Chapter 834: Dark Cuisine Country
India, Kolkata.
Just when Chen Ming was happy to have another daughter, a diplomatic team from Nanjing also appeared in Kolkata, the military and political heart of Britain in the East.
That night, the bigwigs of the British East India Company, that is, the British governor in India, the company directors, and senior business representatives, held a grand banquet in the Governor's Mansion in Kolkata to welcome the Chinese delegation.
It was indeed a welcome.
With the outbreak of the French Revolution, the British boycott of China's entry into India immediately weakened by more than one level.
The reason is obvious.
After France was in such a mess, the national power was greatly reduced, and Spain had no support. John Bull had too many benefits to be gained in the land outside India.
Of course, this does not mean that they are willing to watch China's power erode India. But they can't stop China's erosion at all.
The interests elsewhere require the British to spend energy and strength, so their strength in India will naturally be weakened. At the same time, the attitudes of the Mattala and Mysore people towards the British were extremely unfriendly. In this situation, they really have no power to resist China.
Although the British regarded India as their own territory after the victory of the Seven Years' War, it was useless. When Chen Han intervened with great force to get a hand, John Bull could only bear it.
Moreover, the British have continuously paid large sums of money to Russia for the Russian national debt issue, and China has protested to London about this.
After all, China and Britain are the largest trading partners, and John Bull must "show some respect".
As the core of governance, the Governor's Mansion in Kolkata has the best local building conditions and living facilities. Compared with the Indian indigenous residential area in this city, the British area near the Governor's Mansion, even though it is full of European-style buildings, is more pleasing to the eyes of the Chinese delegation.
Tonight's banquet is a buffet, which is a new and informal dining model brought by the Chinese after entering European society. Of course, Chen Ming came up with the idea.
Although this thing can be far-fetched in later generations and can be linked to the Nordic pirates, even Europeans don't think so now.
This is a new banquet mode, and it is very free. Compared with the palace dinner, it is more suitable for the business class.
Holding a glass of wine, chatting and communicating with each other, maybe the business has been negotiated in this process.
This mode of banquet was passed back to China from Europe, and now it has spread to major coastal port cities in China. Even in Nagasaki, Osaka, Hanzhou, Singapore, Pontianak in Southeast Asia and many port cities in India, where merchants from the East and the West gather, there are banquets of this mode, and even special buffet restaurants.
Of course, the buffet dinner of the Governor's Mansion in Calcutta is better than that of the hotels outside in terms of utensils, servants, furnishings and displays. As for the taste, it depends on one's own opinion - pure English flavor.
The masterpiece of the dark cuisine country, John Bull did not serve the star-gazing pie, also known as the "die with eyes open" pie, to the Chinese delegation at the meeting. It was a great care for the Chinese by John Bull.
The taste of Western food these days is really different from that of Chinese food. Although these diplomats from China have started to receive intensive training on Western food etiquette when they first received this assignment, and have also tasted a lot of Western food, those are all Western food made by Chinese chefs, which are completely different from what the chefs here make.
It is really difficult for these foreign ministry personnel who have no shortage of money to spend on weekdays to "taste" the dark cuisine of Great England with a smile on their faces. I don't know how many people can no longer show the stereotyped standard smile after tasting the "delicious food" served by others. Many people can't control their facial expressions, but what's worse is that they can't quietly pour out everything on the plate when no one is paying attention.
Is this a banquet?
This is a disaster. For many people, it is an absolute disaster.
A few people who were less sophisticated kept spitting "Puh, Puh, Puh" at their mouths after returning to their residence, as if they could really spit out something. In fact, they could only breathe out some fishy smells, and then angrily complained to their most familiar friends and colleagues:
"What the hell is that! Even the fried meat is bloody. Do you think this is food for humans?"
"Do the emperors, princes and ministers of Europe eat this? In addition, even mushrooms and tomatoes are roasted? Why don't they put their mouths on the fire to roast them?"
"And the soup. There are all kinds of strange things, which is eye-opening. Vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood, butter, cheese, cream, everything can be thrown in. It smells weird. Is that food for humans?"
To be honest, this Western meal hit the entire Chinese delegation hard. I don't know how many people shouted in their hearts before they finished the meal: Fortunately, fortunately. Fortunately, there is a cook. Otherwise, they would all starve to death.
The summary of those "seniors" who have been to Europe is really good advice.
"Foreigners' appetite is like this. They only cook steaks to 70% doneness at most. If they cook any more, they think the meat is overcooked. Many people eat it medium-rare. When you cut it with a knife, except for the two layers of cooked skin, the inside is all raw.
Roasted mushrooms and tomatoes are very common in Europe.
It is also normal to put butter, cheese, and cream in soup. Europeans like to eat it that way."
There were a few old people in the team who had traveled to Europe. They smiled and said to the younger generations who kept complaining: "Try to adapt. When you arrive in Europe, you can't eat every meal at home. If you really can't get used to it, just spread jam and butter on bread, and you can barely eat it."
This Chinese delegation has many tasks, such as contacting the British in India to discuss the future interests of India; at the same time, they will also contact the French in India.
Then they will have a meeting with the Ottoman Empire in the Red Sea, and the two sides will fully exchange views on the war against Russia and the future world situation. At the same time, the Chinese delegation is also responsible for observing the Ottoman Empire from a close distance.
After arriving in Europe, they also need to contact the five countries of Britain, France, Sweden, Russia and Austria, and at the same time express serious protests against the inappropriate remarks made by the Kingdom of Prussia.
After this delegation goes around the Eurasian continent, the Sixth Russo-Turkish War will be over. Chen Ming can then sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, see how the situation in Europe develops, and decide when to intervene. Or really spread the Minié rifle technology...