国家的元首们都在吃什么?

The Club des Chefs des Chefs is a small crew: Only 30 people in the world, all executive chefs who cook for a head of state, are members. Formed in 1977 by French uniform designer Gilles Bragard, the group has served dozens of presidents and royalty, and it operates under the motto 'politics divides men, but a good meal unites them.'

Last week in Hong Kong - this year's designated annual gathering place, the first time in Asia - 20 club members from across the globe met for three days to chat (and be served meals prepared by others) about the demands of preparing state dinners and complying with the whimsical tastes of their bosses. It was a first-time visit in Hong Kong for many of the chefs, including Cristeta Comerford (chef to U.S. President Barack Obama), Mark Flannagan (chef to Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain), and surprisingly, Guo Lai-zhu and Jin Li-Zeng, too (head chefs for the Great Hall of the People).

The chefs shared war stories and lessons learned - the hard way - of serving officials and VIPs before sitting down to a meal of abalone at Hong Kong's famed Ah Yat Seafood Restaurant.

 
国际御厨协会年会在香港召开

1. Avoid the 'favorite dish' question.

Though it is one of the most popular questions asked of any head of state, prudent chefs avoid giving the answer. When word got out that Jacques Chirac liked tete de veau (calf's head), the former French president had to endure eating the dish almost everywhere he went. 'It was not even a favorite dish for [Chirac],' recalls Bernard Vaussion, who currently cooks for President Nicolas Sarkozy and has served as chef to five French presidents in the past 37 years. 'After a while, you can imagine how sick he must've been of it. It was a lesson learned.'

2. Short is sweet.

With all the work required to run a country, there's little time left for meals. President Sarkozy reportedly prefers his meals served within a precise 50 minutes. Meals for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are so prompt, 'you could set your clock by it,' says Flannagan, who has been cooking for the British royal family for 30 years.

3. China is in a league of its own.

While most head-of-state chefs serve hundreds at three-hour-long state dinners, Guo and Jin say that they - and their staff of 200 - can serve a sit-down dinner for 6,000 people within an hour. 'For cocktails or buffet, we can do 10,000 in one hour,' boasts Jin. And though other chefs say catering to persnickety VIP's can be stressful, that doesn't seem to ruffle the Chinese chefs. 'If we avoid serving sea cucumber, which Westerners tend to hate, then it usually turns out okay,' says Guo. 'We have no problems with the rest.'