On May 10, while guests enjoyed the "Courtesan Dishes," they could also watch performances by entertainers. This article was reported by Wang Jing of our newspaper. What did the delicious dishes taste like that were personally cooked by famous beauties such as Liu Rushi, Dong Xiaowan, Chen Yuanyuan, and Li Xiangjun from the "Eight Beauties of Qinhuai" and Tang Dynasty poet courtesans like Xue Tao and Yu Xuanji for their lovers? Now, in the city of Xi'an, you don't have to "time travel" to taste them. These dishes have been named "Courtesan Dishes" by the owner, who claims it "fills a domestic空白in the category of private cuisine."
However, during the reporter's interview, it was discovered that this dish has caused much controversy among citizens since its launch.
The dish names are quite classical, claiming their taste is related to "courtesan houses." Yesterday, I went to the western suburbs of Xi'an and found a place with the words "Private Cuisine" posted at the entrance called "Shishang Pingge," covering nearly 800 square meters with many private rooms.
Taking the menu, I found the dish names quite interesting, such as "Everlasting Love," "Green Mountains As If," "Spring Mud Protecting Flowers," and even wine brewed by beauties of the past - An Niang Hong. Most dish names are associated with historical figures, either famous courtesans or literary giants, not literary giants then high-ranking officials.
"Our main focus is 'Courtesan Dishes,' but we also do some official family dishes and ceremonial dishes among other private cuisines," the server introduced. If interested, the boss can personally "explain the dishes."
I immediately ordered several dishes related to beauties: "Green Mountains As If," "Xue Tao Green Pepper Chicken," and "Dong Xiaowan Wheat Grain Sea Cucumber." Originally, "Green Mountains As If" is a cold mixed dish made of soft tofu, dried fruit pieces, hair vegetable, and scallops, derived from the story of Liu Rushi marrying the Ming Dynasty great poet Qian Qianyi, who was 40 years older than her, expressing the couple's loving life. On the other hand, "Xue Tao Green Pepper Chicken" comes from another anecdote. It is said that the famous 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 a rooster that announces dawn faithfully, which could be considered a "marriage-forcing dish."
"'Courtesan Dishes' are not what everyone imagines as the entertaining dishes from old-time courtesan houses," restaurant owner Qi He stated. Private cuisine is roughly divided into official family dishes ("Zeng Guofan Family" dishes, "Li Hongzhang Family" dishes, etc.), literati dishes (such as "Dongpo Pork," "Yunlin Goose," "Zu'an Dish," etc.), ceremonial dishes, courtesan dishes, and even martial arts dishes. Each type of cuisine integrates historical anecdotes, literary fun facts, and food history stories.
So, where do these so-called "Courtesan Dishes" menus come from? "Mostly based on ancient biographies and scattered records about dishes in ancient books, they are processed after secondary creation," Qi He listed books such as Zhou Mi's "Old Affairs of Wulin" from the Song Dynasty, Mr. Chen Yinke's "A Separate Biography of Liu Rushi," and Yuan Mei's "Suichuan Food List." "My 'Courtesan Dishes' fills a domestic空白in the category of private cuisine types," Qi He also claimed that "explaining dishes" — explaining the historical background and anecdotes behind the dishes ordered by guests — is also one of the store's distinctive services.
With intriguing dish names, how expensive are the "Courtesan Dishes"? How do consumers evaluate them?
For example, the meal I had consisted of two meat dishes, one vegetarian dish, and a bowl of rice, costing a total of 114 yuan. While calculating whether this price was a bit "expensive," the neighboring table's guests also asked for the bill. "Hello, your total consumption is 238 yuan." The mother and daughter exchanged glances, "Is it calculated wrong? How could two people consume 238?"
Citizen Mr. He, who specifically drove to try something "new," told the reporter, "The dishes are still acceptable, unfortunately, only the boss tells stories. The service is average, and the price is a bit high."
"The dishes themselves are not particularly special, but when paired with the boss's explanation, they take on a different flavor," a customer who consumed simultaneously with me yesterday gave such an evaluation. "The current price has just been adjusted. This year, the rent increased, requiring nearly 200,000 yuan annually; monthly wages have risen from a few hundred yuan to over a thousand." Qi He responded, "Currently, the highest-priced set of dishes in the store costs 1600 yuan, and some high-end customers feel it's not impressive enough when entertaining friends." He also expressed plans to use the existing store as an experimental base to quickly draft a "dummy operation manual" for relevant services, management processes, procurement characteristics, etc., of "Courtesan Dishes" — then replicate them in some coastal cities, such as Nanjing, Shanghai, Wenzhou, etc., planning to open 20 stores.
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