By Tarun Basu, IANS
Beijing : “The Chinese regard drunkenness with extreme distaste. Under no circumstances should one get drunk.” This is one of the many useful tips given to the large contingent of Indian mediapersons travelling with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his three-day visit to China.
With Manmohan Singh starting the official part of his visit only Monday, the mediapersons, many of whom are here for the first time, were trying to make the best use of the ‘light day’ by sampling the sights and experiences of this ancient city, rich in history and heritage while at the same time seeking to present itself as a modern and culturally vibrant metropolis.
And the Indian embassy, in its media kit, thought it prudent to tutor the visitors on the customs and habits of the host country.
Another piece of advice noted: “If food is not served on separate and individual plates, it will often be put into individual plates by the hosts. This should not be refused.”
However, having accepted it, “there is no obligation to eat all of it”, it counselled.
Many journalists may end up doing just that as the Chinese fascination to make gourmet dishes out of virtually every animal, bird and fish species – and barely excluding any part of its anatomy – is making even the most gastronomically adventurous among the visitors scan every dish with suspicion.
Remarked a woman journalist: “I am not squeamish about food, but I would certainly stop at consuming animal parts that one would probably get to hear about only in biology or medical classes.”
But for the Chinese, sampling each other’s cuisine is only a part of the larger process of building up a stronger “people to people relationship” – and doubters of any kind may have little place in that scheme of things.