Chapter 17 Food in Beijing (2)

It's hard to get authentic Beijing food.Even the concept of Beijing cuisine is vague.The only ones that people can think of are the Man-Han Banquet—but that is Beijing cuisine in the old days after all, and it is close to legend for today.It is said that the princes, ministers, and ministers feasted on the guests, and the Manchu and Han banquets were all-inclusive, with everything from mountains and seas to delicacies, which can be called the most grand and luxurious courtesy.When Emperor Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River, a complete set of Manchu and Han banquets included 300 kinds of dishes. Even if most of them were tasted briefly, they ate for three days.Just imagining it like this will choke people: what a waste of money!The Manchu Banquet is too courtly.I have been thinking, what is the taste of civilian Beijing cuisine?Or to put it another way: what did the common people eat at that time?It is estimated that it is not all pickled vegetable steamed bun noodles.

I have moved to Beijing for many years, and I still have little knowledge of Beijing cuisine, which is not a pity.Over the years, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Qilu cuisine, and Northeast cuisine have all flourished respectively. Recently, Shanghai local cuisine has come from afar, which is impressive, but strangely, even if you walk on the streets of Beijing, it is difficult to find one or two. A self-proclaimed restaurant with old Beijing cuisine.Does this fulfill the principle of far fragrance and near smell?Or am I ignorant? Once at a meeting, He Dong, a reporter from Kyoto, spoke about his unrestrained style, from running a magazine to opening a restaurant, all because "the smell of wine is not afraid of deep alleys", so that there will be repeat customers.He gave an example: in the alley opposite the art museum, there is a Yuebin restaurant that specializes in Beijing cuisine. The facade is simple and simple, but the dishes are authentic; I went to a five-star restaurant (the food there was too stylized), but I drove all the way to join "Yue Bin", so there are always full seats - this is a real "famous brand"...

I have forgotten all about what was discussed at that meeting.He only remembered He Dong's words.Especially remember the word "full seat"-this is the best and most convincing description of a restaurant. Just a few days later, a friend came to visit, and I suddenly thought of the "Yue Bin" whom He Dong talked about so much.My residence is only half a stop away from the art museum, so I invited my friends to walk there.There is a light board hanging at the entrance of the alley facing the street, with the word "Yuebin" simply written on it (like the business card of a real big star, without any title attached).After turning in for dozens of steps, I saw a low-rise one-story restaurant. If you don't pay attention, it is no different from an old Beijing residence.Only when I opened the door did I find that it was very lively: the small space was densely packed with dining tables and diners, there were no single rooms and no elegant seats, it was just a big straight house, and even any decorations (such as New Year pictures) on the walls No; the kitchen or something is in the backyard.The boss himself sits behind the glass counter with cold dishes at the corner of the wall, keeps accounts, smokes, and watches everyone eat with a smile, as detached as an outsider.

We were seated by standing in the aisle waiting for others to leave.The waiter handed over the menu, and I read it, and quite a few dishes had unfamiliar names.According to the waiter, most of these are special dishes of the store, and the craftsmanship is not passed on to the outside world, and they cannot be eaten in other stores.I picked and ordered four dishes and one soup.I had nothing to say about that meal. I still remember the recipe for the first time I ate at "Yue Bin", and the taste at that time.May wish to briefly describe.Wusi bucket, stuffed with shredded meat, vermicelli, green onion, etc., wrapped in egg skin to form a bucket, fried crispy and cooked, dipped in sweet noodle sauce, with shallots, wrapped in palm-sized pancakes (similar to roast duck way of eating).Grilled cabbage, cut the heart of Chinese cabbage into strips, braised with gluten, it is extremely hearty.Pot-roasted duck, I don’t know how to do it, I can only just as the name suggests, this dish has a special taste, which can only be felt but cannot be expressed in words.Only that soup was more ordinary: casserole with winter melon balls, but the meatballs were so delicate that they melted in the mouth, before they had time to roll on the tongue.

The skill of "Yuebin" can be seen from this. Dining at "Yuebin" does not care about the form, but the content.The boss and the waiter don't talk much, and the chef is always hiding in the stove (I still don't know what he looks like), and he convinces you entirely by the dishes he serves.The restaurant has such a good business, but it doesn't even have a decent toilet. There is a tap with a washbasin in the corner, and two bleached towels are hung on the wall nails. I even noticed that the soap box is not soap, but The kind of yellow soap that ordinary people wash their clothes with.This is a prime example.Although it is a detail, it is meaningful.I heard that the boss's ancestors opened restaurants before liberation, and secretly passed down many unique skills; he always kept his mouth shut when talking to the boss.Although diners fill the door every day, the owner's expression is always calm, never complacent.He just thinks he owns a restaurant.Despite the reputation, there is no plan to expand the restaurant to take advantage of the situation.He is already very satisfied with opening such a smoky little shop.

In such a smoky little shop, there are many customers in suits and leather shoes with a lot of money.I often meet a few foreigners with blonde hair and blue eyes (probably just finished painting from the art gallery).They are also destined to taste authentic Beijing cuisine and taste the taste of old Beijing.I also have a fate with "Yuebin": after all, it is only half a stop away from my residence, and it takes only ten minutes to walk to a full meal.Whenever friends come to visit, I am used to showing them "Yue Bin", and at the same time repeating what He Tung said tirelessly.It's not like going to eat, but like visiting some famous places. "Yue Bin" is also strange, the closing time is written in red paint on the door: 8 o'clock every night.A few times I went a little later, the boss always said apologetically, "The fire has been sealed."I didn't pay attention at first, but later I realized that the so-called "seal the fire" in Beijing dialect means to seal the stove. Naturally, cooking can no longer be done after the stove is sealed.Only then did I know that "Yuebin" does not use a gas tank to cook, but a stove that burns briquettes or briquettes.Society has developed to the point where even households generally use gas. As a restaurant, "Yuebin" insists on burning coal stoves. Is it too behind the times?

Perhaps this is the charm of "Yue Bin": it is deliberately half a beat behind the times.Perhaps, the authentic old Beijing cuisine must be cooked on a coal stove to get the most authentic taste (whether for the chef or the diners).Just like tea ceremony, apart from tea leaves, water is the most important thing in the tea ceremony. It is stated in the "Tea Classics" of all dynasties that spring water is the best, followed by well water, and river water should only be used as a last resort (not to mention the bleach-flavored tap water in modern industrial society).There are even obsessives who use pottery bowls to catch rainwater and snow from the sky or drip dew condensed on banana leaves to cook and prepare vegetables on small red clay stoves.Is this the same situation as "Yuebin" who insists on using coal stoves for cooking?

Of course, maybe all of this is just out of a certain psychological feeling, or psychological effect. Every time I walk out of "Yuebin", I always want to write an article, but I haven't started it for a long time: I am afraid that it will be misunderstood as an advertisement for others.In fact, I did not pay on credit at "Yue Bin" like Kong Yiji did, and I did not owe the boss any favors.The more hesitant reason is whether I can write this article well, otherwise I will live up to the unforgettable taste of old Beijing cuisine in this civilian restaurant.The compliments in this article are entirely due to the food. "Yuebin" has a good talk because of its delicious food.