‘Emperor can wait – while we eat’ is a popular Chinese proverb that captures the importance of food. I heard it often as a child growing up in a military camp in Taiwan.
The men were young soldiers who’d just lost the war and, along with it, their homeland to the Communists, and had had to flee to Taiwan. Their wives, too, suddenly found themselves in a crowded military setting, barely able to make ends meet.
Patriotic slogans could be seen everywhere during those times. The most popular was 反攻大陸, ‘Fight back to Mainland’ – everyone believed that Taiwan was only a temporary base and that we would return to our real home, Mainland China.
But we talked about food more than anything else.
– Preface, Emperor can Wait by Emma Chen
In Emperor can Wait, well-known Johannesburg restaurateur Emma Chen delicately prepares and serves up reminiscences of her fascinating childhood in the newly formed Republic of China in Taiwan and of her early adulthood in both Taiwan and South Africa.
Emma’s evocative reflections are framed by the exodus of the Kuomintang from Mao Zedong’s communist China, and resonate with the popular Chinese saying ‘Emperor can wait – while we eat’, which captures the importance of food. The sights, sounds, smells and characters come alive through short, descriptive vignettes that each centre on a traditional Chinese meal and its meaning to family and friends. Recipes for Emma’s renowned dishes are provided at the end of each chapter for those readers who would like to try their hand at preparing them.
Through her stories, Emma explores what happens when one is ‘transplanted’ to a new environment, discovering that nostalgia can be a powerful agent of inspiration.
About the author
Emma Chen’s fascination with food as an ingredient that brings people closer together took root in her childhood in Taiwan. In the early 1980s, Emma travelled to South Africa to further her studies. While working as a waitress, her passion for the preparation and appreciation of food was re-ignited, leading her to open the award-winning, traditional-Chinese cuisine restaurant, Red Chamber, in 1989. Emma’s enthusiasm has ensured that the Red Chamber is widely regarded as the best Chinese restaurant in Johannesburg.
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