Compared with the Russian-style buffet prepared for the American and British delegation last night, today's celebration banquet is all about authentic Chinese food, and all of them are authentic Northeastern dishes. As for the drinks, they are Harbin local. Mainly famous wines, plus some foreign wines.
But for Yang Zhen, those foreign wines are just decorations. What he should really drink is the local wines with alcohol content that dwarf those so-called foreign wines. He drinks those foreign wines that are equally important as a joke. If he doesn't drink too much of these foreign devils, how can he? It can make you feel more comfortable and relieve some of the unhappiness in your heart.
Chen Bo was very quick with his hands and feet. After receiving Yang Zhen's notification, it didn't take half an hour. Two sumptuous tables were already set. The chef specially transferred from the most famous Chinese restaurant in Harbin was very good at it, although the time was a little short. , but within half an hour, two large tables of sumptuous food and wine were prepared.
We use extremely fresh fat-headed fish stewed tofu, Sixi meatballs, steamed pork belly, pickled pork with pickled vegetables, braised chicken with mushrooms, braised beef, sweet and sour pork ribs, braised kidney beans with potatoes, all freshly caught from the Songhua River outside the window in the morning. A table of authentic Northeastern dishes such as dried tofu with sharp peppers and refreshing double shredded noodles has been put on the table.
In fact, Yang Zhen knows that Westerners only eat pork, not to mention the offal, head and hoof, even the ribs. If I hadn't considered that Hopkins was present today, I would be sorry to be too funny, so I would just go for that. Stilwell, he will also serve these guys a table of Northeastern specialties such as pork sausage, fried liver tip, hand-torn pig heart, stir-fried lung with sauerkraut, and garlic blood sausage.
Instead of like now, among the twelve dishes on each table, there is only a platter of pork skin jelly and fish scale jelly. Not even Yang Zhen’s favorite Northeastern dish, sauerkraut and pork belly stewed with blood sausage, is on the table. Look. While eating a table of authentic Northeastern delicacies and touching his nose, Yang Zhen still lamented that he was too kind and did not disgust these guys to death.
However, considering the living habits of these guys who are not fully civilized in their own country, in addition to the simple tableware for eating by the Chinese, everyone also has a pair of knives, forks and two spoons specially placed in front of them. There is no way to let these guys Using chopsticks is obviously trying to make things difficult for others. He, Yang Zhen, would never do something so inconsiderate.
As for the wine, what is placed on every table is Tian Dexing Shaoguo, a famous local wine from Shuangcheng. However, these liquors are not packaged in the original simple wine jars or glass bottles, but are packaged in porcelain bottles with obvious Chinese classical charm. There are several bottles on the table, which is very eye-catching.
This batch of liquor, which is clearly packaged in high-end packaging, is still a trophy seized from the Harbin Municipal Government when the Anti-Japanese War invaded Harbin. It is also the so-called gift wine prepared by the Binjiang Provincial Government of the Puppet Manchuria to give to the Kwantung Army Headquarters. Moreover, this batch of wines are all old wines that have been stored in cellars for more than 20 years.
As for the Western-style wines such as Harbin beer, vodka, and red and white wine, which were rumored to be very good in later generations, only two bottles were displayed for show. The foreign wine that Pearson gave to some leaders of the Anti-Japanese Alliance was also clearly visible. It is placed on the small table next to the wine table. At least now, it has no intention of going up.
Taking into account the drinking habits of Westerners, Yang Zhen made people look like a goblet in front of everyone. Yes, it is the kind of goblet used for drinking wine. Use this kind of cup to drink Chinese high-quality liquor, let alone not being used to Chinese wine. Most Americans and British people, even locals from the Northeast, probably don’t have a certain amount of drinking capacity, and they don’t dare to drink the Northeast’s high-quality liquor in a glass that can hold just three to three glasses of wine.
Taking this wine-drinking goblet to drink China's high-quality liquor will naturally not be a big deal in future generations, but I'm afraid that at present, Yang Zhen can do such a pretty sight-killing and wasteful thing. The cup from which I drank Chinese liquor was not placed on the table at all.
From Yang Zhen's point of view, a small wine cup worth about 100 cents can't even be felt after one sip. What's the point of drinking it? Drinking from a wine bowl seems a bit unscrupulous. After all, these two people's identities are displayed here. , I was not a Liangshan hero, so I couldn’t do the ungentlemanly behavior of drinking from a large bowl, so the goblet for drinking wine replaced the cup that did not exist at that time and was very popular in later generations.
Seeing such a posture at the wine table, and then looking at the few people Yang Zhen had invited to accompany him, it was just that the others didn't know why, but Pearson, who had been in Harbin for a while, had an expression that didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Looking at Yang Zhen, he really couldn't figure out what the man in front of him, who was not an alcoholic and could even be said to hardly drink, wanted to do today.
Pearson, who has lived in Northeast China for more than a year, is no stranger to the high-quality Chinese liquor on the table. He even drank it himself. When he arrived in Harbin, Yang Zhen once gave him a few bottles. He had only drank half a bottle, and he had been drunk for a whole day and night. It was the first time that he had been so drunk, and he had a deep memory.
This guy served so much hard liquor at the celebration banquet. What on earth did he want to do? Could it be that he wanted to get Mr. Hopkins drunk? Thinking of this, Pearson was a little nervous. Yang Zhenguan asked others to treat him He said it didn't matter, but he didn't dare to let Hopkins really get drunk. Pearson knew that Hopkins was in poor health and something would happen if he drank a lot.
Compared to Pearson, who was extremely nervous, the other American and British officers there seemed very relaxed. The table full of authentic Northeastern dishes and the fragrant aroma made everyone except Major General Stilwell, who had spent a long time in China, , other American and British officers, who in their own country considered medium-rare steak as a high-end cuisine, or smoked and grilled steak as a high-end cuisine, could not help but widen their eyes, and the saliva in their mouths almost dripped out.
Not to mention those American and British officers who were somewhat unworthy of the so-called gentlemanly demeanor. Even Huo, who had always been light-hearted and indifferent, ate quite simply after coming to the Northeast. His daily diet was authentic American food, and he only occasionally ate Russian food. Pugins and Admiral Wavell, who was used to seeing big scenes, were almost blinded by the aroma of food on the table.
It is true that there are Chinese restaurants in both the United States and Britain, but Chinese restaurants at this time are basically unattractive to senior people in the United States and Britain. For those so-called upper-class people, French meals are their first choice. Chinese restaurants , that is a place where low-class people eat, and these senior officers who maintain their own identity will never go there.
Even the few people who have eaten Chinese food have eaten special Chinese food that has been modified to cater to Western tastes. They have never eaten serious Chinese food and do not know that the Chinese food culture is extensive and profound. Naturally, they are attracted by the table in front of them. Full of flavor, Liao cuisine, which is not very famous among Chinese cuisines, will make your mouth water.
Northeastern cuisine, represented by Liao cuisine, is very greasy and has a strong taste due to the climate in Northeast China. In addition, the preparation is not very exquisite. Generally, people in Guanhai do not like it very much, let alone these people. Even Yang Zhen himself felt that it was a little too greasy.
But for the vast majority of Americans and British people who have never eaten authentic Chinese food, the greasy and unique strong aroma of Liao cuisine actually whets their appetite, because Liao cuisine, which is more particular about quantity, does not look too big. It looks good, but the aroma of this dish is not comparable to that of ordinary dishes.
These people went to inspect. It was not that they had never eaten Chinese food during the visit, but the food they ate was based on the standard Chinese food of four dishes and one soup that Yang Zhen personally approved. It was not as rich as today. Besides, the military cauldron dishes and The skills of the cooks are not as exquisite as those of today's chefs.
The expressions on the faces varied, but it was obvious that their attention was attracted by the delicious dishes on the table. Even the arrogance of some people had long since disappeared. Their throats were constantly moving, and they were obviously swallowing saliva. The so-called general The honor, the so-called gentlemanly demeanor of Western high-ranking people, had long been lost to the high-ranking American and British officers. Yang Zhen smiled without saying anything and guided these guys to the table.
Yang Zhen, adhering to his consistent military style, only had a few sentences in his opening remarks. Then after sitting down, he pointed to the liquor on the table and said to Generals Hopkins and Wavell beside him: "This is The Binjiang Provincial Government of the Puppet Manchuria gave the Japanese Kwantung Army a gift of wine. Today we will destroy them all."
After that, Yang Zhen stood up again and personally poured half a glass of white wine into the wine glasses in front of Hopkins and Admiral Wavell. Although he only poured half a glass of white wine and did not fill it up, the wine glass was The capacity here is half a cup of white wine, which is nearly two taels.
Hopkins, who was made uncomfortable by the aroma of high-strength liquor in the glass in front of him, shook his head and said, "Yang, I'm very grateful for your hospitality. This glass of wine also smells very good, but it's very Unfortunately, my body does not allow me to drink. My poor liver has always kept me away from this kind of drink. Yang, I am your strong supporter. You don’t want me to meet God in advance."
Yang Zhen didn't pay attention to Hopkins's humorous rejection. He himself had no intention of drinking with this man who died of illness just a year after the end of World War II. His real target of drinking was Wei Wei, who was sitting on the other side of him. Admiral Weir, he paid respect to Hopkins first, it was just a courtesy.
Although Hopkins refused to drink, Yang Zhen personally scooped up a bowl of chicken and mushroom soup for him, placed it in front of Hopkins with a meaningful pun, and said: "Old friend, China There is a saying that medicinal supplements are not as good as dietary supplements. No matter how much medicine you take, it will only treat the surface. To truly strengthen the body, you still have to start with diet."
"In fact, many Chinese people can live longer as long as they have a full stomach, because they are very particular about their diet. The Chinese food culture is extensive and profound. If Mr. Hopkins lives in China for a long time, or puts aside his Chinese stereotypes, using traditional Chinese dietary therapy and traditional Chinese medicine to regulate the body, I think your liver disease is not incurable."
"Although traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine are slow to take effect, as long as they are used properly, they can still prolong your life. There are many diseases that your Western medicine cannot cure, but our Chinese medicine can extend your life. Hopkins, although the United States is industrially developed, there are some things It may not be like traditional Eastern culture. For example, for body care, I feel that traditional Chinese medicine is more suitable."
"Hopkins graduated from the famous Greenier College. He should know that the chemical industry itself has a certain degree of toxicity. The drugs developed through the chemical industry also have a certain degree of toxicity. Western medicine is a double-edged sword. When treating While you are sick, it is also constantly harming our body. Compared with the chemical effects of Western medicine, Chinese dietary conditioning methods are more beneficial to your body."
"This is the chicken stewed with mushrooms that has the richest folk style in Northeast China. The chickens are pure green and naturally raised, without any feed or medicine added. The mushrooms are also collected from the primeval forests of Xing'an Mountains and have not been polluted in any way. , eating more will be good for your body. Chicken soup is a great tonic in traditional Chinese food culture, and it is of great benefit to people who are weak."