On one of the occasions when Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Emperor Qianlong visitedHangzhou incognito; he dined at a small restaurant on he West Lake. Among the disheshe ordered was stir-fried shrimps. The emperor took out a small pack of Longjing tea and gave to the steward with the request that he brew a pot. When the waiter saw from the lining to the customee''s robe that he was the emperoe; he ran to the kitchen. As the cook made the tea and listened to the steward's description of their honored guest; he became so nervous that he sprinkled tea instead of scallion sections on the fried shelled shrimpsthe emperor had ordered. This mistake, however, made the dish unexpectedly fragrantand tender, and gained the emperor's compliments.
