还有毛血旺，食家许为北京第一。但黄珂对此不以为然，他常说：“大家吃川菜都是为了辣，因为辣可以遮掩食材的缺点。流行川菜，是现在食材太差的缘故。”单凭这句话，你就知道他真够内行，川菜必然做得地道。

千万不要以为他是富豪，其实他是个普通商人，住的不是豪宅，家里陈设也堪称简朴。他只不过喜欢这么过日子，别人收集古董，他则收集朋友。这一大圈朋友里头什么人都有，文人艺术家最多，商人政客也不少，和他们交谈就像看书，都是长见识的方法。

黄珂喜欢朋友，喜欢知识，喜欢了解世界的复杂多样——摆流水席也不失为“秀才不出门，能知天下事”的方法之一。可是，他对这一切却又看得极淡。

每晚有那么多认识和不认识的人来来去去，那两张大桌就像十字路口一样，是有缘人相遇的场合，然聚散匆匆，彼此究竟只是对方生命中的过客罢了，所以他老说自己也是个客人。◆

（摘自《味道之味觉现象》广西师范大学出版社）

中式流水席

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