The words made SC Johnson's appetite flutter, and for foodies, imagination is the most irresistible. Pack up, finish the check-out procedures, pull Hu Hai, and go straight to Yangfang Hutong.

"You're Mr. Zhuang, aren't you?"

As soon as he entered the antique courtyard, Li Xiaolin, who was in his early fifties, stepped forward, saw Hu Hai next to him, and hesitated: "This is a very familiar ......."

Hu Hai took the initiative to talk: "Master Li, I am Hu Hai from the State Guesthouse, and I once came with Hao Lao. ”

"Yes, yes!" Li Xiaolin remembered and said enthusiastically: "It turns out to be an old friend, please come in!"

Everyone followed into the room, and the hall was hung with three big characters of Li Jiacai, and the inscription was Pu Jie, the younger brother of the last emperor Pu Yi.

Entertaining Zhuang Chen to sit down, Li Xiaolin asked, "Is Old Hao in good health?"

"The old man is in good health, and he talked to me about you a few days ago. Hu Hai replied with a smile: "Today, I specially accompanied the distinguished guests, don't look at Johnson's youth, his tongue is very smart, and even Hao Lao is full of praise." ”

"Oh?" Li Xiaolin was stunned for a moment, looked at Johnson again, and said politely: "It turns out that the gourmets are here, and it is a great honor, let's have a good exchange in a while." ”

After a few greetings, he turned around and went to the back kitchen to prepare, leaving Johnson and Hu Hai to chat and drink tea. Soon the first dish was served, Hu Hai was shocked, and said excitedly: "Haha, jade tofu!"

Johnson looked at the bright, red, green and green in front of him, beautiful and elegant. Pick up chopsticks, pick up a piece, and put it in your mouth.

Fresh!

Sweet!

Elegant!

The courtyard of the deep house slowly walked out of a lady who was dignified and virtuous, generous, graceful and luxurious, and her bones were noble and elegant.

Stretching out a slender jade hand, the tofu grinded to the extreme melts in the mouth, caressing the tip of the tongue like milk, like a spa, warm and silky.

I couldn't help muttering: "It turns out that Fei is red oil, and Emerald contains edamame, fresh shellfish, green onion and ginger ......"

"The edamame and scallops are crushed in a pan and stir-fried quickly, and most importantly, the scallops must be freshly frozen before being thawed naturally to give them a milky texture. ”

Hu Hai said with a face full of enjoyment: "Jade tofu was Cixi's favorite dish back then, and this dish is also the family dish in the Li family's cuisine. ”

"Qianlong lived to be 89 years old, and according to legend, he had a health preservation technique, and loved two kinds of food all his life, one is duck and the other is tofu. ”

So after checking the dishes, the imperial chefs at that time decided to make a dish of tofu to please Lafayette, and they found a color close to jade and made it into tofu, so this dish can only be eaten here in the world. ”

"That's an exaggeration!" As soon as Hu Hai's words fell, Li Xiaolin walked in with a plate and said with a smile: "If you want to say that it was okay before, now there are even molecular dishes, and jade tofu is no longer mysterious!"

After speaking, he put down the plate, looked at Johnson and said, "Xiaoyou is really hidden, come, how about trying this dish?"

"Stir-fried salty?"

Johnson picked up a pair of chopsticks, put them in his mouth, and said with satisfaction: "I heard that it used to be a cold dish eaten by the flag people during the New Year, and the ingredients were shredded carrots, bamboo shoots and mustard shreds, fried and cooled. ”

"In order to restore the crisp texture of the soft couch, in the era when there was no refrigerator, it could only be done outdoors in winter, right?"

Li Xiaolin nodded with a smile and said: "This is the most popular dish of Lafayette back then, take the Shou Dining Room in charge of Cixi's personal diet, for example, it consists of 108 houses, eight courtyards, and there are as many as 128 chefs working in it!"

"There are at least 100 bowls of different dishes for two meals a day, and at least 20 bowls of dishes for two snacks outside of the main meal. As for the quality, there is no need to choose, the 128 fireheads are all famous chefs in the country, with exquisite skills and their own specialties. ”

While speaking, the third dish was served, and Johnson's eyes lit up and said, "Drum board prawns?"

Put it in your mouth and make it with pea noodles, the thin and crispy skin and the soft inside create a combination of rigidity and softness. The crispy egg skin, wrapped in pork net fat and prawns, is soft and refreshing, resembling a drum board of traditional Peking Opera instruments.

The Chinese cabbage is rolled into a round shape, and after being blanched, a layer of mustard is smeared, which is refreshing and stimulating in the mouth, and the appetite is immediately aroused.

Full of praise: "Authentic Beijing flavor!"

Li Xiaolin laughed heartily, and was happiest to be recognized by his bosom friend, and recalled: "We are the white flag, and my great-grandfather was the minister of the interior in the palace, in charge of the affairs of the royal palace, especially the imperial dining room. ”

"You know, there are incompetent emperors, there are incurable emperors, but there are no emperors who will not enjoy. It's not that you give him whatever he eats, every emperor or queen mother has his own requirements. ”

"In addition to protecting the food safety of the emperor and the queen mother and avoiding poisoning, the internal affairs department also has to taste and approve the menu. ”

"My father was friends with Pu Jie and Wanrong's younger brother, and one day I invited them to dinner at home, and Pu Jie improvised four words to write down the imperial meal of the Qing Palace. ”

At that time, my father said: Don't write like this, we can't make what Cixi ate at that time, and now everything has changed, and then changed the title of Li Jiacai. ”

Johnson asked curiously, "How many recipes are there in the family?"

"That's about 900 dishes, but now we can make up to 200 to 300 dishes. ”

Li Xiaolin sighed and said helplessly: "Many materials can't be found, such as the special dishes that Emperor Kangxi likes nomads, including bear's paws, deer, leopards, ostriches, rhinos, tigers, monkeys and other game. ”

"There are also 50 catties of pigs in the palace, known for their thin skin, no milk smell and lean fat, and today's environment and feeding methods are different, and the previous taste cannot be fully presented. ”

Yi Xing said: "Now that society is developing rapidly, the things of ten years ago are now outdated, not to mention that the things we made are more than 100 years ago!"

"If it weren't for the costume TV series, people today might not even be able to name a few emperors of the Qing Dynasty. Really, now the so-called palace dishes are not easy to make, the ingredients are too particular, go all over the country to find them, good ingredients are rare and too expensive, and not everyone understands the difference. ”

"The inheritance of something, culture is the most important, the so-called memory inheritance, in fact, is just handed over to you, but whether you can retain the appreciation, whether you have a feeling for this matter, can only rely on the support of culture behind it. ”

The atmosphere became solemn, and Johnson, as a chef, could naturally understand the feelings of the other party. Out of professional habits, Hu Hai saw the cold scene, and took the initiative to joke: "Hey, no one can change the truth, as a foodie, it's more important to enjoy the moment, isn't it?"

Li Xiaolin waved his hand, the fourth dish was served, and said with a smile: "That's right, it's rare to have a fellow practitioner today, just be happy!"

Steamed toad ...... Spicy beef...... Shrimp and celery hearts...... Sweet and sour pork ribs......

The taste spans sour, sweet, bitter, salty, fresh and spicy, making the taste buds fluctuate, thick and light, and the taste is varied, keeping the tongue fresh.

SC Johnson closed his eyes and felt like a grand symphony sounding in his ears, with three major parts: bass, alto and melody, sometimes high and sometimes low.

Appetizers are like a bass, but they are unknown on the front line, and if you don't pay attention, you often don't feel its existence. But if there is no bass in the band, it is like losing the roots, everything will become ethereal, and all the rhythms will be chaotic.

A clever chef is the conductor, not just directing one flavor, but arranging everything into it, even the faintest foreshadowing.

That's the rhythm of food!