Qu Yingpu (center), China Daily's deputy chief editor, with 1421 winery founder Johnny Chan (left) and Swiss Ambassador to China Blaise Godet (right), leads a toast at the China Daily Readers' Club organic dinner. Photos by Wang Jing / China Daily

   

From left: Qu Yingpu, 1421 winery's spokesman Randy Lee Svendsen, and head of Asia operations for Grace Hotels Roberto Pelliccia speak to guests just before dinner is served.

CEO of Infront China Ma Guoli (left), Qu Yingpu (center), and figure skating champion Tong Jian enjoy pre-dinner drinks, an excellent chardonnay from 1421.

Stephon Marbury (right), Beijing Ducks player and former NBA all-star, autographs a shirt.

Curator of Teresa Teng Museum, Summer Teng (left), China Daily Sunday edition managing editor Pauline D. Loh (center), and Isabelle-Wen Hui Liu, ABB vice-president, enjoys a light moment.

Ji Yunliang (left), De Run Wu Farm owner, talks about his organic farm and lifestyle as Pauline D. Loh (center) and China Daily Sunday edition editor Yu Yilei listen.

 

China Daily readers from the worlds of business, diplomacy and sports gathered for dinner recently to celebrate locally grown produce, a fine black pig from Yunnan and the first Chinese wine that can be traced from bottle to vine. Mike Peters was one of the hosts at Beijing's Grace Hotel.

'We got inspired by a visit to the organic farm and tasting the great ham from the little black pigs of Yunnan," says executive chef Christian Hoffman.

If the starting point was simple, the finish line was spectacular: Dinner for 60 in the Grace Hotel Beijing's Yi House Restaurant.

On each table was a fleet of wine glasses waiting to receive a robust pour of 1421, the winery named for the year of discovery by China's legendary 15th-century admiral, Zheng He. The chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon represented the first traceable wines made in China.

The first-course salad was a feast for the eyes, starting with a base of all organic greens from De Run Wu farm in the capital's suburbs. In succeeding layers, "the egg was organic, the clams from the clear ocean seasoned with sea salt and organic oils and vinegars," says Hoffman, "all topped with the ham from the happy black pigs from the mountains near Lijiang."

Next came carrot soup, wild-catch mackerel with Asian vegetables and ginger ponzu sauce, and the main course: organic Tasmanian beef sirloin with Jerusalem artichokes and other organic root vegetables in a Bordelaise sauce.

The finale: A dessert platter combining three tastes of organic hawthorn, or shanzha (mille feuille, mousse compote and ice cream).

"This kind of evening provides a lively and stimulating exchange of views," says Swiss Ambassador to China Blaise Godet, who cheerfully circulated among the other guests after the main course was served. "In addition it was an opportunity to taste good wine and delicious food."

Markus Klingler, first counselor for agricultural affairs at the EU delegation in Beijing, declared the evening "unforgettable." Expressing his appreciation to 1421 winery founder Johnny Chan, Klingler declared, "You have presented yourself as the true 'Guardian of the Spirit'".

"We are very aware that a new food revolution is happening," says Qu Yingpu, China Daily's deputy chief editor. "In the home, we are increasingly conscious of food safety and good health.

"As a country, we have larger concerns," Qu said after thanking the sponsors and guests in his after-dinner remarks.

"We are making efforts to control and minimize pollution, to protect our environment, and make sure there is agriculture sustainability. We also know these must be always on our collective radar if we are to keep feeding our population of more than 1 billion safely.

"This is the reason why China Daily champions the cause of organic food and sustainability and applauds the effort of those who take the responsibility of telling consumers what they are eating and drinking and where it all comes from."

You can contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 01/29/2012 page14)