For two entire days from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 22 and 23, NTD Television, a non-profit TV network headquartered in New York City, will create one of the most “high-visibility” culinary events in the world as it transforms Times Square into the kitchen stadium of Chang’an city, the ancient Tang Dynasty capital of China.
The International Chinese Culinary Arts Competition is at once a public spectacle, a foodie’s dream, and a search for culinary authenticity. Chinese chefs from all over the world will compete to create the most authentic and appealing Chinese dishes under a time limit. A panel of judges will taste each dish and select the winners. The gold prizewinner will receive $10,000.
Contestants will compete in any one of China’s five regional cooking styles: Sichuan, Shandong, Huaiyang, Cantonese, or Dongbei. They are to prepare one required dish and one other dish of their own choice. Preliminary winners will continue on to the final round on Sept. 23, and then all gold, silver, and bronze winners will collaborate at The Emperor’s Banquet in honor of NTD Television’s 10th Anniversary Benefit Gala on Sept. 25.
New Yorkers will be whisked back nearly a millennium to the Imperial Kitchen of the Tang Emperor to witness the intricate craft of Chinese cooking and get a taste of high quality Chinese food. For two days, the cacophony of urban life will give way to the sounds of clanging woks, sizzling food, and cleavers chopping ingredients on wooden blocks.
The Competition’s Mission
The mission of the competition, according to Mr. Qu Yunqiang, head of its judging committee for the past three years, is to revive traditional Chinese culinary arts, which has been neglected in China and rarely found in the West.
Here in the West, the common fare we consider Chinese food include chow mein, fried rice, dim sum, and sautéed vegetables loaded with MSG and grease. In reality, Chinese cuisine is versatile and varied in its ingredients and preparation methods due to China’s diverse agricultural and geographical assets, and the fact that China’s position at the end of the Silk Road allowed it to absorb the culinary traditions of all who visited its cities and shores, be they Persian, Roman, or European.
A large part of the competition’s goal is to bring back China’s lost dining culture.
According to the competition’s artistic director Wei Jane Chir, in the Song Dynasty—following China’s golden age—the country’s major cities were filled with restaurants and hotels to accommodate visiting scholars and ambassadors. Ms. Chir said that modern restaurateurs have overlooked ancient China’s restaurant culture and the fine-dining traditions of younger cultures have overshadowed it.
