‘A Bite of China’
‘A Bite of China’ just came out in DVD with Chinese across the country clamouring to get a set. The exquisitely filmed 7-part CCTV documentary broadcast from mid-May set records for CCTV1 late-night viewership and tweets on Weibo. It’s caused a sensation in China and among Chinese expats abroad, stirring up pride and renewed interest in China’s varied and tasty regional cuisines. Here is a preview courtesy of China Daily. I’ll have a follow-up post.
1. Gifts from Nature
Climate and geographical differences lead to distinct eating habits and lifestyles. This episode focuses on the lives of families from the warm and humid seaside to the cold and dry grasslands, to demonstrate the different ways Chinese people attain food from nature.
 2. Story of Staples
Staple foods are the main source of energy. From the natural grains of ancient times to the diverse offerings of today, staple foods have experienced significant evolution. This episode depicts how people from different areas process and prepare staple foods with admirable wisdom. |
 3. Conversion of Inspiration
Chinese cuisine offers a variety of fermented delicacies, such as fermented bean curd, yellow wine and pickled vegetables. To convert simple materials into beautiful food and drink requires the right timing and conditions. This is how “eating” inspires great wisdom. |
 4. Taste of Time
Salting, air-drying, pickling and freezing are the major ways Chinese people preserve foods. These are also the methods that have produced a lot of time-honored delicacies, such as Jinhua ham and salted fish. This episode aims to explore how the wisdom of our ancestors influences food preservation technologies. |
 5. Secrets in the Kitchen
Chinese cuisine believes in the perfect blend of color, aroma, taste, shape and appropriate cooking methods. To reach perfection, every Chinese chef is like a magician, skillfully handling the basic boiling, steaming and stir-frying techniques. This episode goes into the kitchens of both ordinary people and master chefs to show how they handle the skills. |
 6. Blend of Tastes
Based on the five basic tastes of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty, Chinese people always enjoy experimenting with different combinations. Going to about 10 different places that cover China’s four major cooking styles, this episode aims to show how people are playing with the palate by using different seasoning techniques. |
 7. Our Country, our Fields
The last episode leads audiences from dining tables into the fields, shifting their attention to the sources of food. This episode shows how different foods are grown, with a focus on the eco-friendly agricultural productions that guarantee both quality and safety. |
(China Daily 05/30/2012 page18)