New spin on an old idea

Our President doesn’t drink alcohol, and in fact he rarely eats. This can be somewhat surprising – in fact, baffling – to our Chinese hosts, for whom a banquet accompanied by multiple toasts is the only way to seal an agreement. They can accept that he doesn’t drink, and are pleased enough to provide a glass of orange juice so he can make the toast. But it is hard for them to understand a person who rarely eats during the day, and who has learned – after 10 trips to China – to be quite precise about his diet.

However, someone has to eat the sea cucumber soup, that pale green broth with the whole spiky animal resting gently in the centre. Someone has to accept a token glass of Mantai, the white spirit found across China, or join the host in a glass of wine. Someone has to sample the edible fungus, if only to prove that the correct species was harvested, or try to grasp with chopsticks the slippery brown stems of tube worms. After all, the honour and reputation of UPEI – nay, Canada! – is at stake!

We have therefore evolved what President Alaa calls his “designated diner” concept, where one of us takes on the responsibility to taste and admire every dish at a meal. Sometimes we even know what we’re eating. When it gets around to the toasts the title morphs into that of “designated drinker”. That said, none of us are convinced that a small glass of wine or beer is an appropriate reward for a plate of pickled squid tentacles or slices of steamed bamboo root.
When we explain the concept to our hosts they look at each other and shake their heads, but then they get in to the swing of things quite quickly. The DD is fed the choicest morsels, and gets descriptions of all the strange things. It really is quite an educational experience!