One of the most memorable dishes in my life is Peking Duck. I have many memories of this dish. For me, this dish reminds me of what is most important to my life. I have to explain the beginning of my impression of this dish. I lived with my mother and her relatives due to divorce. My mother's family is mostly Chinese, including my grandfather and grandmother. Every time we have a family meal together, we have to find a restaurant that pleases them. We often select a Chinese restaurant. My grandmother frequently orders Peking duck because she wants us to have a delicious meal together. This dish is really expensive. The memory of this dish is made all the more poignant due to the fact that both my grandparents passed away 3 years ago.
On top of this, another memory that I have is the time that I ate this dish after I had ordained briefly as a novice. Everyone in my family came for a celebration at the Chinese restaurant. Who else but my grandparents organized the meal. They ordered tons of Peking Duck as a reward for becoming a novice for a 10 year-old kid, which this meal made my day and I appreciated their kindness.
From my perspective, the Peking duck represents the symbol of a true relationship because this dish comes in a huge quantity and is not suitable for eating alone. Plus, every time I've eaten this dish, my family was always by my side. This dish, then, is a constant reminder of the love and care of my family.
This dish is also culturally and historically significant. The Peking Duck dish dates back to the Ming Dynasty, about 600 years ago. Cooks from all over China traveled to the capital of Beijing to cook for the Emperor. It was a prestigious occupation as only the best chefs could enter the palace kitchens. A top cook was even able to reach the rank of a minister!
Moreover, it was in these kitchens where dishes of exceptional quality such as the Peking Duck was first created and crafted to perfection by palace chefs. However, many of the recipes for such “foods of the Emperor” were later smuggled out of the kitchen and onto the streets of Beijing. With the eventual fall of the Ching dynasty in 1911, court chefs who left the Forbidden City set up restaurants around Beijing and brought the Peking Duck and other delicious dishes to the masses. This dish is a dish rich in Chinese and my own family history, making it a rich dish in many different ways and one which I always look forward to enjoying when I get the chance.
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