Southern China|中国南方
I grew up eating foods from the Pearl River Delta /Taishan area so there were many meals on our trip I was familiar with and comforted by. The food was fresh; in fact, during my visit to my paternal village, a family member harvested vegetables from his farm and brought it to the restaurant so that it could be prepared for our lunch. (Imagine the look on my face when I saw an uncle walking into the restaurant carrying two heads of toifa—one of my favorite vegetables.)
None of the meals I ate in China were overly salty, oily, or contained MSG, yet everything was flavorful. I rarely consumed refined wheat or processed sugar, and felt very nourished. I was eating foods that for generations were eaten by my ancestors. These place-based meals made me consider the impact of eating an indigenous diet.
After spending close to three weeks in southern China—twelve of which were in the Pearl River Delta region—here are a few highlights of our meals.
Claypot Rice Bowl (bao zai fan) | 煲仔饭
Kaiping, Guangdong | 开平广东
Homestyle Pearl River Delta foods prepared by local villagers.
Cangdong Heritage Education Center, Kaiping, Guangdong | 仓东教育基地开平广东
Steamed Rice Cake | 白糖糕
Cangdong Heritage Education Center, Kaiping, Guangdong | 仓东教育基地开平广东
Winter Melon Soup | 冬瓜汤 & Zong |粽 - Sticky rice filled with pork, Chinese sausage, nuts, and egg.
Cangdong Heritage Education Center, Kaiping, Guangdong | 仓东教育基地开平广东
Almost all our meals for nearly three weeks were mini-banquets.
Kaiping, Guangdong | 开平广东
Chinese Sausage (lap cheong) | 腊肠 - in all shapes and sizes.
Kaiping, Guangdong | 开平广东
There was one ritual we participated in no matter where we were in southern China. Before each meal, we rinsed our plates and utensils with hot water and/or hot tea to make sure it was sanitized. On the dining table, there would be a pitcher of hot water/tea for rinsing and a large bowl to collect the used water. Everyone had their own method of dish-rinsing. After pouring steaming hot water into my individual bowl, I dipped the rim and interior of my tea cup, chopsticks, and spoon in the bowl. Then, I poured the water from my bowl over my plate as a final rinse, with the used water being captured by the larger communal bowl.
The ritual felt awkward at first, but by the time I left China I had a routine.
I don’t remember practicing this dish-rinsing ritual when I lived in northern China or when I traveled throughout China in the mid-1990s. However, I do recall using hot tea and napkins to clean plates, tea cups, chopsticks, and table tops as a young child eating in restaurants in NYC Chinatown. It’s a custom I have not seen in local eateries for some time, but I now have an idea where it originated. ■