The oil ripples gently in the bowl, and Panamanian Jujitsu player Arrosemena Jacqueline stares at it as she tries to scoop up a spoonful of soup. It’s so hot that she sticks her tongue out but can’t resist tasting it again. Such vivid scenes are constantly staged in the World Games Village and the streets of Chengdu. When taste buds from all over the world collide with Chinese cuisine, a cross-border“Tongue conversation” is in full swing.
On the evening of August 6, foreign athletes waiting for the World Games in Chengdu Wangjianglou Park Chengdu Cup tea. China news service correspondent, photo by Anyuan District
In the steam of the restaurant of the World Games village in Chengdu, there is a lively conversation on the tip of the tongue. Among the hundreds of dishes served daily, the fresh aroma of twice-cooked pork and Kung Pao chicken is interwoven with Mediterranean and classic European dishes. “Dragon copying is a treasure i fell in love with when I came to Chengdu,” said Anji County, a Laotian volunteer in charge of catering at the village restaurant. In addition to the world-renowned hotpot and Mapo doufu dishes, more authentic local flavors are quietly capturing the world’s stomach.
Thai gymnastics coach Pattaya Vinyak was impressed. After tasting the sweet-skinned duck with its delicate sweet-and-sour Yuxiangrousi and caramelised aroma, he redefined Sichuan food as “Totally different from Thai Sichuan restaurants, where there are layers of heat”.
The hot pot restaurant around the World Games village has become the first choice for foreign competitors to unlock“Sichuan Passion”. As the hot pot rolled, the laughter of different languages rose with the steam. Some people hold up their tripe stomachs to study the“Seven up and eight down” boiling technique, some mistake yellow throat for“Mysterious ingredients in the sea”, and some specially order the spicy bottom of a pot, with the sweat dripping Sichuan“Hot Hot”.
The hot pot shop next to the Sichuan specialty shop, became the enthusiastic“Witness.”. Yu Sihan, a shop assistant, remembers an American athlete holding piles of Sichuan peppercorns and hotpot sauces to make an appointment to come back the next day: “To bring this exciting and charming taste home.”
On the evening of August 6, foreign athletes of the world games in Chengdu were waiting for the hot pot bus. China news service correspondent, photo by Anyuan District
On the dining table, the collision of eating patterns is more interesting. At a Chinese restaurant, the bowl of northwest beef noodle soup is barely bottomed, and the eyes of the Austrian handball players are once again fixed on the dumplings that have just come out of the pot, their pleats as small as petals, and a small dish of chili oil dipping sauce that is bubbling in a fine mist. After five days of training in chopsticks, Team Doctor Martin Rumple-bauer took a quick swipe, and the dumplings fell firmly into the dipping dish. He nibbled them open, and the beef was fragrant and the broth burst, leaving a sweet taste on the tip of his tongue, “We want to try more fresh food, and through these flavors, we are getting closer to Chinese culture little by Little.”.
This kind of taste exploration, from time to time staged. After tasting brown sugar glutinous rice cake, Dutch gymnastics judge Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria Kloppur temporarily abandoned his beloved Xiaolongbao, saying, “The sweet rice made from this rice is soft and glutinous. It is a wonderful taste that has never been tasted before.”
Panamanian jujitsu player Arosemena Jacqueline admitted after experiencing a variety of Sichuan flavor, the most favored or spicy flavor, “Because it can best represent the passion and vitality of Sichuan.”.
Outside the table, the snack bag also hides the surprise. Ukrainian webbed swimmer Tymoshenko Yevhinia’s eyes glowed at“Chinese snacks” such as chili strips and sunflower seeds, fill a bag and bring it to mom: “To know a country, you have to start with its taste.”
From porridge and rice in the Olympic Village to fireworks in the streets, the members of the delegations read Chengdu’s tolerance in the joy of taste buds. A taste from the east has become a cultural bridge, so that the“World stomach” in the resonance of fresh fragrance, in the taste of mutual understanding. (end)