The Chinese menu is still populated with the old traditional pork and chicken favorites, plus one more. It seems that there is a new player in town to grace the Chinese dinner table: the American lobster.
Importation of American lobster had been constantly increasing in recent years. To the growing number of China's middleclass, the crustaecean is not only a delicacy but also a status symbol.
U.S.'s lobster industry normally slacks during the winter months, but with huge demand in China, lobster operations continue non-stop.
Lobster dealer Stephanie Nadeau said that the demand in China pushes her crew to do 14-hour nights for seven days a week stuffing lobster in crates. Her regular shipment to China at lunar season amounts to 100,000 pounds a week. She said it is a challenge to get the lobsters to China in time for the New Year celebrations.
Every morning in China, Beijing restaurant Auspicious Garden receives 800 lobsters fresh from Pacific crossing aboard cargo planes. Come nighttime, the lobsters would then be served to hundreds of Chinese diners that fill a two-story restaurant in Pangu Seven Stars Hotel, the attraction being an $80 buffet with the lobsters as main attraction. The meal is quite expensive to Chinese standards, but to the diners, they would rather pay extra in a classy restaurant than risk eating cheap unsafe food.
Lobsters are considered luxury food and very popular during lunar season. The red color of a cooked lobster is considered a lucky charm due to its resemblance to dragons.
Although China imports lobsters from all over the world such as Canada, Africa, Carribean and Australia, lobsters from the U.S. are by far the most in-demand for Chinese diners.
Federal statistics show that U.S. lobster exports to China increased from $2.1 million in 2009 to $90.5 million in 2014. China constitutes 12 percent of U.S. lobster export in 2014, a huge increase from the 0.6 percent in 2009.
American lobsters are sold in restaurants in China as "Boston lobster" for $50 to $100. A bit expensive compared to other meals but cheaper than Australian lobsters that cost hundreds of dollars and whose claws are not as big and meaty as that of the American variety.
Chinese prefer to cook lobsters in plain water then dip the meaty morsels in soy sauce and wasabi.