It's bon appetit, as San Francisco's finest tuck into Chengdu's food

The city hall of San Francisco, California, was swirling with delectable Chinese aromas on the evening of Nov 1 at the launch of the 2017 Chengdu-San Francisco Food Festival, which drew more than 400 officials and business leaders.

The festival lasted two weeks, showcasing the Chengdu's innovative, elegant, inclusive and friendly culture. Delegates from Chengdu also discussed with their counterparts on cooperation opportunities in fields such as trade, culture and tourism.

Chefs from Chengdu, Sichuan province, prepared succulent varieties of the local cuisine to treat the guests.

In addition to an exhibition of Chengdu food, the opening ceremony had shows with local characteristics, including dances, a tea ceremony and kung fu.

The most stunning proved to be the artistry of the Chuanju Opera. The artists showed how they could quickly and dramatically transform their faces as they performed among guests, who responded by taking photos and gasping in surprise.

The event also included an award ceremony for a panda statue decoration contest, which involved 300 young students from five schools in the San Francisco Unified School District.

"The people of San Francisco and Chengdu share many cultural similarities, including a deep appreciation for great food," said Edwin M. Lee, mayor of San Francisco, at the opening ceremony of the food festival.

"We are excited to continue to expand our success from last year in promoting Sichuan cuisine. Food is a universal language that helps bring people from different places together," Lee said.

During the two-week food festival, government officials and companies from Chengdu and San Francisco held cultural, trade and tourism exchanges to seek new business opportunities.

The festival invited renowned Chinese-American chef and TV host Martin Yan to promote Chengdu food in the University of California, Berkeley and in Silicon Valley, the epicenter for US technology which lies in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area.

At the fair, which ran until Nov 18, people were able to experience Chengdu culture and learn how to cook Sichuan cuisine.

Yan said although his hometown was not Chengdu, he remained very passionate about Sichuan cuisine.

"Chengdu is a city you don't want to leave, and Sichuan cuisine has become a flag bearer for Chinese food," he said.

He said he is impressed by the popularity of Chengdu food overseas.

"Young people particularly love Chengdu food, and 80 percent of diners in San Francisco's restaurants are young people," he said.

Yan said that has an impact on the Sichuan cuisine enjoying the fastest growth in popularity among all Chinese food schools in overseas markets.

"My two grandsons are fond of Chengdu food, too," the celebrity chef added.

In Silicon Valley, Chengdu food promotion campaigns were held in many technology companies, including Microsoft, Cisco and Nvidia.

A promotion center for Sichuan cuisine was set up in semiconductor company Nvidia - whose CEO is billionaire Chinese-American Jensen Huang - the first Chinese food center in a Silicon Valley company.

An official from the Chengdu commission of commerce said they promoted not just Sichuan cuisine, but also the culture of innovation, elegance, fashion, optimism and friendliness in Silicon Valley.

At the promotion campaign at UC Berkeley on Nov 2, Yan and Chengdu local chefs demonstrated how to cook classic Sichuan cuisine. Some of the dishes will be included in the menu of the university's canteen after the promotion event.

Organizers said besides food and culture, Chengdu can also offer exchanges in the field of education with UC Berkeley, and Chengdu welcomed UC Berkeley students to visit for exchange programs.

A highlight of the festival was the unveiling of a promotion center for Pixian soybean paste and Sichuan cuisine ingredients at a popular Chinese restaurant in the city of Dublin, an hour's drive away from San Francisco.

Dublin's mayor David Haubert said he had stayed in China for more than 100 days over the past two years and visited many Chinese cities, but Chengdu was his favorite.

"I love Chengdu food, and I love the friendly Chengdu people," Haubert said.

zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/17/2017 page15)