Wanli 1592

Chapter 1335 The Honorable Governor of Genoa

In the five years of Longwu, there is another major event worthy of attention, that is, the opening of Daqin's first overseas store and first overseas restaurant in Genoa, the capital of Genoa.

This shop and this restaurant are managed and operated by the people in the Huangzhuang controlled by Xiao Ruxun. The shop mainly sells Chinese porcelain, silk tea, iron pots and spoons, and a series of artworks, etc., which are not found in Europe.

The restaurant is dedicated to eating and drinking, and also sells wine, all of which are Chinese brewed liquor.

The successful opening of these two stores ignited the entire continent of Europe. Although there have been discussions to open stores directly operated by Daqin overseas since the 25th year of Wanli, there has been no time since then. Xiao Ruxun has been busier and lacks energy since becoming emperor.

It was not until the third year of Longwu that this matter was put on the agenda by Xiao Ruxun. After discussing with the Governor of Genoa, the Governor of Genoa granted Da Qin a piece of land in the most prosperous area of ​​Genoa City, allowing Da Qin to build shops and restaurants.

Full support, green light, and even personally send workers to help with construction.

Then, in the second half of the fourth year of Longwu, in 1602 AD, a shop full of Chinese classical style and a Chinese-style restaurant rose from the ground, all of which followed the high-end aristocratic route.

The things sold inside are not affordable by ordinary people. Those who come to shop and dine are counted as one, and they are all famous people.

Of course, the Spaniards refused to enter.

The first store opened in Genoa that is directly operated by the Chinese and sells goods and food to the outside world was also won by the Governor of Genoa with more favorable conditions than the French.

Originally, King Henry IV of France was looking forward to the opening of the first Chinese shop and restaurant in Paris, the capital of France, but this achievement was snatched away by the Governor of Genoa.

The city of Genoa immediately became the most discussed city in the entire Europa continent, for no other reason than a group of Chinese opened shops selling Chinese goods and restaurants selling Chinese food here.

In the past period of time, since Chinese official representatives came to Europe for the first time to contact Genoese people seven years ago, the China craze has never stopped.

Under the impetus of the Governor of Genoa, there is a growing trend.

Originally, under the entreaty of the governor of Genoa, Chen Longzheng left the two cooks, saying that they would stay for three years and give them a salary of 500 taels of silver each. psychological defense, they decided to stay.

Then became the personal chef of the Doge of Genoa.

The Governor of Genoa suddenly became the most respectable person in Europe because he had two Chinese chefs serving him personally.

Although there are some nobles who are very jealous of such fame and treatment, and want to have a relationship with the Chinese government, the Governor of Genoa strictly guards against this, and no one wants to eat Chinese food unless they hold important banquets and entertain important guests.

In a few years, the Governor of Genoa completely learned to eat with chopsticks, and became obsessed with eating rice.

These are rice grown in Myanmar and transported from Myanmar, not wheat produced in Europe, which is expensive. The governor of Genoa ate this as a staple food, and later sent people to plant it himself. The eating habits have basically been completely Chinese.

Even his family is the same. When holding grand banquets and entertaining distinguished guests, except for some traditional and meaningful European food, they are basically Chinese dishes.

The two cooks were both refugees from the Central Plains, and they both worked in large restaurants in China. They were also carefully selected to become the ship's cooks. They were excellent cooks chosen by Xiao Ruxun not to make the crew suffer.

They have excellent skills. The Governor of Genoa bought them authentic condiments and some ingredients from China at any cost. They also showed their skills and led the trend of Chinese food in Genoa.

Not only that, the vanity of the governor of Genoa was greatly satisfied, but it was not enough, he wanted more, so he hired a Chinese scholar with a lot of money to teach him Chinese customs and etiquette.

This scholar, surnamed Chen Zurong, was actually one of the impoverished scholars that Xiao Ruxun had recruited earlier from all over the Central Plains to teach children in Burma how to read and write.

Later, because he was good-looking and honest and willing to work, he was called to serve in the army. After the request from the governor of Genoa was delivered, Xiao Ruxun recruited those who were willing to go to the oceans among these scholars. Because Chen Zurong had no relatives to care about, he applied. up.

Then he traveled across the ocean and came to the Governor of Genoa. While teaching the Governor of Genoa some traditional Chinese customs and some Chinese etiquette norms, he learned foreign languages ​​with the help of a missionary and understood the local folk customs of Genoa.

Since then, the Governor of Genoa fell in love with Chinese culture and customs fanatically, and spared no expense to build a "Chinese House" in his mansion, a duplex room with both a study and a bedroom.

All the furnishings and even the furnishings inside are in Chinese style. They were custom-made in Nanjing after the founding of the Great Qin Dynasty, and then shipped back to Genoa. The furnishings were completed under the personal instructions of Chen Zurong.

He will live in it for at least one week every month, and only the noblest and closest guests will be brought into this Chinese house by him to visit or even stay overnight.

People who lived there were amazed, and after they came out, they raved about how gorgeous and quiet it is inside, and how elegant and noble the Chinese people's life is, so that most of the European upper class knew that the Governor of Genoa had an authentic Chinese house, and they were quite yearning for it.

In addition, in order to pretend and satisfy his vanity, he also learned Chinese dining methods and etiquette under the guidance of Chen Zurong, so he asked Chen Zurong to build a Chinese-style banquet hall according to the Chinese banquet model. Specially responsible for holding banquets to entertain friends.

As soon as the news came out, rich people all over Genoa flocked to it.

At first, the nobles and rich people who attended the banquet hosted by the Governor of Genoa were very depressed.

Because in order to show that he has a good relationship with the Chinese, understands Chinese culture, and is a civilized person, the Governor of Genoa basically replaced all the tableware with Chinese-style chopsticks, spoons and bowls, and the tables and chairs are all Chinese. style.

The master sat on the platform directly above, overlooking the two rows of individual tables and chairs below in order of rank, and then his servants changed into Chinese servant clothes.

In the Chinese way, guests are served on red wooden trays, squatting on the side of the table, serving cold dishes and hot dishes one after another, with gentle steps and a smile on their faces.

The all-Chinese-style service dazzles the viewers.

(End of this chapter)