Li Hongzhang's overseas visit left a deep impression on the United States. At the end of August this year, Li Hongzhang's mission was warmly welcomed in the United States. The New York Times released a message saying, "The American people want to see the style of the prime minister of the Qing Dynasty, because this man ruled more people than all European monarchs combined."
This is also a long tradition in China. Never be rude. Therefore, in order to thank the American officials and people for their warm hospitality, Li Hongzhang decided to hold a Chinese banquet in new york to entertain and thank people from all walks of life in the United States, and sent people to Chinatown where Chinese live in concentrated communities. At this banquet, Li Hongzhang inadvertently created a modest miracle.
On the day of the banquet, people from all walks of life in the United States gathered in Chinatown, attracting the attention of the curious American public. In the past, Americans seldom went to Chinatown, and it was even more difficult to eat there. Wine and food shopkeepers in Chinatown serve Chinese living in the United States, so that they can enjoy China's delicious food in foreign countries and feel homesick again.
At the banquet, Chinese dishes with various colors, flavors and unique shapes were served one after another. People in other countries are dumbfounded and think the taste is unique. After eating for hours, they refused to sit down. This time, the manager on the side was worried. He quickly approached Li Hongzhang's ear and asked, "My Lord, what should I do if all the dishes are finished?" Li Hongzhang quietly thought for a moment and immediately said, "Heat up the leftovers and put them in a big pot."
In a short time, a large pot of steaming soup and leftovers was served, and foreigners rushed to taste it and were full of praise. One of them even asked Li Hongzhang, "Why do Chinese dishes always put the best dishes at the end? What is the name of this dish? " Li Hongzhang was embarrassed to answer for a moment, so he had to say, "Eat more! Eat more! " . Foreigners present thought the name of this dish was "Eat more". Who would have thought that the mistake was Li Hongzhang's unintentional words, because the pronunciation of "eat more" is just similar to the pronunciation of "hotch-pot" in English.
Since then, many foreigners have come to Chinatown to taste China-style food. Every meal must be a hodgepodge of "famous dishes" used at Li Hongzhang's banquet. The owners of Chinatown restaurants also took the opportunity to make mistakes, combining all kinds of excellent materials and refining them into a "hodgepodge of Li Hongzhang". Originally, China cuisine is beautiful, fresh and healthy. By chance, they became household names because of Li Hongzhang's fame, which attracted many foreigners to visit Chinatown and set off a whirlwind of "Li Hongzhang's hodgepodge". At that time, the catering industry in Chinatown was booming, earning millions of dollars every year. It's amazing!
In this way, in new york alone, there are 300 or 400 chowder restaurants, which have also spread to Boston, Washington, Chicago, Pittsburgh and other places, becoming an important source of income for Chinese living in the United States. Later, in order to attract celebrities and curious Westerners, all Chinese restaurants in the United States bought food lists such as "Li Hongzhang hodgepodge", "Li Hongzhang noodles" and "Li Hongzhang rice". Li Hongzhang's name has become the food and clothing parents of many Chinese living in the United States.
Of course, there are also many so-called "Li Hongzhang hodgepodge", which have no names or surnames. The cooking is so bad that I can't recognize the raw materials. China people don't care at all, but westerners think that "Li Hongzhang's hodgepodge" is the taste. Instead, there are endless tasters, just to satisfy their strong curiosity.
Li Hongzhang also likes roast mutton. Through this visit, his hobby is also widely known, and he opened a roast mutton street in Washington, DC. Although Li Hongzhang's visit to the United States has no substantive state affairs, only this "Li Hongzhang hodgepodge" dish is popular in the United States, which is also Li Hongzhang's "victory" and "brilliant achievement".