Zhang Dashao, nicknamed Zhang Mingwu, was born in 1918. Ning Weimin knew these things.
Moreover, Zhang Dashao's apprenticeship must have a deep connection with the real imperial chef of the Qing Dynasty. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to have such a thorough understanding of palace cuisine. Even Ning Weimin would have guessed it.
But Ning Weimin never expected that Zhang Dashao's entire family had been working for the Qing royal family for generations.
According to Kang Shude, since the 30th year of Qianlong's reign, Zhang Dashao's ancestor was brought to the capital from his hometown in the south because of his superb cooking skills, and became a "tatan" in front of the emperor.
Since then, the Zhang family has been carrying the golden rice bowl rewarded by the emperor and has never returned to their hometown. They have become out-and-out Beijing residents.
The only thing is that people in the same industry look down on each other, and there are cliques everywhere. This golden rice bowl is not easy to maintain.
The palace chefs are mainly from Shandong, but the Zhang family are authentic southerners and are good at southern-style dishes.
Although being promoted from the private sector to the Imperial Kitchen Room of the Qing Palace was a step up to the sky, he was still fighting alone.
There is neither support from the top nor support from fellow villagers, and he is deeply disliked by his colleagues. How can there not be conflicts between right and wrong?
However, the Zhang family's ancestral temperament is more straightforward and stubborn than the northerners.
They belong to the second class of people mentioned by Du Yuesheng.
Although he has talent, he also has a bad temper. He only knows how to get what he wants straight away, but he doesn't know how to seek what he wants from the song.
So even though the ancestors of the Zhang family were admired by Qianlong, they didn't know how to engage in interpersonal relationships and almost offended all their colleagues.
It was only a generation of glory. Since the death of Qianlong, the "bo Le", and the replacement of Jiaqing, who advocated frugality, as the master, the Zhang family's situation has become worse than that of Wang Xiaoer during the New Year.
So from then on, ostracism from all directions came one after another.
No matter how good your craftsmanship is, you can't resist others joining forces to cause trouble for you, calling you around in circles without giving you a chance to show your face.
Want to leave?
Even if I want to leave, I can't.
Do you want to go back to your hometown with the reward and live a good life?
Where can you get what you want!
If I don’t torture you to the point where I have my claws in the air, or if I don’t torture you to the point of poverty, you don’t know how powerful the palace is.
In this way, during the Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng dynasties, several generations of the Zhang family had almost done all the forty-eight places in the imperial kitchen.
Wherever you are busy and where you go, wherever you are miserable, you get nothing.
Not to mention such wonderful things as being promoted, being rewarded with a share of profits and silver, and selling food from the palace.
In order to cope with the fault finding, the family fortune was almost lost.
The grievance was really great.
However, you have to say it in two words: blessings and disasters lie behind, and blessings rely on disasters.
It's because generations of the Zhang family have been doing hard labor in disguised forms like donkeys, whether in the external dining room or the internal dining room.
The meat and vegetables bureau, the vegetarian bureau, the dinner bureau, the stove bureau, the snack bureau, the game bureau, the pantry bureau, and the wine and vinegar bureau were all too bad.
I have taken care of the meals for the elder brother, the concubine, the guards, the maids, and the eunuchs.
Therefore, the Zhang family has thought through almost everything about the food and drinks in the palace.
From Bazhen Banquet to Sula Sauce, you are proficient in all kinds of southern dishes, northern dishes, Manchu banquets, Han banquets, and Manchurian and Mongolian barbecues.
The menus of the internal and external dining rooms recorded by generations of people are enough to fill three large books.
To put it bluntly, in terms of understanding the food situation in the palace, the Zhang family is qualified to be the director of Guanglu Temple and the chief of the imperial dining room.
Not to mention the royal chefs, if they don’t want to cook, they should go home and take care of their children.
So gold always shines.
Just once, the Queen Mother of the West made her servants angry because of her improper diet.
Shan Zheng was really cornered and wanted to hang himself, so he thought of "Zhang Dashao"'s grandfather.
Needless to say, this is a God-given opportunity for the Zhang family.
After a try, it turned out to be fate. "Zhang Dashao's" grandfather relied on the family's "cherry meat", "fried elm mushrooms", a plate of "yellow noodle dumplings" and a bowl of "Qiao Chun Soup" to make Xi's family famous on the spot.
The Queen Mother had a great appetite and transferred her to the longevity dining room.
As a result, he became a popular figure among the Queen Mother of the West, and the rewards were endless.
After here, it was the Zhang family's turn to take the lead in their craftsmanship.
It's a pity that the Zhang family's luck is still a bit lacking.
Although I had to meet the "Master of the Ming Dynasty", I finally met Cixi, an old lady who had better food and more luxury than Qianlong.
But this happened a little too late.
Because at this time, the Queen Mother of the West was not only over sixty years old, but she was also quite unable to control her mouth.
She is too greedy and has no restraint.
As long as your stomach feels a little empty and there is nothing better to do, you have to eat.
For example, one time, "Lafayette" had just finished eating snacks at the "Jingfu Pavilion" in the Summer Palace, and was walking to the "Xiequ Garden" to eat.
Unexpectedly, I suddenly stopped while walking. I don’t know why, but I was about to eat fish soup.
Well, "Zhang Dashao's" grandfather had to quickly take out the small stove he brought with him, make it on the spot, and serve it on the spot.
Not to mention, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and eat "roasted pork rinds", and my favorite "braised duck" is served every time.
The water chestnut pancakes and fried triangles stuffed with minced meat must be eaten as they are oily as soon as you bite them.
Think about it, how can an old lady of this age resist all this greasy food!
Well, in the late autumn of 1908, the old queen mother suffered from autumn dryness, improper conditioning, and diarrhea.
Eventually it turned into dysentery.
To put it bluntly, the old queen mother did not die at the hands of her political opponents or the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but she died on her own lips.
As a result, the tree fell and the hozens scattered, and the original good job turned into a ruin.
As soon as the longevity shanfang was disbanded, no one escaped. The grandfather of the Zhang family and the masters recruited from the private sector left the palace together and dispersed to make their own living.
However, although he lost his job, the good thing was that at this time, the grandfather of the Zhang family had already gained a foundation and reputation through the Queen Mother of the West. Many princes and nobles were attracted by her and wanted him to work as a chef in the mansion.
The grandfather of the Zhang family was also very shrewd. He refused to hang himself from a tree. He claimed that he would only do catering services for more than a thousand yuan per seat and would only accept temporary employment.
This will make you more popular, and you will make more money every day.
Finally, Mr. Zhang taught his son Zhang Zhi to the church, and he himself lived in a big house and became an old man comfortably.
At that time, Na Tong of Jinyu Hutong and Zeng Chong of Qin Lao Hutong, the two wealthy men of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, were the Zhang family's main customers.
There is such a sentence in "Natong Diary", "Tonight I will eat Zhang Zhi."
Most people would never understand this, but it actually meant inviting "Zhang Dashao's" father into the house to serve as a caterer.
If you look at the "Sheep Head Horse" that sells a hundred white water sheep heads at the front door every day, it can live in a big house and support three wives and a large family just by making snacks.
You can imagine how happy the Zhang family's life was.
So in fact, it is no exaggeration to say that "Zhang Dashao" was born in a large house with three entrances and a cross-yard.
As the only son of the Zhang family, during his childhood, among his toys were small gold ingots and small pots made of jade.
And despite the fact that his life is no worse than that of a young master from an aristocratic family, he does not have the same bad habits as a young master from an aristocratic family.
Because the Zhang family is a craftsman, "Zhang Dashao"'s father asked him to learn cooking from him since he was a child, and he would never raise a young master.
It just so happens that "Zhang Dashao" is also talented in this area. He knows it at a glance. He loves to eat and cook, and he is looking for delicious food and drinks all over the capital.
At a young age, he knew how to combine the cooking methods with vegetables and create fashionable new dishes such as "Breaded Chicken" and "French Prawns".
This not only made Zhang Zhi proud, but also made the Zhang family's "catering" banquet more famous.
Why don't you worry about me?
He thought that his son would probably never suffer poverty in his life.
It's a pity that craftsmen who don't study have limited knowledge.
The Zhang family's thoughts are all on the kitchen stove, and they don't realize that there is a country bigger than home. Everyone is always affected by the current situation.
They did not understand at the time that relying solely on craftsmanship would not create a comfortable home.
At critical moments, good luck and bad luck can often come together in a single thought.
Just because you don't understand, you may make a mistake and regret it later.
Perhaps he is under a kind of karma curse, destined to return whatever he took from where he came from.
The fate of the Zhang family and his son finally changed again because of Xuantong, the submissive emperor.
In 1932, Puyi went to Changchun and planned to establish the puppet Manchukuo in Changchun.
Because he was dissatisfied with the cooks in the Northeast and the manpower he brought was not enough, he sent his men to look for old people.
When the subordinates came to the capital, they asked one by one where the old people in the imperial kitchen of the Yangxin Hall were, hoping that they could come and help.
Unexpectedly, everyone disliked the long distance and were annoyed by the Japanese. No one wanted to go there.
And based on the actual situation, not many people can escape.
Because of the Royal Chef, this sign is valuable.
People from the old imperial dining room, represented by Wang Yushan, the "King of Speculation", had already set up the "Fangshan Tea House" east of Wulong Pavilion in Beihai at that time, and the business was booming.
Most of the other people also found reasons to go to the big restaurants in the capital. Is it necessary for them to go?
As a result, these men met with obstacles everywhere.
After searching like this, they finally focused on the Zhang family and his son as their main target.
Because first, although Cixi did not have a good reputation among the people, she was considered a "noble person" to the Zhang family and his son.
It is known to everyone that the Zhang family has been thinking about the good son of the old Queen Mother since they left the palace.
Secondly, the Zhang family is not only good at craftsmanship, but also has a bad heart.
The Zhang family's father and son are truly capable. They are unparalleled among the imperial chefs in the Imperial Palace. They are not only sophisticated but also comprehensive.
With them, it means that they can handle all the work in the imperial kitchen, and they know how to do it.
But precisely because of this, they always feel that it is unfair for several generations of their family members to only be the best ones.
I was so angry about this that when people mentioned the palace, they would always complain.
Even because of this, he became quite alienated from other royal chefs and had no contact with him.
Thirdly, the Zhang family and his son are one of the few bosses who do not have fixed jobs.
They live no more freely than other chefs. Their business is mainly in major houses.
As long as you don't have a job, you can leave if you want, without any worries.
So these are the places where they get most into trouble.
Puyi's people came to the door and first complained about the Queen Mother's "kindness".
Then they were promised the official position of Chief of the Imperial Kitchen Room, and finally paid a hundred taels of gold as a deposit on the spot, saying that they would be released as long as they worked for two years.
In this way, Zhang Zhi was fascinated by the small favor and became attracted to him.
He thought it would be better to just make a trip, not only to repay his old master's favor, but also to satisfy his ancestor's regret, and at the same time make a fortune.
At the same time, it can also give my son a long experience and see what the real royal system is and how appropriate it is.
It's a pity that the father and son just slapped their asses and left, which means they were trapped in a dragon's den and a tiger's den.
The Zhang family and his son never thought that the Japanese were actually in charge of Northeast China.
To put it bluntly, even Puyi has gradually become a prisoner. How can they be good if they follow this unlucky puppet?
The Zhang family and his son in Northeast China are worried about this. Their treatment is okay, but they have a family and can't go back.
Also, traitors don’t have a good reputation.
The key point is that the Japanese special grandson, in order to control the people around the emperor, deliberately let Zhang Zhi become white-faced.
But that's not the worst part. Unexpectedly, a major general of the Kwantung Army who came from a noble family admired their cooking skills.
He was so tyrannical that he forcibly recruited them and took them with the army further north.
Okay, now it's bloody bad luck.
Not to mention the harsh environment, this is a battlefield, it’s just a joke.
Later, in 1939, the Battle of Nomenkan broke out between the Japanese army and the Soviet army, and they were indeed involved.
The Japanese major general was later killed by an artillery shell, and Zhang Zhi's drug-addicted body could not withstand the ice and snow. When he fled with the army, he died of illness halfway.
"Zhang Dashao", who had just turned twenty-one, was also captured by the Soviet army during a raid by the Soviet cavalry.
If ordinary prisoners of war were to be released, I'm afraid they would have to be sent to the western part of the Soviet Union for mining. Just like the Soviet army's treatment of Japanese prisoners of war, it was a matter of narrow escape.
But the good thing is that people of any race in the world have to eat and are willing to eat well.
At this critical moment, the ancestral craftsmanship saved "Zhang Dashao"'s life.
A meal of "breaded chicken", plus Lafayette's favorite royal pastry "six-pin soufflé", was a feast for the Soviet general.
For this reason, "Zhang Dashao" was pardoned and became the special chef of the Soviet generals.
But it must be said that fate is fickle, and it doesn't play enough tricks on people.
In the second half of 1941, the Soviet army and the German army started fighting again, and "Zhang Dashao" was captured by the German army again, and was then detained in Germany and France.
Not only did he have to serve an SS officer, but he also often had to work with several French chefs to contribute to the banquets held by the officer to attract the "French traitors" who surrendered to France.
But this was not over yet. When the German army was defeated in 1943, "Zhang Dashao" was captured by the US military again, and served an American lieutenant colonel who admired French cuisine for two years.
Only then was he handed over to the National Government and eventually sent back to the country.
To put it bluntly, although Zhang Dashao is just a cook, he is definitely not an ordinary chef.
He is a cook who has served senior military officers and upper-class people from the two major Axis powers and the two major Allied countries!
The fact that he is still alive after being tossed around so many times is enough to show the profoundness and appeal of our country's food culture.
The saying that art does not overwhelm one's body is absolutely true.
But you also need to know that after being away from home for twenty years, Zhang Dashao returned to the capital and joined four of Zhang's people.
Not only is the family gone, but his father is dead and he has to face trial and jail time.
How could he not hate this?
Puyi was a Japanese and a foreign devil leading the national army. He almost hated the whole world.
