It's All in the Balance
By Martin Yan

     What's the key to this remarkable simplicity? It all comes down to the essential principles of balance. As long ago as the 4^th century BC, the Chinese had identified five essential taste sensations ?salty, sweet, sour, bitter and spicy-hot. The proper balance and interplay of these tastes creates a cuisine of infinite variety and sophistication. Color and texture, too, are varied to keep things lively and interesting within each dish and throughout the meal.

     Add to this the ancient Chinese principle of two opposing forces in balance ?yin and yang. Yin represents the feminine, yielding, darker, more mysterious forces, while yang stands for the masculine, harder, brighter and hotter ones.

     In the world of food, yin might be cooler, moister, softer foods, like winter melon, asparagus or crab meat. Yang might take the form of chiles, ginger, fried foods or red meat. Yin and Yang are important in combining colors and textures, too: bright colors balancing pale ones, toothsome textures setting off softer ones.

     Chinese cooks follow this philosophy by selecting a combination of foods that balance yin and yang, to keep the body in equilibrium and maintain good health. Foods are cooked, then classified according to how they affect the body; the actual temperature of the food is not taken into consideration. "Hot" or yang foods such as chili peppers, ginger, fried foods, and red meats are thought to increase the pulse rate and perspiration. This removes excess moisture from the body. "Cold" or yin foods such as winter melons, asparagus, and crab meat cleanse, soothe, and moisturize the body.

     Many Chinese believe that when the lips crack or the nose bleeds, the body is too dry and the system has too much yang force. Yin foods should be eaten to bring the body back into balance. When the weather is humid, people tend to be weak and tired and the body retains too much moisture. Yang foods are then eaten to bring the yin forces back into equilibrium. By following this philosophy, the Chinese have been serving nutritionally balanced meals for centuries.

     There's no right or wrong attached to Yin and Yang. What's more important, in life, as in food, is creating a dynamic harmony of complementary ingredients.

     Chinese cooks feel that balancing these ingredients not only heightens the eating experience, but also keeps the body in a state of equilibrium and good health. But don't panic. It's not like everybody sits around with a set of scales weighing things, or poring over charts and rule books to see which yin goes best with which yang. It's just that the best Chinese food begins with this instinctive sense of contrasting elements in balance.

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