The diplomatic dishes China picked to keep Donald Trump happy at a state banquet
Safety-first menu for big set piece dinner shows Beijing was taking no risks when hosting a man who is not known for his adventurous palate
As a man noted for his simple tastes and who does not seem receptive to new and exotic foods, Donald Trump presents a challenge for banquet organisers where the US president is the guest of honour.
For those chefs and officials in Beijing who were anxious to showcase their country’s extensive culinary heritage this week without putting their visitor’s nose out of joint there was an obvious message: keep it simple and keep it familiar.
While they showed a bit more imagination than the Japanese officials who decided it was easiest to welcome Trump by serving him a burger, this week’s state banquet featured plenty of dishes that the US president may have encountered before.
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The dishes on the menu included coconut-flavoured chicken soup, seafood chowder, Kung Pao chicken, stewed beef steak in tomato sauce, braised vegetables in premium broth and grouper fillets in hot chilli oil.
Local delicacies that disturb Western culinary sensibilities, such as thousand-year-old eggs and bird’s nests, or like shark’s fin soup raise ethical concerns, were definitely off the menu.
Lei Jun, the founder of tech firm Xiaomi, who was one of the guests at the banquet, disclosed the menu on his Weibo feed. The menu was later confirmed by an official from the Chinese foreign ministry.
The six courses presented to Trump offered a wider choice than the four served to his predecessor Barack Obama at a state dinner in 2009.