Chapter 54 Chiang Kai-shek's diet

Chiang Kai-shek is an important figure in modern times, and his political behavior has had a great impact on Chinese history.We are here to discuss his dietary concerns and hobbies.Around the 1970s, when I was very young, I heard that Chiang Kai-shek liked to drink boiled water. My intuitive impression was that Chiang Kai-shek had a relatively dull personality.Now I understand that Chiang Kai-shek is very particular about this glass of boiled water.Half an hour before Jiang woke up every day, the adjutants and service staff began to work nervously. First, they boiled boiled water and cooled it to about 60°C naturally. When Chiang Kai-shek got up to drink, the temperature was between 30°C and 40°C, close to the human body Natural temperature, but also a cup of warm boiled water.

He drank warm boiled water first, and then warm boiled water with a slightly higher temperature.When going out, be sure to bring two thermos cups, one for warm water and one for plain water. Regarding drinking water, Chiang Kai-shek didn't drink it until he was thirsty, but every twenty minutes or so. The guards around him naturally knew this particularity, and changed Chiang Kai-shek's glass of water every twenty minutes. This is actually a very advanced "water therapy", and the formation of this habit is mainly influenced by two people. One is Zhang Jingjiang, Chiang Kai-shek's mentor.This man was a legend throughout his life, and he was a good businessman. He once founded the West Lake Exposition and funded Sun Yat-sen's revolution. Sun Yat-sen hailed him as a "revolutionary sage".He is quite similar to Lu Buwei, a great businessman in the Warring States Period, and has the nickname "Modern Lu Buwei".

At that time, Zhang was ill, and Chiang Kai-shek went to the hospital to visit him. Zhang pointed to the boiled water on the table and said, instead of taking bitter medicine, it is better to drink more boiled water, three times a day.Zhang said that after a period of hydrotherapy, many years of diseases have been greatly improved, and the toxins in the body can be eliminated by drinking plain water. The other is Song Meiling, wife of Chiang Kai-shek.She studied in the United States and was deeply influenced by Western medicine.She once said to Chiang Kai-shek: "The advantage of boiled water is that it is pure and does not have any impurities that are harmful to the human body. If there is no impurity, it is beneficial to the human body." She has always insisted on practicing the method of appearance.

In 2003, the Grass Mountain Hotel in Yangmingshan, Taipei launched a set of health-preserving meals. It is said that this is the first exposure of Jiang’s recipes.The set meal consists of dry noodles, chili, chicken soup and golden kiwi fruit, all of which were favorites of Chiang Kai-shek during his lifetime.The most famous of these is chicken soup. Wen Yuan, Chiang Kai-shek's bodyguard, once said that the old man (Jiang Jieshi) likes to drink chicken soup very much, and he cooks it specially for him every day.There is a saying in Guangdong that goes "no chicken, no feast". Vesani, the editor-in-chief of "French Cooking", once said: "Chicken is like an oil painter's canvas for a chef." Yuan Mei, a famous eater in the Qing Dynasty, also said: "Chicken is the most powerful, and all dishes depend on it. If A good person accumulates yin and virtue without knowing it.”

There is a saying in the Chinese culinary circle: "The general depends on the gun, and the kitchen depends on the soup." Soup is mainly broth, and broth is basically a synonym for chicken soup.Chinese medicine believes that chicken soup is warm and has the effect of nourishing the middle and replenishing qi. Chiang Kai-shek's diet relies heavily on chicken soup.Chiang Kai-shek's breakfast routine is: eat a piece of papaya first, and then eat breakfast.When he was eating papaya, he put slightly warmer chicken soup on the table.Once the chef didn't control the temperature properly, Chiang Kai-shek was so hot that he vomited the chicken soup all over the table, and said to the guard very angrily, "You bastards, you want to kill me." supply.

Chiang Kai-shek is from Fenghua, Zhejiang, and he loves his hometown dishes very much.The products in this area are characterized by abundant aquatic products. Apart from seafood, Chiang Kai-shek loves to eat feng 虷 and oyster yellow.In fact, from the perspective of cuisine, the cuisine in Ningbo, Zhejiang can form its own system independently of the Hangzhou cuisine in Zhejiang.When Nanjing was in power, Mao Fumei, the eldest wife of Chiang Kai-shek, would regularly send Fenghua’s specialties Fenghua and Meretrix meretrix to Chiang, and Madam Mao would also cook local specialties such as chicken sauce taro head, potherb shredded pork, and yellow croaker in big soup. Chiang Kai-shek.Among them, the preference for chicken sauce taro head accompanied Chiang Kai-shek all his life.The taro in Fenghua is soft and rotten.After roasting, it is boiled in chicken broth.It is said that Chiang Kai-shek broke his teeth very early because he was greedy for ice cubes when he was a child. In his middle and old age, in order to ensure Chiang Kai-shek's nutrition, the guards around him tried their best to cook.Taro is soft, nutritious, and contains fluorine, which is good for teeth, so it became the central ingredient in Chiang Kai-shek's refurbishment.

Taro was almost the perfect ingredient for Chiang Kai-shek, who had bad teeth and a bad stomach.During this process, Jiang Fu also innovated many dishes.For example, in addition to chicken sauce taro, there are taro chicken diced, taro celery, taro cabbage, taro vermicelli, taro shredded pork, taro shrimp, etc.Among them, Chiang Kai-shek ate the most taro cabbage and taro celery.This has something to do with Chiang Kai-shek's very restrained eating of meat. Taro is considered a traditional Chinese delicacy, and it is often used as a substitute for staple food. The name recorded in "Historical Records" is called "squatting owl", and "Hanshu" is called "taro sunflower". In addition, it is recorded in the book that there are a lot of taro in Sichuan. "Hunger relief".In the Tang Dynasty, there was a saying in the history books called "If you are hungry, you will not be hungry, but there are squatting owls in Shu".Taro has a delicate texture, soft and rotten in the mouth, and is easy to swallow. It has the characteristics of "slippery, soft, crisp, and waxy".Taro can be eaten with salty or sweet, and it is suitable for meat and vegetables, so it can be said to be an ideal versatile dish.

Yuan Mei, a great gourmet in the Qing Dynasty, recorded the practice of burning cabbage with taro. In the 1990s, there was a "roasted chicken with taro" in Sichuan cuisine, which was popular all over the country.This dish has both taro and chicken, which is very suitable for the taste of "Old Mister".Today's famous taro dishes include taro chicken feet, fragrant taro braised meat, Tai Chi taro, etc., which are also very popular.