"Fundamentally, Chinese dishes are about 'taste,'" said Qu Yunqiang, member of the selection committee of the NTDTV International Chinese Culinary Competition, who was formerly a national grandmaster chef. Mr. Qu told The Epoch Times on July 1, 2008 that this competition will help the world to know more about the features of Chinese dishes and to treasure Chinese culinary culture associated with Chinese cooking.
Taking a designated dish "fish fillet with sauce" in this competition as an example, Mr. Qu explained that this seemingly simple "fish fillet with sauce" involves techniques such as cutting, flipping the entire wok, and gauging the temperature of oil. "Many people pour sauce on to fish fillet, in a way which would turn out to be less tasteful than absorbing sauce into the fillet during the final phase of cooking," Mr. Qu said.
The rules at the website for the International Chinese Culinary Competition (http://culinary.ntdtv.com) indicate the competition is broken down into five categories based on different geographical location: Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong, Huaiyang, and Northeastern series. The selection committee designates three dishes representative of each series and each candidate adds in two more dishes of his or her own choice.
Taste accounts for 30 points, texture 30 points, and aesthetics and nutrition each accounts for 20 points, making up the total score of 100 points. Each category will have a champion, a runner-up, and a third-place finisher. The reward for the champion is US$10,000, for the runner-up its US$3,000 and third-place is US$1,000.
"Pure and authentic taste with a distinguishing primary taste is the most important criteria. Candidates don't have to spend too much time in laying out a dish, although the look, cut, color and shape, and nutrition are also factors that affect the score. We remind candidates to pay attention not just to the main dish, but also to the smaller dishes to be tasted by members of the selection committee, which is also an important factor in scoring." said Mr. Qu.
Mr. Qu explained that after three or four years of basic training, all chefs can reach a certain level of skill. To accomplish more, it depends on a person's moral standards and dedication. "Why do children always feel that their Mom cooks the best? That's because their Mom has poured all her heart into the dishes she makes for her children. When a dish is served, it is just like a person. The spirit, atmosphere, and soul are clearly presented,"
According to Mr. Qu, "As society changes, people have forgotten much about eating. They tend to think the more expensive and the more up-scale the better. In fact, 'the Great Way is of ultimate simplicity and ultimate ease.' To bring out the original taste of an ordinary dish is best, which doesn't have to rely on expensive and well-known ingredients."
"Much lies in cooking. Whether to use smaller flames or intense flames, when to add in salt, sugar, whether to add soy sauce or vinegar first and many other factors affect the dish. The appropriate handling of all aspects makes it as intricate as managing a country," said Mr. Qu.
Tony Dai, who is in charge of the Preparatory Committee of this competition told us that as soon as the International Chinese Culinary Competition was announced, it received positive feedback in the United States, Taiwan, and other regions. "Many well-known restaurants and famous chefs as well as government officials are very supportive of this competition," said Tony.
"In Las Vegas, Japanese cuisine, French courses, and Italian gourmet are all quite popular. Chinese culinary culture has not yet earned the position that it deserves. In fact, the traditional Chinese culinary culture is profound. The goal of this competition is to help promote the authentic and traditional art of Chinese cooking, to present to the world the breadth and depth of Chinese gourmet," Mr. Qu Yunqiang told us.
The preliminary competition in the Asia-Pacific division of the International Chinese Culinary Competition will be held at the National Kaohsiung Hospitality College in Taiwan on September 20 and 21, 2008. The final competition will be held in November 2008 in New York City. Please refer to http://culinary.ntdtv.com for further details.
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