By Xuefei Chen Axelsson
STOCKHOLM, Feb. 20(Greenpost) – Mandarin Paradis Restaurant sits nearby with a walk of less than 20 minutes. Due to my summer job as an interpretor, I sometimes went to Mandarin Paradis with my customers. It tastes good! Thus, I like to have a visit now.
On a recent sunny day, I came over to Mandarin Paradis Restaurant. With the yellow words on red board, it was easy to recognize that it is a Chinese Restaurant.
As we entered the room, one can easily see the clean marble table with the reflection of flowers and apartments from outside.
Heng Yun Mei Shi or Mandarin Paradis Chinese Cuisine made of golden coating is written on the wall with a small happiness tie hanging in the middle.
However, on the other side of the wall, there are western sculptures and art works coexisting.
It is like on this table, a Chinese and a Swedish sit by the same table happily.
Mandarin Paradis is easy to recognize in this Swedish densely populated area. According to my understanding, Swedish city planning didn’t allow any restaurant to show more than the other but will all the businesses or restaurants compete fairly and have a harmonious city environment. However, something red and yellow is easily seen as a Chinese flavour.
Zhou Minwei has lived in Sweden for 17 years and during this period of time he has opened three restaurants with one being managed by his wife and the other now by his sister. How can you keep your customers? In other words, what is your secret to make the best restaurant?
“Our goal is not to make the best restaurant, but we shall make our best to manage our restaurant. We don’t make advertisement, but put the money into providing the best food we can.
When the customer is satisfied, he will tell his friend and they will come here again. ”
He said most customers are Swedish. Chinese customers only come in summer for a short period.
“Most time, we have Swedish customers, otherwise, we can’t go on. But the Swedish cannot eat Chinese food all the time. It is the same as our Chinese cannot eat western food all the time. Therefore, we provide both western food and Chinese food. We have professional western cook. With both Chinese and Swedish food, we can meet the demand from our customers.”
But in the evening, there will be typical Chinese food. People can order any dish they like, while for lunch it is buffet.
This is a good starter with black svamp and green saker. Black svamp is a good dish that cleans the intestent and stomach.
Zhou Weimin was born in Qingtian, Zhejiang Province, East China. He grew up in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province. After he graduated from college, he learnt to be a cook while working at normal time. He can cook Hangzhou cuisine which is famous in China.
Dongpo Pork he cooked is an excellent dish. He often cuts it in an inch cubic form with meagre meat a little more than fatty meat. He imports these kind of pork from Germany. Swedish pork is a little bit fattier. He often stews the pork for four hours with small fire so that the fat is almost all coming out. Thus the pork he made is very delicious to taste and not of much fat.
This is fried green beans which is neither too salty nor lack of salt, just lagom.
This is fried prawn which is very crispy and can be eaten with the shells. One can gain calcium from it.
This is fish cooked with sour cabbage. This tastes a little different from the one cooked in northern China, it is Hangzhou taste, Sweet sour, lagom salt, lagom taste!
Biff stewed with all kinds of ingredients was cooled and then cut into pieces. Dim it with soy sauce, taste good but not fat.
These dishes look very much like typical home made dishes. When man taste them, they are typical Hangzhou cuisine. Without purposely appealing to Swedish taste, Zhou Minwei provides typical Chinese dishes. Swedish doesn’t need to fly to China to taste typical Chinese food, they can taste it here.
“I think the best is to be honest and down to earth. In fact, Swedish people are also very diligent and sometimes, I feel my neighbour works even harder and longer time than me. We provide good Chinese dishes to them so that they can taste them themselves, gradually, they will be interested in Chinese cuisine and culture. This is also a sense of relief for ourselves. No matter where we go, we keep our Chinese traditional cuisine and culture. Good traditions from our ancestor should not be forgotten. Otherwise, no matter how much money you earn, it will not be considered successful!” said Zhou Minwei.
Of Course, we should adapt to Swedish culture and society too, Zhou said proudly. “I have a capable and kind hearted wife and a daughter and a son. I have always encouraged my children to study Swedish culture and melt in Swedish society. Meanwhile, they should not forget their homeland and have a Chinese heart. ”
Born in the 1960 talet, Zhou felt he belonged to the lucky generation seeing opening up of China and the great changes taking place in China. China’s living standards are improving day by day. On the other hand, he said we also belong to the generation which is a little bit proud and satisfied with their life may be because our childhood was too poor but we had a lot of free playing time and space, thus, we feel happy as long as we made some progress. We are not too ambitious, we are used to simple life, we like to be with the nature and are willing to keep good Chinese tradition.
友人们都殷切地劝我多呆两天吧，可是，不要说去闻名于世的世界级公园张家界，去看那一座座鬼斧神工的山峰高耸入云，像一条条闻笛起舞的眼镜蛇，敞露着胸肌向人示欢，或到潺潺流水的金鞭溪漫步，在林中享受那份宁静；不要说去闻名于世的芷江受降纪念馆，回想一下曾经穷凶极恶侵略我国国土犯下滔天罪行的日本鬼子如何低头向国民党递交投降书的；其实就是去去不远的凤凰城，去看看依山而流的江水，去瞧瞧依山而建的古城，去品品山城里的美味佳肴，那也是极有乐趣的事！
可惜真得沒空，因悉令须赶返穗承接另一重要公干，唯遗憾地只好赶紧登上今天下午五点开往广州的火车，告别了友人，告别了怀化！飞快的列车穿行在丛山峻岭中，落日，江水，农舍，稻田，山峦，把我带进了无尽的遐想……怀化是火车拖来的城市，大约在四十年前搞三线建设，大批铁路能人斗士聚集在这里，硬是在丛山峻岭中开出了一条铁路 。我当记者的第一天，领导就派我来这里采访。那时的怀化县城很小很小，沒有几栋像样的房子，只有怀化火车站门前的马路上有怀化铁路分局，还有铁路的什么这段那段，黑呼呼的马路，黑呼呼的房子……，如今，怀化火车站门前现在盖起了一栋栋高楼大厦，有我下榻的枫丹白鹭大酒店还有丽都大酒店，当然，湖南有名的华天集团也不示弱，在这里竖起了一座五星级的宾馆。据友人说，怀化火车站现在只能算怀化的郊区，怀化城里的变化更大，可惜我无遐去流览。突然，我眼前出现了江景，桥梁，山城，极美丽的画面，我情不自禁地拿起手机拍照，旁边的一位旅客说，大江口。果真熟悉的大江口火车站一掠而过，还是那短短的一节站台，还是那几间站房点缀在千里铁路线上，像是一朵山花，像是一颗山石，默默无闻，但却承载着千里铁路线上的安全！
望着眼前的峰峦起伏，山山水水，让我犹新记忆了许许多多……这里曾经诞生了著名的文学家沈从文，他的“边城”至今还在中国的文学史上享有很高的声誉；这里还孕育出了著名画家黄永玉，他的画作在中国的美术界占有一定的地位；这里还走出了著名的歌唱家宋祖英，她的歌声赢得了人们的喜爱；当然，还有我的战友游建鸣，他是中国资深的制片人和导演，提起他的名字，很多人不一定知道，但是提起他拍的电影，大家就知道了。什么金粉世家，什么小李飞刀，什么敌营十八年等等等等等，在中国的影视界还是挺有声誉！随着电视剧而出名的刘亦菲、陈坤、杜淳也慢慢的进入人们的视野！夜已经深沉，列车还在奔跑，赏识如过电影一幕一幕地掠过我的脑际，睏了，睏了，此刻无穷的睡意袭来，可那山城依然镶嵌在我的心坎上，梦呓中喃喃地道着流连忘返的情景.........。
［注明］
作者从上世纪七十年代中在中国人民解放军第55军164师491团部从事新闻通讯多年，杰出军旅散文作作家，之后曾任相当长时间的《中国铁道报》记者，并任职于广州铁路总局宣传部任职。不久前往北京参加京津高铁张家口段的建设汇战，为2022年北京冬季奥运会基建提速。散文《火车拖出来的山城印记》，为作者考察湘西亢奋而写就。
The paper says that the Nordic countries share common concern and interests, and maintain basic policy frameworks. Towards China, however, the Nordics diverge on geopolitical stakes, mutual competition, economic structures and multilateral affiliations.
