On May 10, guests enjoying the "Courtesan Cuisine" could also appreciate performances by entertainers. This report is by Wang Jing of our newspaper. What did the dishes cooked by famous beauties such as Liu Rushi, Dong Xiaoyan, Chen Yuanyuan, Li Xiangjun from the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai", and Tang Dynasty poet courtesans like Xue Tao and Yu Xuanji taste like? Now, in the city of Xi'an, you don't have to "time-travel" to taste them. These dishes have been named "Courtesan Cuisine" by the boss, who claims it "fills a gap in the domestic private cuisine category."
However, during my interviews, I found that this dish has sparked much controversy among citizens since its launch.
The names of the dishes are quite classical, claiming their flavors relate to "courtesan houses." Yesterday, I went to the west suburbs of Xi'an and found a place with the words "Private Cuisine" posted at the entrance called "Shishangpinge" restaurant. The business area is nearly 800 square meters with many private rooms.
Upon picking up the menu, I found the dish names quite interesting, such as "Long-lasting Affection," "Mountains Are So," "Spring Mud Protects Flowers," and even wines brewed by the beauties of old — Anniang Red. Most dish names are related to historical figures, either famous courtesans or literary giants, or high-ranking officials.
"Our main focus is on 'Courtesan Cuisine,' but we also do some official family dishes and ceremonial dishes, etc., which are all private cuisines," the server introduced. If interested, the boss can personally "explain the dishes."
I immediately ordered several dishes related to beauties: "Mountains Are So," "Xue Tao's Green Pepper Chicken," and "Dong Xiaowan's Grain Sea Intestine." It turns out that "Mountains Are So" is a cold mixed dish made of soft tofu, dried fruit pieces, hair vegetable, and scallop. Its origin story comes from when Liu Rushi, one of the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai," married Ming dynasty poet Qian Qianyi, who was 40 years older than her, expressing their affectionate married life. "Xue Tao's Green Pepper Chicken" comes from another anecdote. It is said that Tang dynasty poet Yuan Zhen once promised to marry Xue Tao, so she specially cooked this dish for the poet who was 11 years younger than her, symbolizing an honest gentleman with the rooster representing punctuality — it can be considered a "marriage-forcing dish."
"'Courtesan Cuisine' is not what everyone imagines about the entertaining dishes of old courtesan houses," said Qi He, the restaurant owner. Private cuisine is roughly divided into official family cuisine ("Zeng Guofan Family" cuisine, "Li Hongzhang Family" cuisine, etc.), literati cuisine (such as "Dongpo Pork," "Yunlin Goose," "Zu'an Cuisine," etc.), ceremonial cuisine, and courtesan cuisine, and there's even martial arts cuisine. Each type of cuisine fuses historical anecdotes, literati stories, and culinary history.
So, where do these so-called "Courtesan Cuisine" recipes come from? "Mostly based on scattered records about dishes in ancient biographies and books, processed after secondary creation," Qi He cited books like Zhou Mi's "Old Affairs of Wulin" from the Song Dynasty, Mr. Chen Yinke's "Biography of Liu Rushi," and Yuan Mei's "Suiyuan Menu." "My 'Courtesan Cuisine' fills a gap in the domestic private cuisine category," Qi He also claimed that "explaining dishes" — explaining the historical background and anecdotes behind the dishes ordered by customers — is also a distinctive service offered by the restaurant.
Consumption for two people costs over 200 yuan; the boss plans to replicate 20 stores
With imaginative dish names, is the consumption of "Courtesan Cuisine" expensive? How do consumers evaluate it?
For example, the meal I had consisted of two meat dishes, one vegetarian, and a bowl of rice, costing a total of 114 yuan. Just as I was calculating whether this price was a bit "expensive," the neighboring table also asked for the bill. "Hello, your total consumption is 238 yuan." The mother and daughter exchanged glances, "Is it calculated wrong? How did two people end up spending 238?"
Citizen Mr. He, who specifically drove to try something "new," told the reporter, "The dishes are okay, unfortunately, only the boss tells stories. The service is average, and the price is a bit high."
"The dishes themselves aren't particularly special, but with the boss's explanations, they have a different flavor," one of yesterday's customers who consumed at the same time as me gave such an evaluation. "The current prices have just been adjusted. Rent has increased this year, costing nearly 200,000 yuan annually; monthly wages have risen from a few hundred yuan to over a thousand." Qi He responded, "The highest-priced set of dishes in the store now costs 1600 yuan, and some high-end customers still feel it's not impressive enough when entertaining friends." He also stated he would use the existing store as an experimental base, quickly drafting a "dummy operation manual" for related services, management processes, procurement characteristics, etc., of "Courtesan Cuisine" — then replicate it in some coastal cities like Nanjing, Shanghai, Wenzhou, etc., planning to open 20 stores.
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