Chapter 652: Real and Fake Western Food
“Actually, when it comes to this pot of braised beef, it cannot be considered a Russian dish, because this dish does not exist in Russia. This is the invention of Keshilin . It’s a foreignized Western food to cater to the people here. And this gratin has the same meaning. In Russia, it actually only has gratin.”
Kang Shude made a surprising statement again. Ning Weimin was even more surprised and couldn't help but blurt out.
"What? According to what you said, is it possible that this...these are all fake Western food!"
This sound was so sudden that it seemed that the waiter in the restaurant heard it.
Ning Weimin couldn't help but feel embarrassed when he saw the waiter serving the food at the next table looking over with confusion and surprise.
He quickly lowered his head and lowered his voice to ask the old man.
"Are you kidding me? This... this pot of goulash is not a real Russian dish?"
His tone was incredulous.
Kang Shude just smiled indifferently, but it was completely as it should be.
"Is this surprising? When foreign things come to us, they rarely remain the same, and Western food is no exception. The reason is that the operators are eager to make money and urgently need to be recognized by the locals."
“After all, here we have few real foreigners and many locals. With so many Western restaurants, if they only wait for foreigners to come to eat, I’m afraid it will be difficult to make a profit. This is a need for business strategy . ”
“Taking the past capital as an example, the Western restaurants that can truly maintain the authentic taste include the Western Gentlemen Association in Dongjiaomin Lane, which is only accessible to foreigners, that is, the canteen of the German hospital and the bread of the French hospital. It’s just a room. There are only a few companies that can do this because they have their own reasons and don’t need to worry about profitability.”
“Others include high-end luxury hotels such as the Liuguo Hotel and the Capital Hotel. As long as you want to make money, you can’t escape the localization model of Western food in every establishment, including Ermiao Tang and Jie Ying Fan Restaurant, which are popular among the citizens. >"You must know that the founder's identity in China was just a cook in a German military camp, an ordinary private. He wanted money but no money, and background but no background. It is said that he got the job by chance by hosting a banquet for Yuan Shikai Appreciation, and a hundred taels of silver reward gave me the opportunity to show my talents.”
"At the beginning, due to limited capital, the restaurant opened was very small, mainly focusing on candies, bread, and pastries. Keith Lin worked as a chef himself and asked his wife to serve as a waiter. He couldn't find a way to cater to the local people's preferences. How can that be done? As long as you are a guest, you must do your best to treat them. So the term "Chinese-style Western food" may sound ridiculous, but it is a fact. French, German, and Russian cuisine all claim to be authentic. But in fact, most of them, including Western restaurants opened by foreigners, are made to cater to the tastes of our Chinese people. There is no fabricated content, or even fiction at all.”
“For example, the British love fried potato chips and fried fish, so many fried chicken, fish, and meat dipped in bread crumbs are available in our Western restaurants. It's called British style. The French like all kinds of sauces, so our western restaurant invented a homemade sauce made of tomato sauce, diced carrots, peas and raisins, which is red and green and tastes sour. It's so sweet. Just pour it on fried pork chops or meatloaf and you can call it 'French so-and-so'."
Hearing this, Ning Weimin looked at the food on the table in front of him and suddenly felt. It's a bit unscented.
He said to himself that by spending so much money together, he was charging an IQ tax.
So isn’t this the same as the Chinese food that foreigners eat?
In his previous life, he had read some relevant information on the Internet and knew that Chinese food abroad was terrible.
Zongtang Zuo’s chicken, Li Hongzhang’s offal, these are all things that Chinese people do to fool foreigners.
I didn’t expect that foreigners who dare to come to China would still fool us...
“What? Do you feel awkward? Do you think you have been fooled and spend money to eat such unauthentic food? Lost money on Western food? ”
Kang Shude also noticed Ning Weimin's displeasure, and when he saw that he did not deny it, he smiled again.
"You, actually, you don’t have to think this way, it’s just too much. You have to think this way, real Western food is too far away from us. It is difficult to accept it. Just like you Pierre Carton Maxim's at Jianguo Hotel, and Justin at Jianguo Hotel. According to your introduction, they are all authentic French dishes, cooked by French chefs themselves, and the menus are exactly the same as those in France. How many people like to eat half-cooked food? ”
“The taste of Western food is far less varied than that of Chinese food. Speaking of its advantages, it is that the ingredients are fresh and the eyes are more satisfied. In addition, the environment is exquisite, and it is fashionable to eat this. But you can imagine that we, the aunt in the courtyard, Lao Mi and others will eat such foreign food. What are you talking about? I tell you, they really can’t enjoy this kind of blessing. I’m afraid they’ll be fine if they don’t vomit. If they try to eat it, they’ll get upset later. Different eating habits and lack of understanding of the corresponding culture. Our generation is far more unfamiliar with the West than today. In addition, we are getting older and cannot tolerate many raw and cold foods, so we cannot taste them. What’s so great about those high-end Western foods. On the other hand, they can still try it if they are full of fake Western food.”
"Just like me, after eating fake Western food, I can distinguish what is butter, what is cheese and what is cream. Only then can I sit down with you and eat the real thing. It was the fake Western food that got me involved I am far away from real Western food. Otherwise, I am afraid that I will be like them and not be able to enjoy real French cuisine.”
"Speaking of this, you should understand what I mean, right? Fake Western food also has the meaning of fake Western food. This is the principle of step by step. Nothing can be done in one step. If there is no fake Western food to pave the way, then the real Western food , it is simply impossible to be accepted by our tongues and stomachs. It is with fake Western food as a transition that it is possible for authentic Western food to be accepted by us. Moreover, how can the level of authentic Western food be revealed without fake Western food for comparison. ?”
Ning Weimin was convinced by the old man and couldn’t help but nod.
"That seems to be the case. Just like my Tan Palace. Without the other two palace dishes to set off our advantages, there is no way to reflect our advantages. Without those two unauthentic dishes How can we show that we are authentic? Most people don’t know what palace cuisine is. Our repeat customers only recognize my restaurant after they have tasted it in several palace restaurants. Because they have eaten it and seen it, they can judge what the palace cuisine should be like, and they can distinguish the extraordinary aspects of our altar palace..."
After following him, he paused and said, "But, I also think that sometimes the quality of a restaurant's business is not entirely determined by the taste of the dishes. Especially in Western restaurants, for people who don't know enough about Western food, the dining experience seems to be more important than the taste. "It's important."
"Look, even if our eating habits are different, we ordinary people can't accept the real French food, but it can't satisfy the appetite of our people." The environment is good, the service is good, and the serious foreign chef is very particular about both the inside and outside of the restaurant, including the tableware and cloth. This can give people a sense of class. ”
"So regardless of the price, Maxim is more expensive than Lao Mo and Cheeseline. But it is still very popular among customers, which cannot stop those who eat Western food. They gradually forget about Lao Mo and become Maxim's. Supporter. Especially recently, Maxim has started to increase the number of band performances. I heard that the restaurant is doing very well and is almost full."
"To be honest, I came to this cheese forest today because the food is good. The taste is good, and it may be genuine. But the problem is that there are too many problems in the management. The management is not up to par, the environment and tableware are not satisfactory, which makes people feel that the quality is not high, and the meal price seems to be expensive. I'm willing to come. The greater the reputation, the more disappointing it is."
"I think this business in Shilin is really not optimistic. I'm afraid people here are just worried about making money from this brand. I forgot that this sign should maintain its matching characteristics and class. I should be glad that it is not opened in the capital, or that Maxim did not come to Tianjin to open a store, otherwise the business here would be even worse. Fifty percent of the seats can't be reached..."
Kang Shude nodded in agreement.
"Yes, you are right about the problem. Whether such a high-end dining place can satisfy guests does not really depend entirely on the taste."
"It's like when I came to Tianjin for business and treated my friends to Shilin for the first time. Although I was extremely uncomfortable with it, it could even be said that we didn't understand it at all. It made a big joke and ended in an embarrassing situation."
< br>"But it was because Qi Shilin was so famous and spectacular back then. We walked into a foreign world that we had never been exposed to and saw scenes we had never seen before. We are still full of admiration and admiration for Qi Shilin. Admiration."
"Even after many years, the first foreign meal still made us feel fresh and unforgettable."
< br>"In fact, if you think about it the other way around, this is true for Chinese people who don't understand Western food, and it's probably the same for foreigners who don't understand Chinese food. You should be careful about the business you open, and don't make mistakes like Shilin. And you have to think Think about it, what if the other two families learn from your advantages..."
But the old man's warning was far less interesting than the old man's experience, and it aroused Ning Weimin's interest more.
Ning Weimin couldn't help but ask further questions.
"Hey, old man, tell me. Who did you come with? What did you eat? Why did you make a joke?"
Kang Shude saw Ning. Wei Min looked at him curiously and smiled at him.
"You want to know something embarrassing about your master? That's fine. Who wants to talk happily today. But I can't tell you jokes, let alone spreading it to outsiders. That time I went, it was with me. My friend, Li Li, who later worked as a driver for Master Ma, went with us. We ate several Germans.”
“Deutsche?”
"Don't interrupt, just listen, you kid..."
(End of this chapter)