

US vice president Joe Biden’s “noodle diplomacy” act in August last year led to booming business at the Beijing eatery where he spent RMB79 for him and his group of five, as locals came in search of the ‘Vice President’s Meal’. Apparently, Canadian premier Stephen Harper has also sparked off a similar food craze after his recent visit to the capital.

Via The Canadian Press:

During his four-day trip to China, Harper stopped in at the Yi Wan Ju restaurant in Beijing for lunch with his wife Laureen.

The restaurant’s name literally translates to “the home of the one-bowl meal.” Diners receive a bowl of soup and noodles and then they select items to season it, according to taste.

The lunch was meant to be a quick photo-op and also give the Harpers a local’s taste of Beijing.

But a few days after Harper left the Chinese capital, Canadian Embassy staff began hearing rumours that the restaurant was now doing brisk business in a dish translated as “Harper’s Elbows.”

According to a report in Chinese media, Harper combined two dishes from the menu — cabbage served in a mustard sauce and soup-braised pork.

The pork dish is named after one of China’s most famous poets and is commonly known as Dong Po Pork. It’s made using pork belly or pork hock, made with pig knuckles.

But Harper, a fan of spicy foods, decided to take the soup meat and dip it into the mustard sauce.

The restaurant owner was surprised by the unusual combination and declared a new dish born.

Business is apparently up 20% at the eatery because if it’s good enough to be put inside the mouth of a foreign head-of-state, it’s gotta be good Chinese food.



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