Food in China

This was one of our favorite Chinese dishes. It was basically scrambled eggs with stewed tomatoes and some salt for seasoning. It was so good. Most Sichuan food is very spicy, so we were excited to find dishes that were not too spicy and a flavor we enjoyed.

In Xide, the Yi people seasoned much of their food with these tiny seedy things from little bushes. They would harvest them and then lay the out on the side of the road to dry. Before they are dried, they have this oil in them that numbs your mouth when you bit into it. The little seeds are about the size of a a b-b for a gun. There is a small pit in the center and a berry-like outside. Once the seeds are dried, they crush them up and use them to season their food. It actually is very good when it isn't in the form that numbs your mouth. Our Chinese friend in Xide that led our group, thought he would be funny and told one of the guys on the team and I to try the seeds straight from the bush. It was this burning numbing feeling. It was so weird.



One of our team's other favorite dishes was dumplings, boiled or steamed. One of our last days in Xide, we went over to our friend Tom's house and his mother-in-law and one our translator's, Vicki, taught us how to make them. It was neat to know how to make them ourselves for when we get home. These were boiled after they were made. It was very easy. Mix flour with water to make the wrap part. Make little balls and then roll them flat. The stuffing inside was pork and onions and maybe basil or other seasonings. I am forgetting exactly what was in it. Before I try to make it myself, I will have to check with one of the other girls from the team. We did have some other interesting meals or dishes while we were there. I tired the chicken's feet a couple times. Joy and Cindy, from our team, had cow stomach boiled at a hot pot. They said it tastes like basketball. They were so grossed out by it. I will have to post some pictures from the meal we had at the Yi village we visited on the weekend. They bought, killed, and completely cleaned a pig while we were there as the meal of honor for us. It was so fascinating.