Regional Cooking

The Regional Cuisines of China are as different as its dialects. The dialect and the cuisine were bonds which tied a person to his place of origin. When moved elsewhere, the same ways might be thought provincial, or uncouth, subject to misunderstanding, suspicion and plain indifference. Eating and talking were national pastimes, but actually each one of us was the centre of the conversation, each meal a focus of interest. We were not easily swayed nor convinced by foreign tastes. Yet when the best was called for, classic cooking, which was independent of region, was invariably presented, so that like speaking in Mandarin, we always met strangers or distinguished guests on the best ground.