Representing Dongbei Cai (Northeast food)

It was a cold and rainy morning in Harbin today. I mean like downpour rain where there was really nothing productive to accomplish outside. So I grabbed a list an acquaintance had given me of the most authentic dongbei (northeast) restaurants. I wanted to go visit the restaurants in Harbin that prided themselves on having the most traditional northeast food in the city. My acquaintance is part of what I would call a very well-off Harbin family and I trusted that she would know some of the best restaurants.

In my recent conversations with farmers, the most interesting discussions have been about what they eat, rather than what they grow. Either I need to do some more digging to find more interesting questions to ask about production or I have to accept that much of my project is going to be about consumption rather than production. Anyway, what I find interesting is how simple they all claim dongbei food is. While there is certainly an art to cooking and presentation, dongbei does not have the same reputation as other regions of Chinese cuisine. Because of these conversations, I wanted to see how people in the city-which is easily and constantly influenced by new trends-present dongbei food.

The first restaurant I visited was a surprise upon entry. I really had no idea what to expect. I walked in to be greeted by 5 servers standing at the door dressed in Mao uniforms. In front of me was a large picture of Mao Zedong. I had walked into a Cultural Revolution-themed restaurant! I had heard of these existing in Beijing; here it is in Harbin! I sat down with the boss and she showed me the menu and explained each dish to me. The themes were the same that I have seen in Harbin and in the countryside: hardy, big chunks of meat, corn, eggplant, potatoes, and carrots alongside fresh leafy lettuce, garlic, and onion.

When we got to the back of the menu with the staple foods (rice, corn, noodles, etc.), I began to ask about Harbin trends for consuming staple foods. The boss got up and showed me a framed picture of old grain tickets that had been used during the Cultural Revolution. We talked about the differences in food preparation and consumption between then and now, this restaurant, and current Harbin eating trends. She took me on a tour of the restaurant, which had plenty of references to the countryside. The was a replica corn barn holding old, dried cobs of corn, a well, wood decor, fake grapes hanging from vines overhead, and pictures of Cultural Revolution leaders working in the fields. Rooms off to the side (for private parties) had tables on a lifted floor, like many of the houses in the dongbei countryside. Old newspapers from the late 1960s were posted on the walls of these rooms. The boss pointed out to me that now many of these rooms (in contemporary restaurants) have televisions, but they chose to put newspapers on the wall.

It was a fascinating visit, and a place I am sure I will go back to with friends. The other restaurants on the list were nice, fancy, non-themed restaurants. Now I need to talk to my friend again to ask her why this particular Cultural Revolution-themed restaurant made it on her list of 'authentic' dongbei restaurants.