The 2014 Tang Prize Laureates will take the stage and receive their medal and diploma this September 18. Coming from far-away lands—Japan, Norway, USA, and South Africa, the Laureates, various guests, and a number of native Taiwanese will be participating in the full week of events known as Tang Prize Week, which will begin on September 15 and run through September 21. One such event, the Tang Prize Banquet, was the subject of a press conference held by the Tang Prize Foundation this Monday, August 25.
Innovative, culturally significant, an artistic mix of East and West, these are a few of the descriptors that have been used to announce this grand event to the public. At the head of artistic and culinary design are renowned cellist and culinary specialist Chang Chen-Chieh and National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism Professor Patrick Su (Su Guo-yao). They bring their experience and expertise to the dinner table in this significant meal, itself a combination of elements from the Tang Prize categories, the cosmopolitan yet classical culture of the Great Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), and the ingredients specific to Taiwan and its food. Each dish gives the diner an interpretation of Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law through the vocabulary of raw ingredients, the grammar of the cooks, and the style and imagination of the two culinary specialists.
The Tang Prize Foundation held its press conference this afternoon (August 25) at the Grand Hotel, which will be the formal venue for the September 18 Banquet. Press were given a chance to see the dishes and designs, and to understand the meaning behind both. Some of the dishes presented include: Select Taiwanese Appetizers (Bamboo Shoot with Mango and Soy Sauces, Soy-Braised Sword-belt Mushrooms, Lamb in Aspic…), Thickened Seafood Soup, Tai Chi Chicken, Taro-Crusted Duck; and then, of course, desert—Desert Aspic in Two Flavors (Goji-Osmanthus and Sweet Lotus Seed), followed by a refreshing plate of Taiwan-grown fruits.
Tang Prize Foundation CEO Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern said that the Award Ceremony is not the only event that people are anticipating; there is a lot to see and learn in this Banquet as well, which will weave culture, song, Tang poetry, and home-grown Taiwanese produce into a much larger story. He expressed that the event will also be an important part of the history of the prize. The Grand Hotel, the host for the event, also expressed the importance of the dinner, its chairman Li Jian-rong having described their collaboration as a “mission.” With years of experience in banquet planning and a long cultural heritage, the Grand Hotel was a natural choice of venue for such a grand event.
Chang and Su believe that the significance of the Tang Prize Banquet is in its cultural elements; their reasoning is that if they could incorporate culture in the food through Tang Dynasty poetry, classics, and a colorful sampling of its cultural elements, then it would not only be a great chance for innovation, but it would also be an impetus for change in the culinary world. Chang and Su said that they both read and re-read the classic primer 300 Tang Poems in a search to fit the proper poem with its proper dish. Their cram session resulted in poems from Ju Bai-yi, Li Bai, and Du Mu, and dishes with such names as “Moon Reflecting” Seafood Bisk and “Guifei’s” Taro-Crusted Duck. In charge of the kitchen for the event is the Grand Hotel’s Ye Bo-hua, himself an experienced hand at banquet preparation.
The Tang Prize Banquet pulled from Taiwan’s pool of musical talent to accompany its creative dishes. Winner of the 25th Golden Melody Award in Best Traditional Interpretation Music, the Taiwu Elementary Folk Singers have been invited to perform their lively aboriginal songs. Diners will also be regaled with readings of Tang Poetry and chamber music, making the event not just about food and wine, but one more complete in cultural significance.
