Of course people live not just to eat. But I stubbornly believe that eating well is a shortcut to happiness. However, the sense of happiness that I had when I was a kid is becoming increasingly scarce. When I talk to my mother on the phone, she complains from time to time that the vegetables on the market have no vegetable flavor or fruity aroma. "Then what can I do? If you live in a big city, you can only eat food like this."
Once I was chatting with an aunt. After retiring, the old couple returned to their hometown in the countryside and planted vegetables and fruits in the backyard. , lived a hard but comfortable life. While eating the bean paste made by my aunt, I exclaimed: This is life, this is the right taste!
Some time ago, there was a documentary called "A Bite of China" that completely drove me crazy. While eating the mediocre food in the bowl, I drooled while watching the video and wondered: Are we living in a parallel universe? Why does everything captured in this documentary feel like an unreal dream in another world?
I recommended "A Bite of China" to my overseas friends. Unexpectedly, she noticed this documentary earlier than I did, and excitedly pointed out: Even the snail noodles in Guangxi have become famous! People overseas miss the delicacies of their hometown and fantasize about the taste in documentaries, while the Indian Asan next door is also tenaciously cooking curry for three meals a day. Alas, the stomach is a lie detector of nationality!
Unfortunately we live in a sad reality today. The evil gutter oil and frequent food safety incidents tell us: if you are too picky, there will be basically nothing to eat in China. In fact, "A Bite of China" not only revived my zombie-like taste buds, but what moved me even more was the people who look for, make and taste delicious food. The happiness and contentment on their faces is very real. Ren Changzhen, executive director of "A Bite of China" said, "It is not so much that "A Bite of China" is looking for delicious food, but rather that it is looking for 'clean Chinese people' - those who have the right to speak are those who are not diligent. People who don’t distinguish between grains are unnatural people. Those who make tofu, dig lotus roots, and pick matsutake mushrooms don’t even know what Weibo is. The real world is not so noisy, but exists silently, you. You can only see it if you get close.”
Food that is deeply rooted in people’s hearts is always related to memories and stories. Do you still remember Stephen Chow's classic "The God of Cookery" more than ten years ago? Karen Mok, who did not hesitate to look ugly, bared her buck teeth and handed Stephen Chow, who was living on the street, a simple bowl of barbecued pork rice, which woke him up after he hit rock bottom. The "Sadly Enchanting Barbecued Pork Rice" dish at the God of Cookery Competition not only made the judges fall over in ecstasy? As a movie fan, I feel the same way!
China’s close neighbors South Korea and Japan have spared no effort in promoting food philosophy. The movie "Dae Jang Geum" turned Korean food into a trend discussed on the streets. The various delicacies in the Japanese dramas "Midnight Diner" and "The Lonely Gourmet" have a lonely, warm and beautiful taste because of the diners with various personalities.
Of all the companies in the world, the ones I envy and covet the most are those who work at Google! Because Google has the best employee canteen in the world! It is said that there are all the delicacies you can imagine and unimaginable. If I worked in a company like that, I would definitely be willing to get up at 6 o'clock every day and go to work! Google knows very well: Only by keeping employees' stomachs in check can they retain their hearts. The chefs who work at Google are comparable to popular celebrities. Those who leave either because they start their own business or are poached by high salaries.
Senior foodies all know the famous Michelin restaurant. The newly launched "Michelin Guide" every year is known as the global "Gourmet Bible". However, compared to those high-end restaurants where I might not be able to get in for months, what fascinates me more is the delicacies I encounter on the streets of other places.
The dull and gentle boss silently pours two more spoons of delicious soup on your noodles; the hospitable uncle treats you to drink the most authentic sweet tea on the plateau... As the saying goes, "Food is easy to taste, but human touch is the hardest." Food with a human touch is real food!