Wise Quacks?

Some see Peking duck on a pizza as a triumph of culinary fusion. Others see mere confusion. Mike Peters ruffles a few feathers to sort it out.

You see it everywhere in this country: Western food "with Chinese characteristics", or with simple tinkering - a bit less sugar, say - to appeal more to Chinese palates.

The idea of putting Peking duck on an Italian pizza crust, however, seems to be edgier fusion than most. A visiting European food critic burst out laughing when I mentioned it, while an Italian assistant chef in a Peking Duck restaurant simply muttered "sacrilege".