It Starts with a Plate of Dumplings: Beijing, China 2014, World Gourmand Bookfair and XIX Gourmand Awards

These are great dumplings: first of all, sniff the air around them: that fresh starchy smell of just-steamed noodle: inside are spiced leafy greens chopped finely into an intense vegetable paste; next to it on the plate you see a puddle of Szechuan chile paste, already smudged because i’ve dipped the first dumpling (see the empty space on the plate) into it. On the other side of the plate is cloud ear fungus though it might have been braised fresh shiitakes, simmered in its savoury sauce . But more about dinner a bit later in the blog: How I got to this plate of dumplings goes like this:

19th-28th May 2014 The World Gourmand Bookfair and Best in the World Awards for cookbooks, food television, food and drink books were to be held in the rural-ish outer borough of Bejing (fifth ring road) called Daxing.

In recent years, Gourmand Bookfair and Awards Ceremony have been held in Paris where it is known as Paris Bookfair–last year it was held memorably, thrillingly, at The Louvre (where I made chopped liver on the cooking demo stage but thats the subject of another story). But Gourmand has moved around the world at various times–I discovered them way back when in Perigueux when I was sent by the BBC to interview Chinese cookbook author and tv cooking guru, Ken Hom, and have been somewhat of a devotee since, attending the events in Barcelona, the Loire, as well as an amazing gathering in a  completely different part of Bejing way back in 2009 where the Peruvians brought what seemed like vats of Pisco to what became a week-long party and the breakfast buffet was so filled with Chinese delicacies just visiting each morning was a lesson in regional Chinese cookery.  One year, marking Malaysia’s Truly Asia tourist campaign, the awards were held there, and journalists were taken to the far reaches of Malaysia, to open-air  palaces in jungles that we needed to get to by taking a boat upriver, eating tuna curry in a Terrenganu marketplace, and swimming in water so clear it was like swimming in a fish bowl, only it was for real: we were with the blue and yellow and rainbow of fish….just us, together in the deep blue sea. Oh, and learning the secrets to making a perfect rendang, too. Then there is the annual Frankfurt Bookfair in Frankfurt, Germany,  where Gourmand throws a party at Villa Bonn; once,  the potato gratin they served was so good I put its recipe into my cookbook Yummy Potatoes (Chronicle Books).

While I had no cookbook nominated for an award nor foreign rights to sell, ie nothing to draw me practicality-wise to the event  (and justify the expense of the trip), emails trickled in luring me: friends around the world who were going, up for awards, participating in the bookfair. Gourmand is the only world event, where material in all languages can be submitted and is awarded. There were little teasers to the schedule: the watermelon museum visit would co-incide with a watermelon festival and visit to Mr Song’s Melon Garden (post to come). (Daxing is China’s watermelon capital, famous for its sweet juicy melons).  There was promise of a Szechuan food festival, and you know, no one does Peking duck the way they do it in Beijing. I thought about the spicy cucumber salad and the dan dan noodles (jiang jiang mein).  I changed my mind: who needs an award (this time). It would simply get in the way by making me feel anxious ahead of time, and if i didn’t win, disappointed after. I would only take the fun stuff and go along for the ride!

Gourmand World Cookbook Awards’  and Paris/Beijing Cookbook Fair founder, Edouard Cointreau lives in Beijing where he is, among so many other titles, President of Honour of China Food Television as well as President of World Association of Food TV Producers, hence the choice of Beijing as a venue. Instead of the sophisticated, international hub of central Bejing, though, the gathering was to be held in Daxing, a rural district on the outskirts of the Capital. Daxing is local, authentic and utterly lacking in any pretentiousness. In the not too distant future, Daxing will have its own international mega-airport, which, combined with its space for offices, factories and international business; no doubt its quaintness and quietness will fade

But in the meantime, it was so unspoiled. So unspoiled. It was essential Chinese culture, circa 2014; my guess from the way people looked at me, and most of us, and how caring they were for our perceived delicacy, most had never seen a foreigner up close and in person before.  I felt like the belle of the ball. People were friendly, they were intrigued, they offered to help, they stared, they took out their phones for selfies posed with this exotic creature who had landed in their midst.  Our hotel which had never hosted foreigners before and they had a special group from the university hospitality and language dept to translate the needs and wants of these people who are so different.

Wherever we went, people were amazed. Life stopped the moment we walked in, and by we, I really mean me, because it happened even when I wasn’t in a group. My blond hair was like a flag, so different from their own, my pink and big red lips, they didn’t know what to make of me. They wanted their pictures taken to show family and friends: Look what/who I MET!  I started to really feel like a celebrity, especially when women would stroke my blonde hair and say: “preh-teeeee”. I fell in love with them, each and every one of them.

I would look at these gorgeous women, with their gleaming black hair and usually trim figures, so young looking and energetic, and think: oh you guys, do you have any idea how adorable YOU are? any idea how LOVELY you make me feel?

Meanwhile, back to the start.

I landed in Beijing’s Capital Airport and by the time I got to Daxing, Bejing being a huge city with a big traffic problem, it was time for dinner.

It started with the dumplings, and proceeded…..on to the next page, the next blog entry.