China Day at the School of Etiquette

The gastronomic culture of China is often perceived by Europeans as mysterious, complex, and unusual. The etiquette school for children was organized by my agency in collaboration with one of the most respected, experienced, and prestigious restaurants in the city, “Red Lobster “.

My task was to organize the educational process for children, prepare a script for the event, and select options for Chinese dishes for review. The restaurant’s job was to prepare these dishes. What was important? The excellent taste of the dishes, impeccable presentation, and service. And the main violin in our orchestra was the guest consul of the People’s Republic of China, Yu Zhoulin.

In order for the lesson to go flawlessly, on the eve of our gastronomic lesson, the director of the restaurant, Alexander Rudenko, and I met with the consul and discussed the details of the upcoming event. We approved every dish. We also we looked at the script of the event, what and how Madam Consul will be able to tell about the culture of China, its traditions, and cuisine.

Mrs. Yu Zhoulin prepared souvenirs from the China for the Ukrainian students of the School of Etiquette. A few months ago, the Odesa region and the Chinese province of Jiangxi signed an agreement on comprehensive cooperation, did you know?

In this lesson, we will talk about the history and traditions of the Celestial Empire, introduce the children to our guest of honor, invite the children to a delicious lunch from the chef in Chinese traditions, try to eat with Chinese chopsticks, present a Peking duck, and, of course, conduct a photoshoot in red.

Main topics of the lesson “School of Etiquette. Lesson 4. Chinese cuisine” will be like this:

Chinese cultural traditions
Features of lunch in China
Rules and taboos
Meeting the invited guest
Trying to eat with chopsticks
Presentation of the dish “Peking Duck”
Presentation of the “WOK” frying pan and cooking method
WOK as part of culture
Rice
Chinese “dumplings” (wontons, baozi, jiaozi)
Soups in Chinese tradition
Noodles in Chinese culture
Tea and tea ceremony
Modern gastronomic trends in China

Attention, PREMIERE of Chinese dishes at the Red Lobster restaurant!

The Chinese lesson menu will be as follows:

Chinese “War Soup” (with Chinese dumplings, shrimp, and vegetables)
Guinea fowl breast cooked in WOK, with the finest noodles, in sweet and sour Asian sauce
Legendary Peking duck with Mandarin pancakes and secret sauce
Banana dessert in golden brown, crispy breading
Recommended dress code for class: Dress in red (the color of the Chinese flag). We are waiting for you at our event!

Nataliya Nagorna
Author of the course “School of Etiquette for Children,” director of the restaurant marketing agency “Nagorna agency”

*The full photo story can be seen at the link below.
Photo: Serhii Boiko