February 2006
Shida
by Celia Cheng
For part two of my feature on modern Chinese cuisine, I would like to share with you the amazing Chinese New Year’s Eve feast I had this year at my friend Shida Kuo’s home.
Shida is a modern sculptor who exhibits internationally and teaches at New York University. From the numerous interviews I have conducted with chefs, it goes without saying that cooking is a form of art and that chefs are all creatives in their own right. Perhaps we can call them culinary artists. So there is a natural link and progression between Shida’s artistic and culinary talent. When not working in his studio or teaching, he is often hosting friends and family in his East Village loft for a nice meal. Everyone is having fun eating, chatting and being merry while Shida’s concocting delicious creations in his professional, open kitchen.
Shida’s place is the perfect setting for a speakeasy. Together with wife, Benrei, and their son, Shane, the Kuo family has created a very warm atmosphere that is adorned with simple art pieces. While their sensibility is modern, it is understated and easy-going. One always feels welcomed and relaxed at the Kuo’s. They pay attention to details, but they make everything seem effortless and seamless. It is rare to find this kind of gracefulness and hospitality in New York or anywhere these days.
Once Shida had decided to host New Year’s Eve dinner for eight at his place, he immediately started his due diligence. The menu arrived at each invitee’s email inbox a week prior, with his carefully planned pairings of the entire banquet. When I say pairing, I also mean food and beverage pairing, but in Chinese cuisine, the pairing of the food courses is first and foremost. One must plan out the exact balance and rhythm of the meal, taking into consideration whether each dish is light or heavy, dry or saucy, spicy or mild, greasy or clean. There are endless details to examine. In Chinese culture, the three basics of cuisine are color, aroma and taste. This means that, at the very minimum, a dish must arouse those three senses.
The menu, which I have reproduced in this feature on its own page, consisted of nine courses, followed by tea and dessert. (As a side note, three is an auspicious number so multiples of three are also auspicious.) You’ll notice that Shida’s menu places lighter dishes that act as palate cleansers after heavier dishes. For example, the stir-fried bean sprout after the deep-fried frog legs and meatballs, and the boiled Chinese broccoli rabe after the pork belly sandwich.
To continue in the auspicious vein, I am introducing nine of those dishes (though I’ve chosen to swap the last course, long life greens, for one of my favorite teas, oolong).
With a meal like this to start 2006, I think the year of the dog will bring plenty of good fortune, hopefully for all of us.
