A week later, Ning Weimin's "Tan Palace" restaurant received special guests composed of Pierre Cardin's foreign team, French Embassy officials, and family members as scheduled.
In order to ensure that this matter went smoothly, Ning Weimin and "Zhang Dashao" not only carefully formulated the menu, but also prepared the best ingredients and drinks.
It was decided that Master Chang Jing, Master Pang and Master Ai would be in the kitchen together that day to cook for these French guests.
We also selected the best among the best and provided special training to the selected service personnel.
Even in order to go all out and not be distracted, even the convenience business was temporarily suspended by Ning Weimin.
Whether it’s the snack shop on the first floor or the “palace snack set” sold to park visitors.
Only after the banquet is over and the French guests leave with satisfaction can normal supply be restored that day.
The Beijing Tourism Bureau, Health Bureau, and even the national security department are more concerned about safety issues.
These government departments have sent dedicated personnel to supervise the work and conduct repeated inspections of the restaurant's internal and external surroundings.
The scheduled dining time is 11 o'clock noon on September 23.
This day also happens to be the autumnal equinox, the weather is refreshing, the sky is blue and the clouds are white.
Since 10:30 in the morning, the front and rear sides of Tiantan North Road have been controlled by police from the branch and under martial law, and traffic police are responsible for coordinating traffic.
Temple of Heaven Park also temporarily closed the north gate for this time, and the entrance to the north gate was used as a temporary parking lot.
This move made the banquet even more important and full of face.
So as the time approached, I saw cars with black plates driving under the north gate of the Temple of Heaven.
Many blond and well-dressed French people got out of their cars one after another, crossed the blocked road, and filed into the "Temple of Heaven Restaurant".
Chinese and foreign reporters who had been waiting here in advance and occupied a favorable position early.
Immediately, it was like a competition, not sparing any film or video tapes, shooting and recording like crazy.
There were at least several thousand people from the capital and passers-by gathered on both sides of the road to watch the excitement.
They all didn't blink and looked at them with their heads stretched out.
To be honest, even these French guests did not expect to face such a big battle at the banquet today, and they were a little at a loss.
But after all, foreigners love to show off, and they can't help but be excited when they are surprised.
Many people were in high spirits and waved frequently to people on the roadside.
This scene, it is no exaggeration to say, is like some international film festival and international fashion show being held here.
That was quite a sensation!
Afterwards, many people in the capital who saw this scene took it as a topic to show off to others.
I feel that I have been lucky enough to gain experience when encountering such a scene, which is no less an honor than seeing a big star with my own eyes.
But to be honest, it was this group of foreigners from France who really gained experience that day.
Because they have never eaten in a Chinese restaurant with such originality and aesthetic depth.
As soon as they walked into the restaurant gate, they felt as if they had encountered a baptism of Chinese civilization, and their eyes were almost exhausted.
Every table, every utensil, every mural, every lighting fixture in the "Altar Palace" was exquisite and luxurious that they had never heard of or seen before.
Because it is intuitive, because it can be reached and touched, because it has the right lighting and unified and harmonious tones.
These things look particularly beautiful and vividly touch people's hearts.
It looks very different from the Forbidden City and those lifeless treasures that are obscured by dust and under dim lights. They are completely different from each other.
When we get to the real business area on the second floor, there are more good things to see.
The dumbfounded, dumb, and ignorant look of these guests was even more serious.
Speaking of which, it is no less disbelieving than when the Chinese people saw the fashion show for the first time.
The reporters from Agence France-Presse and Reuters who were allowed to accompany them and take some photos before the banquet also could not withstand such a mental shock.
They actually unconsciously turned the camera from the guests to the decoration and layout of the restaurant.
Even Pierre Carton himself couldn't help but show off his admiration to these reporters.
"This is the oriental art I expected! Beyond imagination! So beautiful! Isn't it?"
Indeed, it was almost the first time for these French guests to experience the delicate beauty of Chinese civilization and the splendor of traditional arts and crafts at close range.
Their expectations and prior imagination were completely subverted.
What they are seeing and hearing is a real dream for them.
Whether it is exquisite utensils, classical woodware, luxurious furnishings, or retro murals, they all show a strong oriental style.
Let them be immersed in the wonderful historical time.
In fact, the banquet did not start on time at eleven o'clock as planned.
Since France is the art center of Europe, today's guests all belong to the social elite and have certain art appreciation abilities.
They couldn't help but walked around and chatted enthusiastically. It wasn't until they had seen most of the furnishings in the restaurant that they started to sit down.
The banquet had to be postponed for twenty minutes.
But what shocked these guests even more was what came next.
Because the dishes prepared by "Tan Palace" on this day gave full play to the strengths of Chinese food and provided dishes that are rare in Western food.
These guests experienced the extensive and profound Chinese cuisine for the first time.
No matter the taste buds, nose, or eyes, they were all conquered by unprecedented rich enjoyment.
Even because of the adoption of Chinese and Western food methods.
Moreover, various dishes are formulated with full consideration of the dietary preferences and habits of these French people.
No one felt cultural barriers or discomfort with dining habits.
They only felt surprised and wonderful, and were deeply fascinated by it, which they will never forget.
There is no exaggeration in this statement. It all comes down to knowing yourself and your enemy, so that you can formulate the most reasonable response strategy that maximizes strengths and avoids weaknesses.
Because I work at Pierre Carton, Ning Weimin often interacts with foreigners, so he has a good understanding of Westerners' dining habits and knows that there are many differences from Chinese food.
First, Western food is served separately, not shared.
Not only using knives and forks, but most people think it is difficult to master the dining technique with chopsticks.
The second is that the word "box" does not exist in the Western dictionary.
They couldn't understand why they couldn't eat openly but had to find a separate room to isolate themselves from other people.
The third is to cook without cutting. Western meats and vegetables are mostly in large pieces, so it doesn’t matter how much they are cut.
Fourth, Western food has large portions and few dishes, consisting of only one soup, two or three dishes, a snack, coffee, and fruit.
Fifth, for Western food, drink the soup first and then eat the vegetables, and eat the wine and rice together, drinking and eating at the same time.
So in order to prevent these French guests from being uncomfortable with the completely opposite dining habits of Chinese food.
Ning Weimin didn't hesitate much and decided to simply provide services according to Westerners' habits.
However, what surprised him was that he originally thought it would be difficult to communicate with "Zhang Dashao" about this matter.
If you ask the old man to bend down to Western food requirements and make a menu, you will probably spend a lot of time.
As a result, I never expected that this old man would actually know more than him.
"Zhang Dashao" is truly a famous chef.
Not only is he very familiar with the eating habits of the French, but he is also extremely familiar with the French's taste preferences and aesthetic pursuit of food, as well as the comparative advantages and disadvantages of Chinese and Western food.
He originally thought that he had to popularize science for "Zhang Dashao", but he didn't expect that the old man's words were surprising, and instead he made more professional and thoughtful supplements for him.
Someone actually told him that bones, fish bones and offal are taboo in dishes...which is now known as Western food.
The French don't like to eat scaleless fish, nor do they like to eat spicy dishes.
They generally like to eat delicacies that are slightly raw and tender.
The taste is fat, strong, fresh and tender, and it prefers sour, sweet and salty tastes.
In particular, I like to use cloves, pepper, coriander, garlic, tomato juice, etc. as seasonings.
In terms of cooking methods, I have a strong preference for dishes made with cooking methods such as frying, deep-frying, roasting, grilling, and stir-frying.
The main focus of Chinese food is pure, while the main focus of Chinese food is harmony.
Due to the characteristics of animal husbandry countries, Western countries usually focus on meat.
The raw materials are not mixed, resulting in a simple cooking taste.
However, Chinese food is particularly good at seasoning and even changing the taste.
He is good at combining various ingredients and condiments to produce various chemical changes to enrich the taste.
To give a specific example, in the West, apart from cakes and candies, which are sweets, there are almost no sweets in the nature of dishes.
There are many kinds of beets in Chinese cuisine.
There are cold cuts, snacks, main dishes, and soups.
There are even dishes that use vinegar as a medium and emphasize both sweet and sour, as well as salty and sweet dishes.
In addition, the characteristics of agricultural civilization have also given Chinese cuisine a special noodle dish.
Such as gluten, fried noodles, vermicelli, vermicelli, vermicelli, tofu, shredded tofu, dried tofu, frozen tofu, bean curd skin, yam, sweet potato, etc.
Its raw materials are all noodles, which are different from mizuna.
These rich dishes are not available in Europe or America.
There are a few in Italy, and it is said that they were originally passed on from China.
So if you want this meal to be outstanding, it is better to start from these two aspects, and then use barbecue, the favorite dish of Westerners, as the main course.
It should satisfy these French people and not leave them disappointed.
As soon as the expert exports it, he will know whether it is there or not!
With these words, Ning Weimin felt just like the first time he asked his master for advice on palace cuisine. He was sincerely admired and wanted to bow down to him.
Even though he racked his brains, he still couldn't figure out how "Zhang Dashao" could become an expert in Western food.
The more I became curious about the old man’s past, the more I felt that the life experience of this famous chef was extremely mysterious.
But to be honest, this does not affect his joy and making an accurate judgment at all.
This is done!
Sure enough, "Zhang Dashao" designed the most suitable menu for him.
And the manpower has been arranged, as well as all the details of the dishes that should be paid attention to.
Although the old man didn't take any action personally, he still easily won the favor of the guests and earned face for the restaurant.
First of all, Chinese table dishes have been retained, but certain changes have been made.
There are no dried fruits, candied fruits and fresh fruits, only table dumplings, sauced meats, cold meats and side dishes are retained.
Moreover, four kinds of the same kind are placed on a twelve-inch plate, and each plate has a common fork and spoon.
In this way, guests can see four large platters in the middle of the round table as soon as they sit down.
Jade dew cream, pea yellow, rose cake, and a plate of noodles.
A plate of roasted mutton, braised pork belly with pine nuts, and Jinhua ham.
Mix jellyfish skin, fish jelly, celery with yuba, and cucumber with jelly.
A plate of eight-treasure vegetables, pickled cucumbers, fermented bean curd and kimchi.
These things correspond to appetizers in French cuisine.
The difference is that you can use it at any time according to your personal needs, just like a buffet, throughout the entire banquet.
Secondly, the serving order of the dinner follows Western rules.
The form of sampling has been reduced, but the substantive content is still the same.
PS: In response to some book friends’ doubts about French dishes.
The pinnacle of traditional French multi-cuisine was the French monarchy, which is a historical commonality like China.
French cuisine became popular in Europe because of Napoleon's iron heel. It was also like the Eight Banners soldiers in the Qing Dynasty who made barbecue and Manchu cuisine popular across the country.
The so-called thirteen traditional dishes, this dining habit only existed before the French Revolution.
Just like China's official seats, they have been submerged in the dust of history.
Because traditional French service requires repeated removal of the table, it takes three or four hours to complete the banquet, and French food ingredients are often repeated.
In order to adapt to modern times and modern life, it was later simplified to five courses and then to three.
During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, the French cuisine introduced to China was already a simplified version.
Neither Zhang Dashao’s life experience nor Ning Weimin’s real-life contacts support the theory of thirteen traditional French dishes.
Come to think of it, the only exception in reality may be the grand weddings of the French.