Chinese Cuisine for the 21st Century

Celebrity chef Martin Yan spoke with Asian Restaurant News about his vision of a new movement in Chinese cuisine, the New Chinese Cuisine. “The reality is,” as Yan put it, “we should have the courage to break away from tradition to catch up with the 21st century.”  He and his many culinary friends suggest a modern approach in presenting classical Chinese cuisine.

In recent years, there has been a stagnation in the progress of Chinese cuisine. Though arguably one of the three most popular ethnic cuisines in America, along with Italian and Mexican, Chinese cuisine has not kept pace with other Asian cuisines, such as Thai and Japanese.

Yan said, “Even though there are a lot of Chinese restaurants in North America and around the world, Chinese cuisine has not quite become a global cuisine. It hasn’t changed much. On the other hand, Thai and Japanese cuisines have caught up and have quickly become global cuisines because of the way they are promoted. Their respective governments and tourism boards get involved.”

Not much has been said or done in the development of the Chinese gastronomy outside of China.  Traditionally, most diners in Chinese restaurants expect very little of service or ambiance and only have high expectations of value. In general, most Chinese restaurants compete solely on price point. Yan believes such trends are dangerous to the very survival and prosperity of Chinese cuisine. 

From the number’s game, Chinese food is indeed very popular, but unfortunately, Chinese restaurants or chefs have not earned the reputation like other ethnic restaurants among the American consumers.  “There is little respect for Chinese food or Chinese restaurateurs.  No Chinese chef is at the same par as Nobu (Matsuhita) or other world renowned French chefs.  It doesn’t mean that Chinese chefs are not as skilled or as creative.”

 Japanese food, delicately prepared and nicely presented, is thought to be exotic, fun, and trendy. When people think of Chinese food, what may first come to mind are egg rolls, chow mein, or some unhealthy take-out fast food.  Such negative perception of Chinese cuisine is hindering its growth.

Yan and many of his culinary colleagues have spoken about the importance of some form of standardization. They believe that Chinese food is so localized and diverse that it is difficult to promote. The dining public needs something well-defined in order to understand and appreciate it. Certain standards are needed to promote a product or a concept. For example, you may see the same sushi poster in every Japanese restaurant, although each sushi chef may create something with his/her own signature, but essentially the product looks very much the same.

“There are so many chow mein dishes—they look different, have different ingredients, taste different. What is chow mein? The general public is confused. With such differences, how can they recommend a chow mein dish to their friends?”  Yan said, “Though Italy, like China, has many regional flavors, people can still identify specific dishes. It may only be a bit different in taste or texture, but the overall appearance is basically similar.”  In Yan’s comments, traditions are defined at the roots; as long as the roots are the same chefs can showcase their interpretations. Yan analogized gastronomic roots to those of academics at school.  Students take the same classes: algebra, chemistry, history and so on. The textbooks are similar; the curriculum is similar. The foundations are pretty much the same, yet each student has a different level of achievement.

From such platforms, we have different discoveries; therefore we have people as diverse as Bill Gates and Barack Obama. Yan believes even if the roots are the same and the standards are set, there is still room to be creative and distinctive.

Currently, many large chain operations in China are working on standardization to a certain extent, such as the famed Peking Duck Restaurant in Beijing. As the most recognizable Chinese dish, the Peking duck looks the same everywhere you go. The ducks are raised with the same diet and are processed in a central kitchen. Although cooks from different locations may prepare the Peking duck a little differently, there is something identifiable, something that people can recognize as Peking duck.

In Yan’s perspective, other reasons why Chinese gastronomy’s growth is hindered may be perhaps on the restaurant service and ambiance sides. Though good price and good value are attractive, most customers tend to focus on these two factors. They may tend to care less about the cleanliness and services of the restaurant if the price is right.

In a successful western restaurant, service is of utmost importance. When you go into some Chinese restaurants, the carpet smells like the kitchen or the washrooms are not regularly attended to. Many Chinese restaurants care very little about the ambiance. To them, it is not worth spending the money to take care of such things. As long as the price is at a basement bargain, they feel the customers will come.

Yan and his colleagues point out the success of P.F. Chang’s and others. “When you dine at these restaurants, you get an overall different feel – the ambiance, the service. In many Chinese restaurants, the attention to their customers’ comfort is minimal. While a typical Chinese restaurant’s focus is value and value again, a successful mainstream Chinese restaurant sells ambiance, service and comfort.”

On another issue, the bar is potentially the most profitable portion of a restaurant. This is not the case with most Chinese restaurants; they don’t want to spend too much time to train their staff to promote this segment of their business.

In the old days, most Chinese cooks studied as apprentices under one chef. Their skill and training stem from one source. New trends and ideas such as healthy cuisine may not be a concern for these cooks. There is little interaction or collaboration with other professionals; hence, there is little room for improvement. Without traveling and professional exchange, cooks cannot learn how to adapt to new trends or improve themselves. Like the Chinese proverb says, “You travel 10 miles, it’s better than reading 10,000 books.” There are certain things that cannot be taught and can only be obtained through personal experience. Yan said, “Sometimes people are so burdened with tradition that they can’t get away from it. We need to have the courage to let go and accept new ideas.”

Yan and his colleagues mention a certain urgency for the movement of Chinese Cuisine in the new century. The American public is not embracing the same old Chinese food.  Business may not be what it used to be. Again, Yan refers to the success of P.F. Chang’s and other operators as a source of reference. They have identified typical weaknesses in Chinese restaurants and have been able to rectify these weaknesses and improve on them.

Like a product, a successful restaurant can establish itself as a brand and will have an identity.  Many typical Chinese dishes—or Chinese restaurants—however, are still unrecognizable by most customers. Yan said, “If a customer comes to a restaurant and likes the dish, he will recommend it to a friend. But if he doesn’t know how to describe this dish, it would be difficult for the dish to be introduced.”

With the Olympics approaching, all eyes are on China. We should take advantage of this opportunity and find ways to promote Chinese food. “New Chinese cuisine is a new concept with the same roots. The timing is perfect for us to look at what we can do.”

This particular conversation is provocative, yet by no means is it meant as a put-down for Chinese restaurants—rather, it is meant for all of us in the industry to take a closer look at the reality and think of ways to promote our culinary treasures in today’s competitive market.