Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food book review

 

I invited a group of ten friends to have a big Chinese Sichuan Sunday lunch for my birthday this past summer, as a result one of my friends who had heard of this book got it as a gift for the occasion. I absolutely loved it; one of my favourite reads in a while. This is just to preface that I'm completely biased: if the title sounds even remotely interesting, you can stop now and just go buy it. Suffice to say I highly recommend reading it

Invitation to a Banquet by Fuchsia Dunlop is an expertly and lovingly cooked non-fiction book blending the author's personal experiences of eating and cooking Chinese food, with a sweeping cultural and historical account of food in China. 

I've been enchanted with the structure of the book, organised in four sections titled hearth, farm, kitchen, and table. Every chapter is like zooming in a kaleidoscope called "Chinese food," representing an essential ingredient or component to explore for the reader. Every chapter is also like a snowflake, uniquely different yet broadly following the same structure: a personal story, a time and place, a dish to illustrate the aspect being examined (may it be about rice, roasting with fire, or a mind-boggling extensive vocabulary of cooking techniques), along with historical and cultural references.

Fuchsia Dunlop's writing is as delightful as it is mouth-watering. I've had the chance of traveling in mainland China twice (and Hong Kong a couple more times) but it was already a long time ago now. Reading, I was fondly reminded of some of my best food and travel memories. I want to learn to cook more of these dishes now, and I'd love to go back, see more of China, and eat at the Dragon Well Manor restaurant one day.

The academic and professional cooking references and stories are compelling. The chapter titled "The Power of Steam" opens with the author mentioning "the Banpo village near Xi'an, one of China's most important Neolithic archeological sites." A little further she adds: "More than six thousand years ago, at the very dawn of the Chinese civilisation, people here were already using steamers to cook their food." A page later, she references a paragraph from a writer who travelled to Beijing in 1793 and who didn't seem too happy with steamed bread. I added several other books from the same author, and from the bibliography, to my reading list. 

I believe, and it is pretty much stated, that the intention is to give readers an appreciation of the richness and sophistication of Chinese food culture in all its possible forms over time. As a result, I went out to order and eat several of the dishes I was reading about, classics I love like Sichuan Mapo Tofu or Yuxiang "fish fragrant" aubergines. I prepared a quick and simple broth for lunch before writing this. I stopped at the Asian grocery shop on the way back from the gym, to add ready-made pork dumplings, pak choi (bok choy) that I quickly cut and blanched, some carrots slices I had in the fridge, topped it all with chopped scallion and a dash of sesame oil. Bon appétit!

Le Coq à l'Ane is Open!

My brother Morgan opened his first restaurant & wine bar on Saturday 1st August, which I was – and still am – very excited about! It is called Le Coq à l’Ane, a playful name based on a French saying which translates best in English as a non sequitur, going from thing to another completely unrelated or illogically. Literally the saying translates as “going from rooster (or cock) to donkey” and the restaurant name can literally translate as “the donkeyed rooster (or cock)”.

My brother told me the saying was used as early as the 14th century in France, and “l’âne” then was spelled “l’asne” and designated a female duck rather than a donkey. The saying originally referred to farm cocks that would have sex with ducks.

As for the restaurant, Morgan liked the sound of it, and he feels it reflects what guests will be experiencing when they visit, depending on what produce are available at the market and his inspiration or mood, one day he might be cooking something very elaborate and gastronomic, and the next day a simple like you’re at home Catalan sausage and mash, or an Indian curry another day. Main dishes can change suddenly with no rhyme or reason, yet you can be sure it will all be delicious and very affordable.

The restaurant is in the small village of Latour-de-France, by a lovely river. The village has a reputation amongst all-natural wine aficionados; while small the village boasts twelve different independent organic and/or all natural winemakers. The restaurant is also a wine cellar, so you can try different local wines and craft beers, or select a bottle and enjoy it at home or by the river with friends. For now he mostly has wines from the village, and he intends to get wines from other regions of France soon enough.

Morgan cooked delicious slow-roasted pork ribs and mashed potatoes for opening night dinner

The opening night was a success and different generations of villagers came by to have drinks and plates of artisan cheese and charcuterie, the atmosphere was great and it was a pleasure to be there. We finished late at night with Morgan’s ex-colleagues from the previous place he worked at, La Coopérative Riberach, a Michelin-starred restaurant nearby.

 

If you’re in the South of France near Perpignan or know of anyone visiting, please come by or tell them about the restaurant! In the meantime, they are regularly updating the Facebook Page with photos and information, check it out!