From: liud@hobo.ECE.ORST.EDU (Don Liu)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.china,talk.politics.china
Subject: Kissinger's Chicken
Summary: True and Fun Story
Date: 29 Sep 92 16:55:56 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.BvCn1C.40v
Organization: ECE Dept.,OSU,Corvallis


 
        (Translated from "Dong Xi Nan Bei" magazine without permission)
        (Omission and minor modification applied as is appropriate)
 
        | Dear reader, please use your imagination when reading |
        | this article. Otherwisw fun cannot be guarrantted.    |
 
 
 
                          Kissinger's Chiken
 
 
        On July 9th, 1971, President Nixon's envoy Dr. Kissinger flew
        to Beijing on a secret visit.
 
        The director of the Communist Party's Central Committee Office
        came to the "High Official's Kitchen" of the People's
        Great Hall. Looking at the four cooks and not without
        dignity, he declared: "An extremely important visitor has
        come. The meal on the 11th will be of the satndard of a
        state banquet."
 
        Hesitating for a while, he added: "He is very special. His name
        is Kissinger, American president's envoy. Premier Zhou has
        instructed that we must entertain him well and provide best
        food for him". He then handed the cooks some menus and background
        materials about Kissinger's eating preferences.
 
        Dr. Kissinger came to US in 1948 as a Jewish immigrant. Among
        other things, the Ph.D of Harvord is very much interested in 
        eating and has tasted hundreds of famous find foods around the
        world as a part of his diplomatic carrer.
 
        In the afternoon of July 11th, 1971, all the hosts and guests were
        seated in the Anhui Hall. Kissinger looked tired, but behind the 
        glasses his eyes were suggesting that he was excited and in good
        spirit.
 
        Sitting around the table were Premier Zhou Enlai, Marshall Ye
        jianying, Foreign minister Ji Pengfei, Dr. Kissinger, his aid
        Mr. Lord (who later became US ambassador to China), etc.
 
        The first round of food was served with 7 hot dishes. These were
        1) Eye-brow style meat sung; 2) river fish with fried green onion;
        3) Crab-yellow with fish eggs; 4) Pork tendon with crab meat;
        5) Stewed sparrow; 6) baked fung 7) ?.
 
        The bowls and plates were all famous fine china. The food's
        good smell permiated over the room. The decoration were luxuriant.
        Just a look would make you hungry to dropping saliva (:-); filling
        the room and into everyone's nostrills was the fragrance of Mao-Tai.
 
        In the second round of dishes there were sliced fish with lotus,
        scalop with silver carp fish, the traditional sunflower beef and
        Chinese beef stew.
 
        Premier Zhou frequently cheered and guests gently ganbeied. So far,
        Dr. Kissinger only tasted one piece of each dish, saving more time
        appreciating the gorgious colors and shapes.
 
        Then came the third round of dishes: six sichuan-style and
        Shandon-style cold-dishes. They appeared rather like artwork
        than something to put in mouth. Puzzled, Kissinger shook his
        head for a while, his knife touring over a dish after another
        and found no appropriate place to cut.
 
        And so on, until eventually it was time to convince the US 
        envoy. Chef Xu Xiaobo had completed his work: "Steamed Butter
        Chicken". 
 
        A shining whole chicken in a Yixing purple sand pot, gloriously
        steaming. It was chaby but not fatty, gentle but not artificial.
        The yellow from the butter and the orange form the soup depicted 
        its dignity; The beautiful bird's cooked body in the famous sand
        pot just created a peaceful and harmonic feeling.
 
        "Respected Mr. Dr.", said Zhou, "This is called Steamed Butter
        Chicken, specially prepared for you".
 
        "Oh, thank you, Mr. premier ... oh my!"
 
        His eyes started to glow.
 
        "The raw materials and spice are all from US and West Germany",
        continued Zhou. "Yet it is cooked in Chinese style, an art
        work combining the East and West. Mr. Dr. should be interested
        to try!"
 
        "Wo,Wo,Won--derful!" 
 
        With knife and fork in his hands Kissinger cried with emotion.
        His apetite could not wait, his gentleman's manner quickly 
        vanishing.  With a swift action his fork siezed a leg of the 
        chicken, and into it his knife cutting. 
 
 
        "dang"! 
 
 
        The tip of the knife hit the bottom of the Yixing purple sand
        pot, the soup splashed in a way so charming. Watch it! the leg was 
        dropping! quick, quick! the fork siezed the leg again, firmly this
        time, and precisely traveled into the mouth awaiting. Dr. Kissinger 
        made a deep breath, and started a long and sweat chewing.
 
        Marshall Ye Jianying smiled. Yet Premier Zhou was still holding.
 
        Dr. Kissinger licked his lips. A childish smile emmerged on his 
        face. It was time for the chicken breast. He smacked and shrugged,
        letting himself go. It was not very long before the first half
        of the chicken was gone. Just as he was to reached the other half,
        Mr. Lord got upset. He touched Dr. Kissinger's elbow and mermered
 
        Dr. Kissinger reluctantly put the knife back, his eyes never wanted
        to leave the sand pot. It only took a short while before he
        restored his manner, however. Smiling like a child, he padded 
        the Chinese English translator:
 
        "This is absolutely the best food in my China visit!"
 
        Poor Dr. has probably never realized that he had tasted just
        one petal in the garden of Chinese Food. It was just one of
        the best 5400 Chinese dishes served then in the Great Hall!
 
        If you have a chance to dine at the Great People's Hall in the
        future, don't forget to tell your party this story. If they
        got suspecious, the proof is ready for you in everybody's
        hand, because in the menu you can find: 
                
                       "Kissinger's Chicken".
 
 
 
        Meauw!