There’s no shortage of decent take-out food in China, but now there’s an option at the other end of the spectrum: a Presidential state banquet delivered to your front door. The Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing is offering the dinner, usually reserved to heads of state, to anyone who can pay.
Sold online via the TMall e-commerce website, consumers can order from two selections of what may be China’s most expensive take-out, priced at either 3,480 yuan ($537) or 3,980 yuan ($614). Unfortunately, the offer is only available in the Beijing and Tianjin area as “some assembly” of the meal is required in order to be hand-delivered to customer’s front doors.
The meals consist of traditional delicacies that kings of old have enjoyed. However, the meals aren’t without controversy. One of the dishes, “Buddha jumps over the wall”, contains shark fin, something animal rights activists like Yao Ming have been trying to ban from banquet halls around the country.
The Chinese public has long been fascinated with the food of presidents and prime ministers. Hordes of overseas Chinese visited the same pub recently attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and UK Prime Minster David Cameron in order to have the same “experience” as the President, ordering the same food, and even sitting at the same table.
Similarly, US Vice President Joe Biden participated in a little “noodle diplomacy” when he and his entourage visited the frugal Yao’s Chao Gan restaurant during a 2011 visit to Beijing. Ever since, Chinese have flocked to the restaurant to eat what the Vice President ate. And in 2013, the selection of buns that President Xi bought during an impromptu public appearance were famously dubbed the “Xi set” by Chinese consumers.
The Diaoyutai offer comes at a time when the state has been cracking down on party officials enjoying lavish meals during an ongoing austerity and anti-corruption campaign. That said, take-out enthusiasts are encouraged to get it while it’s hot – the New Year state banquet dinner is limited to only 6,000 sets.