BFIC Inaugural Food Showcase

To many, the joy and passion for food comes not only from what's being eaten, but also from the overall experience. The sensations, the emotions, the memories and especially, the people who share in the meal. On Sunday, Best Food In China's inaugural food showcase provided an ideal opportunity for just that, joining new and old friends together by a common love of food.

The event, held at the quaint villa housing Big Windmill restaurant, was a success, bringing together an international mix of attendees with one thing on their minds (and stomachs): Chinese food. Over the course of the afternoon, top chefs from Big Windmill and Homes restaurants showcased their signature Shanghainese dishes and provided impressive cooking demonstrations for the audience.

Following a brief welcome by co-founder of Best Food In China Simon Pan and lancer Susie Zhou, the managers of host restaurant Big Windmill and visiting Homes gave the audience brief introductions to their restaurants' colorful histories and food missions. Not wanting to delay the hungry crowd any further, the chefs were introduced for the first demonstration of the day.

Big Windmill's chef displayed some fancy cleaver skills, cutting white radish into a bouncy accordion for the first dish, cold radish marinated in sugar and soy. The slicing may have looked easy, but the mastery of the knife strokes was said to take months to perfect.

The second demonstration, by Homes' guest chef, was also an exhibition in the fine art of cutting. With a sharp blade and a steady hand, he managed to cut twenty paper-thin sheets from a inch-wide chunk of dried tofu. Then with a hundred chops, he finely julienned the tofu into tiny strips. Upon first glance, it seemed like the tofu was just chopped to bits. However, when the chef placed the pile into a pan of water, the tofu separated like a thousand strands of silk.

Afterwards, guests were invited to guess the ingredients in a number of signature dishes from each restaurant. In addition to the marinated radish, Big Windmill served a salty tofu pocket stuffed with crabmeat, deep-fried shrimp with crispy potato strings, and fish with mixed vegetables and pine nuts. Homes supplied salty smoked fish, a great take on the classic braised pork, a fragrant tofu-strand soup, and crispy lemon chicken. Taste bud abilities and food knowledge were very high, as each participant was able to decode each dish with surprising accuracy.

The final demonstration of the day - dumpling wrapping - was hosted by Big Windmill. With entertaining commentary by BFIC lancer, Brian Sun, the chef displayed various techniques for wrapping coin-shaped dumplings and mini wontons. Guests of all ages were able to try their hand at this subtle art, though nobody could beat the expert chef, who can wrap one in seconds.

As the guests made their exit into the sunny afternoon air, the empty dishes and scattered plates provided an ample summary to the day: delicious food and hungry friends make for a perfect combination. Based on the success of this first gathering, Best Food In China hopes to make this a regular event with the continued interest and support of food lovers throughout China and the world.

By Neil Yeung