My new friend invited me to dine with her on Wedesday and I quickly accepted. She explained we couldn’t go to her house because it was full of dietary supplements so we were going to go to her former student’s house at Nanjing University. We met at Gulou metro station and even though I offered to get a taxi or take a bus she insisted on walking all the way, she dragging her wheelie bag and me worried that she would get squashed by an e.bike or runover as she crossed major interesections at snail speed.
Her friend lives in two very modests rooms on the ground floor of an old building. She is apparently famous for her cooking and often cooks for the three student nurses who share the next room. She produced some great food including a whole fish which she had cut into three pieces.
Of course, as guest of homour I had the centre piece while she had the tail and my new (ancient) friend was served the head. Not being a big fish fan but knowing that I should eat at least a bit, I picked a small section from it and put it in my bowl leaving the remainder for my dining companions.
But the old lady was happy with the head – she sucked every bone clean
before discarding them.
Then she picked out the eyes with her chopsticks
(a special treat) and then, set about eating every last morsel of flesh
on the fish head. Even though the host protested that she didn’t need
to eat the gills and brain, there was no stopping her.
The brain duly
sucked out and skin eaten, the old lady sucked the skull clean and
placed it on the pile of beautifully clean fish bones she had
accumulated on her plate.I must admit to looking away as the brain came out and eyes extracted and the gills being consumed.
What a greatexample for a Chinese nation which today wastes so much food – just look
in any cafe or restaurant in Nanjing and you’ll see plates of wasted
food. We need a reminder from an 87 year old woman who has lived through
times of food shortages, that every piece of food is valuable.
To waste food is a crime.