Food for funny tastes

Comedy and cuisine meet for dinner at a new eatery inspired by a cross-talk performer's gags, Li Yingxue reports.

Chinese cross-talk (xiangsheng) artist Guo Degang often jokes about "dark cuisine", such as pig-intestine sashimi and steamed pig heads with rock candy-and now his jokes have come true.

Guo's xiangsheng club, Deyunshe, and Juqi restaurant have teamed up to open an eatery in Beijing's Xinjiekou area last month. The new spot combines traditional fare and comedy created in the classical style of the capital.

Juqi's decore presents Beijing's old hutong (alleyway) culture. The Deyunshe branch also infuses xiangsheng elements, with a small stage and displays related to xiangsheng.

A dozen dishes mentioned in Guo's and his apprentices' xiangsheng are on the e-menu. Each is accompanied by a short video of their provenance, presented in xiangsheng.

"We used creativity to develop the dishes mentioned in the cross-talk skits," says Juqi's executive chef, Liu Xinliang, who designed the menu.

"It's only the 1.0 version. We'll continue to upgrade."