by Garfield Scott
When my two decades of living in China slips into conversation—it happens more than you would think—the first question that is often asked is: How? How did you do it for so long? I always respond, “The food!”. Hello readers, I am here to share my opinions and experiences with the Chinese food culture, which I hope will bring awareness to the stark differences between authentic Chinese cuisine and the Americanized dishes here in the U.S. that we call “Chinese food.” The course on the menu for this article, “Hong Shao Ruo (红烧肉),” or “Red Braised Pork,” is a personal favorite.
Now, five distinct types of food culture come from the three regions of China: the South, Northeast, and East Coast. We begin our journey today in the South and save the other two regions for a later time. Hunan Province, renowned as the home province of Mao Zedong, is of particular interest to our tale.
The legend goes that while spending time in the province, away from the politicking in Beijing, Chairman Mao often ate Hong Shao Rou. This dish is as good as its description would lead you to believe: a spicy-peppered, honey glaze sauce covers a half-inch thick slice of bacon with an additional half-inch thick layer of fat on top. With no exaggeration, it is the thickest and widest piece of bacon you’ve ever seen! The pork and fat melt in your mouth quicker than a M&M.
After being introduced to it during my first year of study there, it was my go-to for lunch and, sometimes, dinner every day for an entire year. I have a sort of sentimental attachment to the dish, as the restaurant crawl around Beijing in search of Hong Shao Rou greatly assisted my efforts to learn the language and culture of China. Perhaps I appreciated the honey-glazed delicacy too much because my 5’8 stature quickly shot up to over 200 lbs. Let this be a recommendation and warning that it is by far one of China’s best dishes and is impossible to resist.
On China’s East Coast, the city of Shanghai also prepares it like the South, but they provide you with a sweeter and thinner sauce instead of Hunan’s characteristic spiciness. As for the northeast, for example, Changchun in Jilin Province prepares everything twice as big compared to the other regions. So, you’ll get massive pieces of pork and fat with a mild sauce, sometimes honey-glazed or a bland mix; the whole chorus of flavor melts at the pace of a tootsie roll, unlike its Southern-facing facsimiles.
Look through our cooking section for the recipe and follow for our next edition of M Magazine as we present a local Ohio Chinese restaurant that is the real deal. After you have this experience, I promise you will look at General Tso’s with contempt, yearning for another experience with one of Southern China’s greatest gifts to dining.
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