An Extravagant Open-air Banquet

By Liang Wendao

An Extravagant Open-air Banquet

By Liang Wendao

There is a family in Beijing with such an enormous demand for beer that one beer brand wants to be their exclusive supplier. According to one of their housekeepers, five kilos of meat and five kilos of fish are barely enough for their daily consumption.

This is the family of Huang Ke,also known as “Lord Mengchang of modern society.” He has often been invited to appear as a guest on TV shows and is the target of various media reports. His fame comes from the open-air banquets held in his home every day. Starting around 5 or 6 p.m. in the afternoon until midnight,his “friends” go in and out of his home in an endless stream. When they arrive, they show themselves to their seats as if it was their own place.Tablecloths are always on the tables and dishes are constantly arriving from the kitchen.

Interestingly though, Huang Ke is not acquainted with all of them,as some guests are brought by his friends, and some of whom show up by themselves after hearing about him through his friends, and some are purely attracted to his fame and the desire to make friends with him.Huang Ke doesn’t mind it at all, and he treats them equally and welcomes them with open arms, as he believes that whoever comes is a guest.

The guests often behave as if they were the host—they not only indulge in extravagant eating and drinking,but even flick through Huang Ke’s book and CD collections at will. If the background music is not to their taste, they would take the initiative to change the song. They usually chat over drinks, so it’s common to end up leaving drunk. If needed, they can stay overnight at Huang Ke’s place and leave the next morning when they sober up. Huang Ke says, “It’s not an issue. I’d like to make my guests feel like home.”

I remember that the first time I went to his home, I made a spectacle of myself, as I asked how much

北京有這么一個人，他家的啤酒消耗量居然大到連某啤酒品牌想為他獨家供貨的地步。據他家的阿姨說，他們一天買肉要買十幾斤，買魚也得十幾斤，否則根本不夠吃。

這個人叫黃珂，有“現代孟嘗君”之稱，上過不少電視節目，是許多媒體追訪的對象。他的名氣來自他家擺開的流水席。每天傍晚從五六點開始，直到半夜一點多，總有川流不息的“朋友”進出他家大門。來人都不客氣，進得門來便自動入座，而桌上也總有杯筷碗碟侍候，廚房里則不斷做菜上桌。

最有趣的是這些“朋友”并不一定真是黃珂認識的朋友，他們也許是他朋友帶來的朋友，也許是經過朋友介紹但自己跑上門來的朋友，甚至是純粹慕名而來想要交個朋友的“朋友”。而黃珂毫不介意，本著遠來都是客的原則，一視同仁，一律招待。

I remember that the first time I went to his home, I made a spectacle of myself, as I asked how much everyone got charged. My question made the whole room roar with laughter, with people sputtering,cups banging on the table and hands clapping. As I see it, such a banquet must feature some secret family recipes that usually cost an arm and a leg. Yet, to my surprise, Huang Ke didn’t care about money at all, and he said, “Why would I charge friends whom I invited to dine in my home?That’s funny. Well, how about this?Next time, you may bring some materials and make some Cantonese dishes for us.”

Sometimes, a few guests roll up their sleeves to cook themselves and compare notes with each other. But generally speaking, this would rarely happen, as the Sichuan dishes served in Huang Ke’s home is extraordinarily delicious, and you won’t find them elsewhere. In particular, one dish called “Huang Clan’s Beef” stands out among others, which is well known by people near and far. Another dish called “Mao Xue Wang” (duck blood in hot chili sauce) is also a must try,and some gourmets even rate it as the best Sichuan dish in Beijing. Yet,Huang Ke seems to think otherwise,who often says, “Spicy taste is the essence of Sichuan cuisine, and spiciness can be the perfect cover for any distasteful food. The reason for Sichuan dishes to prevail is actually due to the bad quality of the food materials nowadays.” From his words,we can see he really understands Sichuan food, and he could serve authentic Sichuan cuisine in his home.

Rather than being rich and powerful, he is just an ordinary businessman, who lives in a simple house that is plainly furnished.Entertaining friends is just his joy in life, and exactly as some are fond of collecting antiques, he is fond of“collecting friends.” Among his friends are all walks of life, with scholars and artists are in the majority, and quite a few businessmen and politicians as well. Talking with them is like reading a book that can open the mind.

Huang Ke loves to make friends,to gain knowledge, and to see the diversity of the world. In fact, the open-air banquets that he holds are a gateway to know the world without leaving home. Moreover, he keeps a calm and peaceful mind to the affairs of human life.

Serving so many friends and strangers every night, the two big dining tables are like a crossroads where destiny brings people together.After all, these people are merely transient guests in each other’s life.Therefore, Huang Ke always claims himself to be a guest as well. ◆

(From The Tastes of Life, Guangxi Normal University Press.Translation :Zhu Yaguang)

“朋友”們常常反客為主，不只據案大嚼，舉杯暢飲，還會隨意翻弄主人的書籍唱片；要是嫌主人放的音樂不好聽，便自己跑過去換一張。聊得盡興，喝得高了，難免就要喝醉。不怕，您隨便睡，第二天早上酒醒再走。黃珂說：“沒關系，客人到此便成主人了。”

我第一次上他家吃飯就鬧笑話，因為我竟然問他每位收多少錢，結果哄堂大笑，笑得拍桌子摔杯子沫星四散。我以為誰家這么開飯一定是“私房菜”，沒想到黃珂根本不在乎錢：“請朋友來家里吃飯要收錢？哈哈，要不這樣吧，你下回帶點材料上來，弄幾手粵菜讓大家嘗嘗。”

也的確有客人會自己下廚，活動手腳，順便和“朋友”切磋技藝。但一般人都不這么干，因為黃珂家的川菜做得太好，外頭飯館吃不到。特別是一味“黃氏牛肉”，遠近馳名。當然還有毛血旺，食家許為北京第一。但黃珂對此不以為然，他常說：“大家吃川菜都是為了辣，因為辣可以遮掩食材的缺點。流行川菜，是現在食材太差的緣故。”單憑這句話，你就知道他真夠內行，川菜必然做得地道。

千萬不要以為他是富豪，其實他是個普通商人，住的不是豪宅，家里陳設也堪稱簡樸。他只不過喜歡這么過日子，別人收集古董，他則收集朋友。這一大圈朋友里頭什么人都有，文人藝術家最多，商人政客也不少，和他們交談就像看書，都是長見識的方法。

黃珂喜歡朋友，喜歡知識，喜歡了解世界的復雜多樣——擺流水席也不失為“秀才不出門，能知天下事”的方法之一。可是，他對這一切卻又看得極淡。

每晚有那么多認識和不認識的人來來去去，那兩張大桌就像十字路口一樣，是有緣人相遇的場合，然聚散匆匆，彼此究竟只是對方生命中的過客罷了，所以他老說自己也是個客人。◆

（摘自《味道之味覺現象》廣西師范大學出版社）

中式流水席

文/梁文道