In order to enrich the campus cultural life, a series of Chaoshan cultural experience activities, such as Chaoshan vernacular architecture, Chao Embroidery and Chaoshan Gongfu tea art performance are held at GTIIT, to promote the understanding of the excellent traditional culture of Chaoshan area and let more people feel the charm of it. This time a unique Chaoshan cuisine experience activity was held at GTIIT.

Mr. Cai Weimian, the inheritor of Cai Xiji, a local beef company in Chenghai, shared the development of Chaoshan beef feast, the making of beef balls, and the skill's inheritance and protection with GTIIT's teachers and students.

The plain environment of Chaoshan area, surrounded by mountains and rivers, provides abundant land resources for local animal husbandry, which derives a culinary culture with local characteristics, among which the Chaoshan beef feast is one of the most representative delicacies. The beef is divided into 15 parts, such as short loin, foreleg tendon and upper shoulder blade. A fixed thickness should be maintained for cutting beef, and there are also requirements on how long to rinse each part to ensure the taste of the meat.

The most popular part of this activity was making beef balls, which is made from the elastic beef legs. Mr. Cai used two square hammer knives to repeatedly beat the meat up and down, and invited students to have a try. Students participated actively under the guidance.

The beef was beaten into pulp and put into several pots. Then it was time to make beef balls. "The spoon and your hand should be dipped in warm water to prevent the beef sticking to the spoon. Use the last three fingers of your hand to hold the pulp and force it out to form a beef ball." The master explained the techniques while demonstrating.

The students participated in making beef balls actively after washing their hands. Later, the chefs made beef ball noodles with the meatballs made by students. They tasted meatballs with satay sauce and enjoyed the fruits of their labor contentedly.

In this activity, Mr. Cai also explained the name of each part of the beef and the characteristics of the meat quality to teachers and students, and introduced the inheritance process and the current crisis of the handmade beef ball technique.

"It is a great experience. We participate in the production of beef balls, which is really interesting. We can also learn something useful, such as 'snow beef' is just a general name rather than an exact part." Said Wu Qijun, a freshman majoring in Biotechnology and Food Engineering Program. Lu Feiyu, a freshman from Materials Science and Engineering Program said that there was a lot of knowledge behind every detail of life. "Eating is not only the pleasure and need of life, but also contains the traditional culture of Chinese food. We should respect and support the efforts made by the contributors."

Text: Li Yuebo, GTIIT News & Public Affairs

Photos: Chen Yanfan, GTIIT News & Public Affairs