The Aesthetics of Eating: Bringing More Taste to Every Meal

The dew has already turned to frost, yet winter has not yet begun. Frost falls on the ground, and the chill settles on the brow. That night the rain poured down; riding my bike in through the restaurant's outer gate, the scene inside the restaurant, seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows from outside, looked very much like a Seurat pointillist painting. Though it was raining hard outside, it did nothing to dampen the Taiwanese appetite for eating; the restaurant was still 70 to 80 percent full. Guests came and went, but some always leave a deep impression on me. What I remember most from that night was the family at the third floor-to-ceiling window.

Whenever there are many guests in the restaurant, I always go in myself to make sure there is no lapse in service. That night, as soon as I entered, I saw that family; the dishes had not yet arrived, but no one looked impatient. Instead, they were all talking and laughing. So I told the server that I would serve that table myself.

The convention in the Chinese kitchen is to rotate through cooking each table's dishes, so that no table's food is left waiting too long. When there are many guests, the wait is bound to be longer.

So I first treated that family to a plate of our own house-brined pickles. "...The school dog we all take care of at our school really loves to eat it. Every time we feed it bread, it finishes it in one bite..." The child spoke while gesturing with hands and feet; as the pickles arrived at the table, the man was still listening reverently to the child's story.

The second dish was Sichuan-style stir-fried Madeira vine (Anredera cordifolia) with sesame oil. After the family finished it, the third dish did not come right away; I walked over to the father, who was boasting about his past glories, and explained the situation with the dishes, asking everyone to wait a moment. Just as I turned to leave, the father suddenly said: By the way! I wonder whether the old preserved radish flavor in your old preserved radish chicken soup is properly aged? I'm very afraid of eating preserved radish that hasn't been seasoned through.

We use only old preserved radish aged more than 7 years. You really know your stuff, sir. Preserved radish is like wine - the longer it ages, the more fragrant it becomes. We will boil it for about 15 minutes first to draw out the flavor. Can you wait a little? I said. No problem! Anyway, the dishes haven't come yet, so our family will just chat. The father replied.

Aged and sweet. Just like this family's longing to sit around the table and share a meal together.

Meinong Haoke Zhuang Restaurant

Address: No. 47, Sec. 1, Zhongxing Rd., 3rd Neighborhood, Luxing Village, Meinong District, Kaohsiung City
Phone: (07)685-1666, 0975-250-950

Website: www.happyhakka.tw
Business hours:
1. Morning: 10:30~14:00
2. Evening: 17:00~21:00