A Bite of China Season 2, Episode 7: Three Meals

Seasons

Most of great food is fissile spectacle resulting from combination and crash of different ingredients. If compare it with human relationship, some would be regarded as amazing perfect match. Some meet by chance but touched us deeply. Some can only make us regret not letting them meet sooner. Human activities lead to the gathering of food. The separation and reunion of food, on the other hand, also controls people. What Westerners called "destiny", is called "Yuan fen" by Chinese.

49 min

Footsteps

In China, the habit of having breakfast dates back to Han Dynasty 2000 odd years ago. Since then, the majority of Chinese people have had three meals a day, which is beneficial to living and production. Although having three meals a day, has almost become a common diet pattern worldwide. In China, however, the pattern embodies various life experiences in different paces of life.

49 min

Heart’s message

In the old city of Beijing, within a short distance, you can have a taste of authentic Turkish food, genuine Spanish seafood paella, or prime French cuisine. People come across food from around the globe, and their taste has assimilated with that of the whole world. However, there always exists food that has not been discovered, hiding in the hills and valleys, rivers and seas, deserts and grasslands in China. These are the realms of secrets that we want to explore.

49 min

Realm of Secrets

There are a thousand pairs of hands with a thousand flavors. Chinese cuisine is mystic and hard to duplicate. From the countryside to the downtown area, cuisine is still inherited via teaching face to face. The wisdom from ancestors, the secret from family, the tips from mentorship, the understanding from gourmet. Every moment of gourmet is created attentively generation by generation.

49 min

Daily domestics

Home where life begins is also one’s ultimate safe harbor. Under the same roof they cook together, eat together. They use food to unite and consulate family members. Though pots and pans are everydayness, they are symbols of Chinese living style and more of a reflection of the Chinese ethics. People grow up, in love, be apart, reunite. In some sense, enjoy home cooking is also an experience of various tastes of life.

49 min

Encounters

China, a country with varieties of geographical environment and climates. People work from day to night .As spring planting ,autumn harvesting, summer cultivating and winter storing. There is a tight schedule exist in the cycle of season and has maintained over thousand years. Compare to the agrarian age people have gradually estranged from the nature. Nevertheless, by following the footsteps of their ancestors and cooking their own foods have become the unique cooking way of Chinese. This is the story of time and is the secret of how Chinese get along with nature.

49 min

Episode 8

48 min