If Heaven Had Emotions, It’d Love BBQ

Cheng Lei

Apart from vividly depicting the tastes he has experienced， the author smoothly presents how to eat and cook. While seeking gourmet dishes， he seamlessly interweaves his observations and feelings about food， people， culture， hometown， kinship， and life into his narrative， making eating about more than just “eating.”

The last time a few university friends and I gathered for skewers was over a decade ago. The late-night reunion was perfect in every way. Four middle-aged men chatted while eating， laughing， gossiping， and enjoying freely. The only regret was that we were trying to hold onto the tail end of summer in the outdoors at 19℃ with a gentle cool breeze.

The rustic， even somewhat “dirty，” BBQ shop in Jinsong Alley， Wansongyuan， Hankou， is highly recommended by food enthusiasts， especially for its grilled kidney slices and tendons. If the taste is good， one can tolerate a less-than-ideal environment. Whats the perfect setting for skewers？ Summer， nighttime， outdoors， low tables and stools， cold beer， bare-chested， the right company， and the right taste... Which wanderer of the streets doesnt salivate at the thought of summer skewers？ Which domineering CEO doesnt secretly yearn for a skewer session？ If you havent had five， six， seven， or eight BBQ sessions in a year， you can hardly claim to have experienced summer.

We talk while savoring juicy sliced pork kidneys， followed by chewy tendon skewers and a drink. No need for chopsticks， no gloves， just using two fingers to grab and eat; if it cools down， we shout， “Heat it again.” Thats the true spirited life of a street wanderer. Skewering is not just about the meat but， more importantly， the atmosphere. Its an overwhelming feeling that you can tackle any challenge head-on. Amidst the alternating passions of heat and cold， you find your rhythm and feel youre at your best. And besides， its so delicious.

BBQ is likely a mystical reminiscence of ancient living. Our ancestors， risking their lives at any moment， would hunt down a creature or two， roast it over a fire， and feast on large chunks of meat. As the first and foremost cooked food in human history， this cooking method with evident traces of primitive dietary culture has been deeply ingrained in our souls. Even in modern society， claims of it being “carcinogenic” and “high-fat， high-calorie” cant dampen our passion for it. In the face of barbecue， Ni Kuang once declared with unabashed pride， “All our knowledge comes from our elders and ancestors. Knowing our eventual fate， why not drink freely and not worry about cholesterol， nitrosamines， or the harms of strong liquor and lard？”

Last year in Chengdu， at around 1am， I went downstairs looking for food. At that time in Chengdu， asides from hair salons with ambiguous lights and no barbers， there were only barbecue stalls. I sat at a barbecue stall， and at the big round table next door， six middle-aged men， after several rounds of drinks， were loudly discussing something. They seemed to be college classmates reuniting after years. “Big brother， request a song，” said a young lady with a guitar as she approached their table. They sang， “How many have adored your youthful face， but who would willingly face the relentless passage of time...” clapping， singing along， cheering， crying， even taking the microphone to sing themselves， paying， and then the show was over. A few minutes later， another performer with a two-stringed instrument arrived， and the same scene played out once again. Those same teary-eyed men continued to shed tears during the song “Real-Life Heroes” and didnt forget to take a bite from their meat skewers. Watching the entire process， I felt like I was witnessing a replay of some life experience --  the entire setting felt all too familiar.

Barbecue stalls are like stages， with heartfelt and genuine performances playing out， consistent across the country. After several bottles of beer， wearing their hearts on their sleeves， theyd speak about unsupportive wives， unrecognized talent， incompetent bosses， their unmatched abilities， the fortune of knowing such great friends， and tales of past bravado.

The cultural differences between the North and South are evident at this stage. Before “skewering” became popular， people referred to this charcoal-heated food method simply as “eating barbecue.” The central and southwestern regions seldom use the term “skewering.” Its almost exclusive to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. In the Northeast， however， they say， “Grab some skewers.” Its straightforward and powerful yet casually uttered， making it irresistibly inviting. In the Northeast， barbecue holds a paramount status. As Zhao Si from Rural Love Story once said， “Theres no problem in the world that cant be solved with a barbecue. If there is， then two should do the trick.” It signifies an unspoken bond， a mutual understanding.

“Grab some skewers” often appears in scenarios like long-separated buddies meeting again or after striking up a good conversation with someone new. At the end of their chat， theyd pretend to check the time， feign surprise， and exclaim， “Oh， its so late！ Lets grab some skewers！”

Every late-night skewer session is accompanied by tears and laughter. Whether its about relationship issues， breakups， marital disputes， or personal frustrations， people often call a few friends to share a meal. Amidst strong emotional struggles， theyd mask their feelings with the primitive urges of eating and drinking， as if all sorrows and frustrations could be dissolved in the clinks of glasses and the aroma of spicy barbecue.

At a seafood barbecue in the Northeast， youll find a table like this： a few shirtless men， tattooed with shrimp designs， each with a case of Snow Beer， boisterously chatting， emanating a fearless vibe， making every molecule in the air carry the scent of thick meat skewers and an implicit “What are you looking at？”

For the Chinese， nightlife is almost synonymous with barbecue life， with the aroma of hormones hovering above every stall and plastic stools and beer bottles representing the epitome of youth. Thats the essence of skewering --

beyond tendon， kidneys， edamame， and roasted garlic， it also involves the romantic fantasies of thrilling adventures and fierce rivalries， drinks， and broken stools in a tavern setting.

Food and Distant Lands

Cheng Lei

CITIC Press Group

October 2019

58.00 （CNY）

Cheng Lei

Cheng Lei is a gourmet and entertainment expert. He once served as the chief writer for the annual tea special of Sanlian Life Weekly， founder of the content e-commerce platform Panda Loves Tea Research Institute under the weekly， and the initiator of the first Chinese Tea Life Annual Conference in 2017.