An envoy in full flight

Top: Andrew Gatera shows a half-done roast duck, and above, Gatera cuts a duck into thin slices. Photos provided to China Daily

He traveled to China to learn Mandarin and is now an ambassador for the capital's most famous dish - Peking Roast Duck

As one of five foreign students who have been chosen to represent the Chinese capital's most famous dish throughout the world, Andrew Gatera is still amazed at how much he has learned about it over the past few months.

In December, Gatera, 28, from Uganda, and four other students were appointed International Ambassadors for Peking Roast Duck, titles conferred on them by the Beijing Western Food Association and Jinbaiwan Group, a Peking Roast Duck restaurant company.

The five were chosen from more than 2,000 foreign students at 10 Beijing universities. Each of the students will represent their continent of origin.

"When I was served the dish before, I had no idea about the rich culture or the complicated cooking methods behind it," Gatera says. "But now I know what a specialty the duck is, how to cook it well and which procedure is the most difficult. I'm glad I've grasped the skills and can now share them with other people."

In fact, anyone accompanying Gatera to a restaurant that serves Peking duck is likely not only to receive a thorough briefing on the history and culture of the dish and on how to prepare it, but also a demonstration of how to cut and serve it.

Wei Qing, president of the Beijing Western Food Association, says people around the world are intrigued by Peking duck but few have the opportunity to find out more.

Gatera says the contest he entered that resulted in the appointment of the ambassadors was difficult. He first underwent a brief interview, in Chinese, at his campus. Then came other tests of his Chinese language proficiency, and his knowledge of Chinese history, culture and society. Twenty finalists were then split into four groups for a three-week-long training program of making Peking duck.

Learning about the intricate process of preparing the duck so that it is exceptionally tender was exciting, Gatera says.

"We pump water under the skin to separate if from the fat. We then soak the duck in hot water for a while, and then it is hung up to dry. The duck is then glazed with maltose syrup or you can wash it with sugar water. We then leave if for a day before roasting it at 250 C for 45 minutes or so."

The process needs a lot of patience and skill, he says.

Peking duck is always served in well-cut slices. The chef cuts the meat into thin slices, each with a piece of skin and a perfect complete layer of the meat. Then the meat is served with very thin steamed pancakes, Chinese onions, cucumber, popping sugar and a special sauce, usually sweet bean sauce.

The way to eat it is to coat the thin pancake with sauce, slap on a few pieces of meat and the rest, then roll up the pancake, Gatera says.

For the past few months, he has demonstrated his skills to foreigners on TV programs in Beijing.

Li Zhifeng, the marketing director of the Jinbaiwan Group, speaks highly of Gatera.

"Andy is very polite, lively and has a charming personality. He was also very ambitious and active during the whole contest."

Li says that after winning the title and 20,000 yuan ($3,200) in grants as well as a 10,000 yuan meal card, Gatera has treated many friends in the restaurant where he works, including his 10 teachers.

Gatera says he quit high school in Uganda when he was 17 because of financial problems. As the second child of the family, he usually got the least attention from his parents, he says, and learned to be independent early on.

After dropping out of school he started working for a company distributing and selling mobile phones, SIM cards and recharge cards, and eventually opened his own distribution center and then a restaurant.

But partly as a result of poor management skills, he ran into financial problems. That is when he came up with the idea of studying in China.

"Working with the telecoms company in Uganda, I met many Chinese selling mobile phones. They could not speak English, but they were making a lot of money. So I thought I should go to China, learn the language, find some partners and return to Uganda and make money."

With money from selling his car, furniture and about $3,000 from his father, Gatera arrived in Beijing in late 2010 and enrolled in a one-year certificate course in Mandarin at the Communication University of China in Beijing.

"When I first came I was always looking around for business opportunities. But in the second semester I realized that unless I learned Chinese well, I would have wasted my time and money, with nothing to go home to."

The planned one-year stay began stretching out and when Gatera was awarded his intermediate level Mandarin certificate, a teacher advised him to enroll for a bachelor's degree.

After graduating, he applied for a scholarship and continued with postgraduate education.

"I just gradually fell in love with the Chinese and Chinese culture. The more I learn, the more I feel that what I have learned is not enough.

"Chinese has a long history and everything has a lot of culture in it, including how to eat, walk, listen, talk, work and even sleep, which are broad and profound. However, young Chinese people are now learning from the West and paying less attention to it."

With little financial support, his first months in Beijing were difficult, he says, and he supported himself by teaching English and by acting in advertisements and short movies.

Gatera is due to graduate next year and says that while he is unsure whether to go into business or to work in government, his career will be linked to China and the Chinese, one possibility being teaching.

On the likelihood of making the most of his diplomatic credentials and opening a Peking duck restaurant in Uganda, he is mindful that he has the good reputation of the delicacy to protect, so would not go ahead with such a project unless he was sure he could succeed.

chenyingqun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/25/2014 page28)