In the press conference given on Sunday, March 2nd in the framework of the 5th Documentary Festival, the Chinese director of “Dream Cuisine”, Li Ying expressed his joy in fulfilling a childhood dream by being in Thessaloniki and spoke in detail about his film.
This trip simply reinforced the initial positive impression he had after meeting the Director of the 5th Documentary Festival, Dimitri Eipides, at the Berlin Film Festival. China and Greece, according to Ying, have many things in common like giving birth to important civilizations and grand historical figures like Homer and Plato. When he began to speak about his film he made extensive reference to the notion of wandering and the preservation of traditions.
“The two Japanese characters in the film spent a great amount of time learning the secrets of the cuisine of the Shandong region and taking them back to their country. Wandering, or drifting, is essential to a civilization, especially one like China’s. I’ve been living in Japan for 14 years but it doesn’t feel permanent. I feel restless and I have no idea how long this will continue. When I consider my life and my work I can’t help but think of Theo Angelopoulos’ “The travelling players” because I see myself as a part of this wandering troupe. I’m on the road traveling although I bear a heavy load; I’m Chinese and a carrier of the Chinese civilization”.
“My film’s two characters have a strong bond with China. The meeting point of the two nations is the Shandong cuisine. This cuisine is the epicenter of their lives but unfortunately it starts to slowly deteriorate, and disappears. Sato Hachue, the main character of the film, first tried Shandong cooking when she was a child and has loved it since. She and her husband want to make sure it continues to exist even after their deaths”.
Li Ying expressed his admiration for Greek culture once more by referring to the ancient Greek myth of the sources of memory and lethe. “Memory and lethe are two of the most significant elements of human thought. A cuisine is simply a symbol. The crossroads of Japan and China are only a reflection of our own choices in life. Taste is superficial. We want a true understanding of things”.
This press conference was not short of political messages either. On account of meeting an Israeli director in Thessaloniki, Li Ying stated that, “the USA and their foreign policy are to blame for the complex problems of Israel and Palestine”.
