Food suggestions for story set in sci-fi/fantasy China?
January 11, 2020 10:59 AM Subscribe
A friend is writing a story set in Sci-fi/Fantasy China (from the TV show 镇魂 Guardian, if you know it), and could use some help in coming up with ideas for food for the characters to cook and eat. Specific questions inside!
Neither she nor I have lived in China, so we don't have enough knowledge about Chinese-food-in-China for the nuances of the story's purposes. Some of the questions we have:
* What are some of the first simple dishes a young person might learn to cook at home?
* What are some home-cooked meals that might connote elegance, delicacy?
* What are some home-cooked meals that might instead connote peasant-food, rougher-hewn styles?
* Not home-cooked: what about meals that might be served at a very fancy, high-end hot spring resort?
I know of course there are many many regional differences in food and cuisine throughout China, and it's hard for me to say whether the TV show Guardian is drawing from specific regions or approaches. More knowledgeable viewers have remarked that the show seems to be specifically mixing influences (including some Western ones) to add to the sci-fi/fantasy worldbuilding.
Given that, any suggestions or observations you may have would be helpful. Thank you!
Neither she nor I have lived in China, so we don't have enough knowledge about Chinese-food-in-China for the nuances of the story's purposes. Some of the questions we have:
* What are some of the first simple dishes a young person might learn to cook at home?
* What are some home-cooked meals that might connote elegance, delicacy?
* What are some home-cooked meals that might instead connote peasant-food, rougher-hewn styles?
* Not home-cooked: what about meals that might be served at a very fancy, high-end hot spring resort?
I know of course there are many many regional differences in food and cuisine throughout China, and it's hard for me to say whether the TV show Guardian is drawing from specific regions or approaches. More knowledgeable viewers have remarked that the show seems to be specifically mixing influences (including some Western ones) to add to the sci-fi/fantasy worldbuilding.
Given that, any suggestions or observations you may have would be helpful. Thank you!
Best answer: Yes to everything listed above. Other simple dishes: dumplings and mantou bread. Mung bean or red bean soup. Tang yuan rice balls.
My first thought in trying to portray food for folks with little means would be to exclude or deeply minimize the role of any animal products: for example, watery congee with bits of boiled egg, bamboo shoots and some boiled greens or turnips. Or, noodles in place of congee. Also simple soups.
I happened to be watching "Confucius Was A Foodie" recently on PBS, it may serve as a useful reference. In one episode they discussed how "Huaiyang" cuisine was food for the elite. That might may be fitting for a high-end resort.
Street food is popular, like lamb skewers, lots of skewers. This was circa 10 years ago in a big Chinese city.
I seem to recall bird's nest soup and abalone as being fancy dishes. Seafood, generally speaking, tends to skew fancier.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 9:52 PM on January 11, 2020
My first thought in trying to portray food for folks with little means would be to exclude or deeply minimize the role of any animal products: for example, watery congee with bits of boiled egg, bamboo shoots and some boiled greens or turnips. Or, noodles in place of congee. Also simple soups.
I happened to be watching "Confucius Was A Foodie" recently on PBS, it may serve as a useful reference. In one episode they discussed how "Huaiyang" cuisine was food for the elite. That might may be fitting for a high-end resort.
Street food is popular, like lamb skewers, lots of skewers. This was circa 10 years ago in a big Chinese city.
I seem to recall bird's nest soup and abalone as being fancy dishes. Seafood, generally speaking, tends to skew fancier.
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 9:52 PM on January 11, 2020
Best answer: Chinese cuisine is difficult for a number of reasons.
First of all, it is very regional. Not just in the sense that China is a huge country, but in that specific dishes have regional identities attached to them. So, for instance, Tianjin-style "gobuli" baozi (steamed buns) are going to be different from steamed buns elsewhere, and will also have a certain authenticity attached to them (even if they are prepared in Beijing or Vancouver).
As well, home-cooked food has a lot of problematic elements. Again, there will be regional styles, but recent Chinese history has also had an effect on it. A little while ago, I helped to design a study for a large CPG company, about the cooking habits of New Canadians, specifically of Chinese and South Asian origin. One of the things we saw among our Chinese subjects (which we did not see to the same degree with the South Asian group) was that many people in their 20s and 30s (so, the generation after the turbulence of the '50s, '60s, and '70s) did not have a lot of confidence cooking at home, and felt that they were not really brought up with a tradition of home-cooked food. I attribute this to the upheavals brought about by the Great Leap Forward, and its attendant famine, as well as the disruption of the family unit that occurred during this period and during the Cultural Revolution.
That being said, dining out is a very important social activity in China (and among expatriate communities), and street foods are also a useful way to add detail to the quotidian lives of your characters. Things like "night markets" (common in many cities) can be settings for your characters to meet and eat prepared foods and drink in a social setting.
That being said, here are some random thoughts:
-Regional differences are important to remember: lamb skewers seasoned with cumin are a very common street food in the northwest, but in Guangdong and Hong Kong, fish balls on sticks are going to be more common. Waffles and similar fried sweet breads are also popular in the south. In the north, you will also find savory pancakes with green onion in them, often served rolled with seasoned beef or pork. In the northeast, the kinds of foods people eat while drinking are going to be similar to the kinds of things you find in Korea (meats grilled at the table with various pickles and such). Szechuan cuisine is, of course, known for its heat, and for a specific kind of pepper (not actually a chili). Closer to the Vietnamese border, it is going to be things like noodle soups, but fried noodles are also popular in places like HK and Shanghai.
-Of course, all of these regional foods are going to be available in other places: northern style lamb skewers and mutton soups, and the breads served with them are going to be available in the south, but not as common. Similarly, dumplings and soup buns are going to be found in restaurants everywhere, but certain ones are going to be associated with certain places. Taiwan and Shanghai both make claims to the soup bun, for instance.
-People in rural areas are going to have very different diets from those in urban ones, in terms of variety of available foods, ratio of meat to vegetables, and overall quantity.
-Hot pot is huge right now, as a kind of thing to have when you're eating out with friends. Whether or not it remains so in the future is up to you.
-Congee is a common breakfast food in the south (often served with various meats). Frequently, it is also served with long, unsweetened fried breads, which are dipped into it. However, these can be dipped into other soups, or also just eaten on their own, with tea. This is common in HK and Shenzen, but also in Shanghai and further north. Noodles in soup are also frequently eaten for breakfast.
-Barbeque (pork, duck, chicken, or various kinds of seafood) is very important in places like Hong Kong, not just as a street food, but as the kind of thing you would buy to bring home on the holidays. Fresh fish and seafood is also very important for Hong Kong and Guangdong cuisine. Of course, there are jokes about the varieties of things that Guangdong people will eat. This is especially reflected in the sorts of things you can get fried up at a stall in a market.
-In North America, there tends to be somewhat of a horror of tripe, kidneys, and other organ meats (probably due to their association with poverty in the 19th century). This is not the case in China, particularly in the south.
-Western foods, particularly fast foods, are also likely going to be a part of your characters' eating habits. Fried chicken has been big in China for ages, as has pizza. Cheese is becoming a feature of more and more new dishes. And any national cuisine can be found in Hong Kong or Shanghai. But perhaps some specific style of imported food has become popular in the future? Maybe something associated with prestige and higher-end dining? Maybe people in future China are all going out for Lucknow-style biryani, or Colombian food.
-Stinky tofu. A popular street food in many parts of China. The smell is indescribable, and carries for blocks.
That's what I've got so far. I think the first step is to decide where your characters are, what kind of people they are, and then work from there with your research.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 5:50 PM on January 12, 2020
First of all, it is very regional. Not just in the sense that China is a huge country, but in that specific dishes have regional identities attached to them. So, for instance, Tianjin-style "gobuli" baozi (steamed buns) are going to be different from steamed buns elsewhere, and will also have a certain authenticity attached to them (even if they are prepared in Beijing or Vancouver).
As well, home-cooked food has a lot of problematic elements. Again, there will be regional styles, but recent Chinese history has also had an effect on it. A little while ago, I helped to design a study for a large CPG company, about the cooking habits of New Canadians, specifically of Chinese and South Asian origin. One of the things we saw among our Chinese subjects (which we did not see to the same degree with the South Asian group) was that many people in their 20s and 30s (so, the generation after the turbulence of the '50s, '60s, and '70s) did not have a lot of confidence cooking at home, and felt that they were not really brought up with a tradition of home-cooked food. I attribute this to the upheavals brought about by the Great Leap Forward, and its attendant famine, as well as the disruption of the family unit that occurred during this period and during the Cultural Revolution.
That being said, dining out is a very important social activity in China (and among expatriate communities), and street foods are also a useful way to add detail to the quotidian lives of your characters. Things like "night markets" (common in many cities) can be settings for your characters to meet and eat prepared foods and drink in a social setting.
That being said, here are some random thoughts:
-Regional differences are important to remember: lamb skewers seasoned with cumin are a very common street food in the northwest, but in Guangdong and Hong Kong, fish balls on sticks are going to be more common. Waffles and similar fried sweet breads are also popular in the south. In the north, you will also find savory pancakes with green onion in them, often served rolled with seasoned beef or pork. In the northeast, the kinds of foods people eat while drinking are going to be similar to the kinds of things you find in Korea (meats grilled at the table with various pickles and such). Szechuan cuisine is, of course, known for its heat, and for a specific kind of pepper (not actually a chili). Closer to the Vietnamese border, it is going to be things like noodle soups, but fried noodles are also popular in places like HK and Shanghai.
-Of course, all of these regional foods are going to be available in other places: northern style lamb skewers and mutton soups, and the breads served with them are going to be available in the south, but not as common. Similarly, dumplings and soup buns are going to be found in restaurants everywhere, but certain ones are going to be associated with certain places. Taiwan and Shanghai both make claims to the soup bun, for instance.
-People in rural areas are going to have very different diets from those in urban ones, in terms of variety of available foods, ratio of meat to vegetables, and overall quantity.
-Hot pot is huge right now, as a kind of thing to have when you're eating out with friends. Whether or not it remains so in the future is up to you.
-Congee is a common breakfast food in the south (often served with various meats). Frequently, it is also served with long, unsweetened fried breads, which are dipped into it. However, these can be dipped into other soups, or also just eaten on their own, with tea. This is common in HK and Shenzen, but also in Shanghai and further north. Noodles in soup are also frequently eaten for breakfast.
-Barbeque (pork, duck, chicken, or various kinds of seafood) is very important in places like Hong Kong, not just as a street food, but as the kind of thing you would buy to bring home on the holidays. Fresh fish and seafood is also very important for Hong Kong and Guangdong cuisine. Of course, there are jokes about the varieties of things that Guangdong people will eat. This is especially reflected in the sorts of things you can get fried up at a stall in a market.
-In North America, there tends to be somewhat of a horror of tripe, kidneys, and other organ meats (probably due to their association with poverty in the 19th century). This is not the case in China, particularly in the south.
-Western foods, particularly fast foods, are also likely going to be a part of your characters' eating habits. Fried chicken has been big in China for ages, as has pizza. Cheese is becoming a feature of more and more new dishes. And any national cuisine can be found in Hong Kong or Shanghai. But perhaps some specific style of imported food has become popular in the future? Maybe something associated with prestige and higher-end dining? Maybe people in future China are all going out for Lucknow-style biryani, or Colombian food.
-Stinky tofu. A popular street food in many parts of China. The smell is indescribable, and carries for blocks.
That's what I've got so far. I think the first step is to decide where your characters are, what kind of people they are, and then work from there with your research.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 5:50 PM on January 12, 2020
Response by poster: This is all so extremely helpful, both as food for the characters and also as food for thought. Thank you! And of course any other suggestions and observations are very welcome.
posted by theatro at 6:55 AM on January 13, 2020
posted by theatro at 6:55 AM on January 13, 2020
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