The Chinese chef in Turkey

重慶 劉益秋

Shen Hu,a Chinese chef,arrived in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul from China in 2005 to introduce his delicious meals and his country's food culture to the Turkish people.For the past 17 years,he has been working in a Chinese restaurant in the city owned by a Turk?ish entrepreneur Ismet Arslan.

“All the seasonings used in my kitchen, Chinese teas served with Chinese tea art, a wide range of Huo Guo(hot pot)stuff,and all kinds of spices are brought di?rectly from China by air,”Shen Hu said.

The chef cooks regional dishes of his hometown Shenyang, the capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, and presents other famous Chinese specialties.According to Hu,his meals are suitable for the taste of Turkish people,and the interest among them in Chinese cuisine is rapidly growing.

Ismet Arslan decided to open his establishment in Sultanahmet after he realized that the need for a Chinese restaurant in this neighborhood was huge.“We are trying to keep the Far East food culture alive here and our restaurant represents this culture very well thanks to the contribution of our chef,”Arslan said.

In the meantime, two young Turkish customers were trying to determine what to order for their lunch, discussing the alternatives（可供選擇的事物）on the menu.Huseyin Ar?slan had been studying international relations at a university in China's capital Beijing.But the pandemic forced him to stay in Istanbul and attend his classes online.He usually has his lunch here and Peking duck is one of his favorites.

Cihangir Yalcin, an owner of a nearby store, is also a frequenter and an admirer of Shen Hu's meals.“I love his veggie rice and sweet and sour chicken the most.”Yalcin comes here whenever he finds time and always recommends his friends to taste Chinese delicacies.