By Wendy Chan
Traditional eastern medicine has always played a role in the everyday living and eating habits of many Asian peoples. According to recorded history, Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China, ordered imperial expeditions and explorations around 200 B.C. to search for and study herbs and plants. Their mission was to find the elixir that would give him longevity or immortality.
Although he did not succeed in fulfilling that goal, this materia medica, the body of pharmacological knowledge, formed the basis of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) which was perfected and handed down from dynasty to dynasty, through the millenia with modifications along the way. Even today, Asians believe herbs and medicines are not just for treatment, but ingredients for everyday consumption. Cardamom, Chinese yam, cinnamon, pepper, mushrooms, gojiberries, ginger, lotus seeds, ginseng, bird’s nest, black sesame, azuka beans – are all part of the arsenal used to boost immunity or fight diseases but served frequently in meals and not as medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine rests on the fundamental principle that a person falls ill when the internal balance between the yin and the yang is upset or the qi is not flowing optimally. The emphasis, therefore, is on prevention and health maintenance through tweaking the balance and obeying the natural law of energy flow.
It is not surprising, therefore, some forward-thinking chefs are returning to such fundamentals, looking at creating delicious foods, soups and desserts that incorporate health-giving ingredients, delivering not taste sensation but health fortification.
Over in Asia, there are specialty “Herbal” restaurants that have a menu devoted to showcasing such creative gastronomy. Chefs infuse pharmaceuticals and herbs into tasty cuisines without a hint of medicinal taste. In some instances, a residing herbalist offers pre-dinner health examination through checking pulse and assessing your physical appearance to suggest a menu that will restore the internal balance.
Not long ago, I produced an event in Southern California on behalf of the world’s leading TCM company, Eu Yan Sang, collaborating with both the hotel’s Western and Chinese kitchen executive chefs for a special multi-course wine-paired tasting dinner to showcase bird’s nest and some other fine herbs. Precious bird’s nest has a reputation as excellent for enhancing the skin, and because of its high price (most expensive edible ingredient @ some US$2000+ per pound) and promise of beauty, its standing exceeds that of diamonds among women in the East.
I applaud the idea of reaching into the kitchen pantry for health and beauty. As one farmer at the green market poignantly asks, “Would you like to pay me now, or pay your doctor later?”
