Every young child knows Chinese cuisine! For many, it is the most familiar cuisine, next to the one at home. The reason for this is simple:
Even in the most distant place in the world, you can practically always find a Chinese restaurant. Through my work I travel a lot and found one everywhere, in the Altiplano of Bolivia as well as in Kabul, Afghanistan, in Iraq outside Baghdad or even in Nigeria.
Spring rolls and sweet and sour sauce are probably some of the best-known foods in the world. People like Chinese cuisine not only because of its diversity, but also because of its familiarity due to its worldwide distribution. No matter where you are, you can practically always find a good spring roll as a starter and duck or fish sweet and sour as a main course.
Strategically, one could say that this cuisine is a kind of "soft power", everyone knows it and likes it. It forms a sympathetic bridge between Chinese culture and the world's epicures. We all know the saying "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach"! What is true for couples can also be applied to culture.
Of course, there are other cultural "ambassadors" of China besides the wholesome cuisine. Who doesn't know the I Ching, Feng Shui, the Chinese calendar or the Chinese horoscope? Interestingly, it is not so much individuals from China that we are familiar with, but rather its cultural assets, such as the art of cooking.
It always amazes me when I enjoy the cuisine in a Chinese restaurant how versatile it is. Funnily enough, my girlfriend and I just had Chinese food for lunch yesterday in Lienz, Austria.
Although I have been to such rest
aurants countless times, I always come across dishes that were previously unknown to me. Not infrequently, these have fused perfectly with the local cuisine. You could say that love - at least metaphorically speaking - goes through the stomach: the love of local and Chinese cuisine gives rise to new and wonderful dishes. What is true for people is equally true for gastronomy.
Until now, I have not been able to experience Chinese gastronomy in its country of origin. Unfortunately, I have never been to the Middle Kingdom. It's a pity, I'm sure I would enjoy the local cuisine much more than in a restaurant anywhere in the world. Actually, this alone would be a reason to visit China! Until that happens, I will continue to visit Chinese restaurants all over the globe, the love of Chinese culture must continue to pass through the stomach until I visit the country one day.
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