I'm the Culinary God

"What is Xiao Xu’s educational background?"

Qiu Yaozu took a sip of hot tea brought by the maid and then led Lin Xu towards the living room of the villa, asking questions as they walked.

Lin Xu thought it was just small talk and answered:

"Finance University, majoring in finance, bachelor’s degree."

"Bachelor’s degree... that should be enough. Come with me. Before we start cooking, let’s chat a bit about the origin of this dish to give you a basic understanding of Huaiyang cuisine."

Enough?

Lin Xu was a bit surprised.

Is it necessary to have a degree just to learn a dish?

Honestly, this was the first time Lin Xu encountered such a situation.

Asking about educational background before cooking? Is it that those with lower education can’t cook or hold a knife properly?

When they reached the study, Qiu Yaozu pointed to an "Analects" book on the table and asked:

"Have you studied the ’Analects’?"

Lin Xu nodded:

"Yes, ’Time passes like this, ceaselessly day and night’ is a famous line from the Analects."

Seeing the book’s title, ten Chapters of the Analects he memorized in middle school flashed in his mind.

Besides the lament about time "Time passes like this, ceaselessly day and night," there are also famous lines like, "To know is to know, not to know is not to know, that is knowledge," and "Review the old and know the new, you can become a teacher."

At the time, memorizing these was a headache, which is why they left such a deep impression now.

But what was Old Mr. Qiu asking this for?

Do we really need to discuss Confucius’ words before cooking?

Qiu Yaozu said:

"There’s a very famous line in the ’Analects, Chapter of Zilu’: ’The gentleman finds harmony without sameness, the petty person finds sameness without harmony.’ This line speaks about life philosophy and is also the main principle behind the creation of the Three-in-One Duck dish."

What?

The famous Analects quote is related to the Three-in-One Duck?

Lin Xu asked, a bit confused:

"Old Mr. Qiu, I don’t quite understand."

Aren’t cultured people supposed to believe that a gentleman stays away from the kitchen? How could it be related to a dish?

Qiu Yaozu smiled and said:

"To talk about the Three-in-One Duck, we need to start with the rise of Huaiyang cuisine."

He calmly explained the origins of Huaiyang cuisine to Lin Xu.

In the mid-Qing Dynasty, Yangzhou’s economy reached its peak. Salt merchants liked to feign elegance and invited scholars to their gatherings and banquets, and also asked cultured people to participate in the design of gardens and dining experiences.

The Three-in-One Duck was designed during this period by some scholars, based on the Analects line ’The gentleman finds harmony without sameness.’

’The gentleman finds harmony without sameness’ simply means this:

A gentleman maintains a harmonious and friendly relationship with others but does not have to agree with them on specific issues.

This is the opposite of how a petty person interacts.

’The petty person finds sameness without harmony’ means that the petty person habitually agrees with others on viewpoints but doesn’t really hold a harmonious and friendly attitude deep down.

Lin Xu was still a bit confused about what this had to do with the Three-in-One Duck.

Qiu Yaozu said:

"When the Three-in-One Duck was created, the emphasis was that each of the three ingredients should have its unique flavor, and the combined flavors would produce a result greater than the sum of their parts."

Lin Xu began to understand a bit:

"So, was there a creative theory first, and then the Three-in-One Duck was born?"

"Exactly! You’re quick to understand. In Chinese cuisine, the dish often comes first, and then the cooking philosophy is deduced from it. However, with the Three-in-One Duck, the philosophy came first, and chefs explored based on that.

Is that what ’harmony without sameness’ implies?

Qiu Yaozu holds the Three-in-One Duck in extremely high regard. It is also an important high-end dish in Huaiyang cuisine, comparable in status to Sichuan’s Boiled Water Cabbage.

"To make the Three-in-One Duck, you must first understand the creation philosophy within, grasp the concept of ’harmony without sameness,’ to truly understand and make the dish well."

For high-end chefs, the making of the Three-in-One Duck isn’t too difficult; it’s just about deboning three ingredients.

But for this kind of dish, just knowing how to make it isn’t enough. You also need to appreciate its subtleties, and understand the cultural core within to truly grasp the cultural beauty in Chinese cuisine.

Guo Degang said that in the end, culture is what matters, and it’s the same with cooking.

After discussing the dish’s creation philosophy, Qiu Yaozu got up and led Lin Xu to the kitchen, not to directly make the Three-in-One Duck right away, but instead to talk about selecting the ingredients.

"Xiao Xu, if you were to make this dish, how would you choose the ingredients?"

How to choose?

Lin Xu was about to say that one domestic duck, one wild duck, and a pigeon would do. What’s so hard about choosing?

But thinking that Qiu Yaozu wouldn’t ask such a simple question, he pondered seriously for a moment and said:

"First, you need a drake."

Among duck dishes, drakes are superior to ducks; whether stewed, steamed, or fried, a drake tastes better, so he thought one should choose a drake.

Qiu Yaozu showed a hint of surprise on his face:

"Knowing that shows you truly understand cooking, something beyond the grasp of average chefs."

Did he really guess it right?

Lin Xu felt the joy of making the right pick in a multiple-choice question.

Qiu Yaozu continued:

"In the famous Huaiyang cuisine book ’Diao Dingji,’ there’s a description of ducks: Other birds favor females, only ducks favor males; other birds prefer young, only ducks value age. The older the drake, the more aromatic and flavorful. That’s why, for the Three-in-One Duck, you should choose a drake over one year old."

Is that why he specifically called Lao Huang yesterday to deliver the ingredients?

It makes sense; only someone like Lao Huang, who has been dealing with various farms for years, could get drakes. Regular people going to the market would only find ducks.