Why are people eating at midnight?

Psychologists say that tendency for people to eat late is a response to the mental and emotional stresses of modern life. Photo: Li Hao/GT

It is nearly 11 pm by the time Clark Zhu arrives home from his job as an English teacher at a tutoring company in Beijing's Haidian district, but it is only the beginning of his culinary adventure for the night.

Since 2009, Zhu has made a habit of preparing elaborate dishes for himself late at night after returning from work. Often, he does not complete his creations until well after midnight.

"After an exhausting day of work, I come home and relax by cooking in the peace and quiet of the night," said Zhu, 26, who moved into a larger apartment last year in part because he wanted a larger kitchen. "While I'm cooking, I feel completely contented. All of the frustrations of the day flitter away."

Zhu was inspired to take up the nocturnal hobby after watching Shinya Shokudo ("Midnight Canteen"), a Japanese television drama that follows an eccentric coterie of scowling yakuza members, down-and-out actors, and tittering office ladies who frequent a mysterious restaurant that only opens after midnight. The restaurant does not have a set menu; instead, the owner prepares dishes for his patrons based on their stories and their moods.

The series has gained popularity in China, where its third season finished broadcasting last December.

"Each of stories shared by the diners [in the TV show] are quite moving. Each episode, the owner makes a unique dish for them - something simple, but filled with human sentiment," said Zhu. "For foodies like me who enjoy cooking at midnight, or going out to all-night diners to eat, it's not only about filling one's belly. It's also about warming the heart."

Savoring the moment

"During the day, most people are rushing from one thing to another, so they don't have time to really enjoy what they're eating, which is why there is a fast food culture," said Zhu. "But at midnight, you can slow down and really savor the food you prepare."

Among the dishes he has cooked late at night recently, said Zhu, were grilled spareribs with onions, seafood curry and salty fried tofu.

Zhu said that cooking when most people were sleeping served a therapeutic function for him. As a teacher, he felt a responsibility to always display a positive demeanor to his students. Cooking in the wee hours was an outlet to evacuate the stresses and grievances accumulated each day.

"Sometimes, I'll find myself tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep because I'm still thinking about something that is bothering me," said Zhu. "During those moments, I'll just get up and cook one of my favorite dishes." His favorite dish to prepare at the moment was salty fried tofu.

"It's a simple dish, but when you hear the sizzling of tofu in the hot oil and look out the window into the thick night with only a few apartments with lights still on, there's a sense of peace," said Zhu. "There isn't the cacophony of noise that there is in the daytime. And after a bite of crispy tofu, you feel replenished, and you realize that your unhappiness has gone away. You can't 'taste' this during the day."

The taste of childhood

Wang Lina, 33, started taking up the routine of cooking late at night after the birth of her child in 2012. As Wang has her hands full during the day with looking after her young child, the only time she has to cook the kinds of dishes she enjoys is in the dead of night, after her baby has gone to sleep.

Wang devotes much of her late night culinary endeavors to trying to recreate the tastes of her childhood in Tianjin. Since 2006, she has lived in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province.

One of the dishes Wang is particularly fond of is something her grandmother would frequently make for her as a child: sliced pork with garlic.

"Slicing is very time-consuming. During the day, I would never have the time to do it, to try to make every slice even," said Wang. "But late at night, I can devote the care and attention the task requires. The sound of the knife on the chopping board is like a soothing melody."