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Dong Art


liuzhou

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On 22/10/2015 at 4:04 AM, Lisa Shock said:

In the third art image, are the bags on the tray steaming above the fire, and if so, what is being cooked in there? Also, the woman with the goldenrod colored bag has something between her feet, can you tell what that is supposed to symbolize?

 

Although they appear to be steaming above the fire (perspective isn't s strong point in this art), that would be a disaster. In fact the bags are sacks of dry goods such as rice, peanuts, etc hanging from the ceiling to keep them away from mice and rats. This is something I've seen often.

 

I don't know what the thing between the woman's feet is meant to be. Sorry.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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I don't know how available it is where people are, but anyone interested in this culture and its cuisine could check out the Sino-French made movie "La Rizière" aka "The Rice Paddy".

 

There is a brief excerpt with English subtitles on my blog here.  (The movie is in the Dong language.) Filmed in northern Guangxi. Worth trying to track it down. The excerpt shows cooking and rice planting among the Dong people.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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Here are a few more food-related pictures from the exhibition.

 

IMG_1532.jpg

Pounding grain into flour - probably rice

 

IMG_1523.jpg

Passing by the village duck and fish ponds

 

IMG_1522.jpg

Wok Burner and Wok

 

I think this one (above) confirms Thanks For the Crepes' suggestion that white ribbons as seen in early pictures represent steam or wafting fragrance. It also confirms my suggestion that perspective is not a feature of this art. Either that or the wok really is 100 times bigger than the people!

 

IMG_1541.jpg

Makin' Bacon

 

The poor pig is off to become pork. To distract it from its grizzly end, they have covered it's eyes with the bucket. This bucket will also be used to collect the animal's blood after it no longer requires it. The Chinese character/symbol tattooed on the pig is , which, ironically, is the symbol for "Double Happiness".

 

I'm planning to put as many of these pictures as possible, including those less directly culinary, on my website over the next few days. I will PM the link to those who have expressed interest here. Thank you all. 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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I don't know if I have ever seen such vibrant colors in a painting before.  I want to cross that bridge over the purple water!    I think, by posting these, you have broadened a lot of horizons here.  I know mine have been  Again. thank you for sharing them

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I don't know if I have ever seen such vibrant colors in a painting before.  I want to cross that bridge over the purple water!    I think, by posting these, you have broadened a lot of horizons here.  I know mine have been  Again. thank you for sharing them

 

On the night of the 1999-2000 New Year, when otherwise sensible people were predicting mayhem as computers failed and planes fell from the sky because of the so-called millennium bug, I was sitting on a slope over that bridge, roughly where I took the photograph, with my son who had flown from London for the occasion, an English friend and her mother who had been in China about two days, a dear friend from Australia and four close Chinese friends, one of whom is half Dong herself. 

 

We had been treated to a slap up New Year meal (all Dong food) cooked by Mrs Wu. Fish caught in the river which flows just outside the front door, a duck from the local pond and vegetables all grown within half a mile of where we were. Accompanied by rice from the paddies on the other side of the river. Accompanied by a few of the local beers. Quite a few. 

 

By midnight and the end of the world, it was pitch dark. All the locals had gone to bed. For them it was just another day and they had to get up early to water the cow and milk the duck or whatever it is agriculturalists do. They also use the traditional Chinese solar-lunar calendar, so had no idea what was going on. It did highlight the arbitrariness of our dating systems. 

We had no idea if the world had ended or not, but we had a night we would never forget, even if we couldn't see it in the dark.

 

Thank you for your kind words. I am just relieved some people seem to appreciate the thread. I wasn't sure. 

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On 23/10/2015 at 10:49 PM, Shelby said:

I like that the people all look so happy :)

 

I love the way that they celebrate any festivals, weddings, funerals etc by having the whole village cook and eat together, also inviting any passing outsiders like me to join them. Not much time left to waffle about it on the internet!

 

Food is even more central to their lives than to us here on eG. They have to plant it, harvest it, store it or preserve it, cook it and then happily eat it. The nearest supermarket is a day trip away at best, even if they could afford it. Everything they eat, they produce. To do so they must do it together. It's a hard life. Planting and harvesting rice, for example, is back-breaking. But I see more smiles than I ever see in the supermarket.

Edited by liuzhou
typo (log)
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I just realized why the paintings sing to me. I have loved Mexican bark paintings called "amate" for years.  They have the same bright colors and often depict every day scenes involving cooking, farming and celebrations involving food and drink.  Just goes to show how much alike we all are!

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If you get a chance, I would be curious to see a list of the vegetables they grow and eat. In the West, we get very used to having supermarkets offer us a certain selection of produce. The Asian markets offer some different vegetables, and I am lucky to have some close by. But, I always wonder about traditional, seasonal recipes for vegetables that I did not grow up with. (and I am still trying to come to terms with bitter melon)

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If you get a chance, I would be curious to see a list of the vegetables they grow and eat. In the West, we get very used to having supermarkets offer us a certain selection of produce. The Asian markets offer some different vegetables, and I am lucky to have some close by. But, I always wonder about traditional, seasonal recipes for vegetables that I did not grow up with. (and I am still trying to come to terms with bitter melon)

Here goes:

 

Amaranth

Arrowhead

Bamboo Shoots

Bitter Hemp

Bitter Melon

Bok Choy

Brake

Broccoli

Cabbages (various)

Cauliflower

Celtuce

Chiles (various)

Chinese Celery

Chayote

Chayote Shoots

Chinese Foldwing

Chinese Yam

Cucumber

Corn/Maize

Eggplant

Garland Chrysanthemum

Garlic Chives

Garlic Scapes

Green Beans

Green Onions

Jicama

Lotus Root

Luffa

Malabar Spinach

Mustard Greens

Oil Seed Rape

Pea Shoots

Pumpkin

Purple Perilla

Spinach

String Beans

Sugar Snap Peas

Sweet Potato

Taro

Water Spinach

Wild and Cultivated Mushrooms

Yard Long Beans

 

and I'm sure I've forgotten some.

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Thanks! Your pictures and descriptions are very helpful.

You are welcome.

I should have pointed out that the corn/maize is very important in their diet. Closely followed by the mustard greens and water spinach.

Of course, they also use garlic and ginger, the essentials in so many of China's numerous cuisines.

Potato, onions and tomatoes are seldom used.

Edited by liuzhou (log)

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On 25/10/2015 at 5:07 PM, Lisa Shock said:

Is the corn ground into cornmeal? Or is it the type (Americans call it 'sweet corn') we eat fresh and sometimes dehydrate to eat boiled in winter? What sort of dishes are made with it?

 

Both.

 

Corn meal is used in porridges and in steamed buns.

 

IMG_2384.jpg

 

This is the flour and ground grains section of the market. The item centre left marked 玉米粉 is corn meal.

 

Corn cobs are steamed or roasted and sold on the streets, and used in soups or hot pots. The kernels are removed from the cob and stir fried with celery.

 

IMG_5767.JPG

 

Steamed corn on the winter street. Very popular.

cornpork.jpg

 

blackcorn.jpg

 

Corn oil is also used, although peanut oil is preferred in this part of China.

 

PS. We call it sweetcorn in the UK, too.

 

PPS. Corn in all its forms is one of the very few foodstuffs I totally hate!

 

PPPS. My son has visited China twice. 1999/2000 Christmas New Year and again in 2010. He only remembers one thing in Chinese. How to say 'corn'. It is 玉米 yù mǐ, pronounced a bit like 'You! Me.'

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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Yes, it is amazing.  It also touches on something that I find so interesting.  I love to follow the journey different foods take around the world.  I never, ever thought about jicama being any part of Dong menus.  It is like finding squid in a church meal in small town Iowa.  And it is amazing how fast corn found a niche everywhere.  If foods could spread peace wherever they went, we might never have another war. Life would truly be a banquet wouldn't it?  I'm ready to pull up a chair!

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On 25/10/2015 at 9:02 PM, MelissaH said:

Nothing useful to add, other than this is the most beautiful, most mind-blowingly amazing, thread I've seen in quite a while.

 

Melissa,

 

I'm glad it gives you as much pleasure as it gives me. I've been to the museum about 10 times now, just to look again. Unfortunately, the exhibition is temporary, but they haven't announced a closing date yet, so I keep checking.

 

It is quite near my home and I pass it most days, anyway. I guess I'm just worried they sneak in another painting which I haven't seen!

 

On 25/10/2015 at 9:17 PM, IowaDee said:

Yes, it is amazing.  It also touches on something that I find so interesting.  I love to follow the journey different foods take around the world.  I never, ever thought about jicama being any part of Dong menus.  It is like finding squid in a church meal in small town Iowa.  And it is amazing how fast corn found a niche everywhere.  If foods could spread peace wherever they went, we might never have another war. Life would truly be a banquet wouldn't it?  I'm ready to pull up a chair!

 

Yes. I agree completely. Food migration is fascinating. Can you imagine Italy without tomatoes? Yet they are relatively new there. I often think of all the foods in China which are now staples, but are actually recent introductions. Chilis. corn, pineapples, peanuts, potatoes, tomatoes, etc, etc.

 

I must be getting old. I think of 200 years as recent! But you know what I mean!

Edited by liuzhou
Misspelled Melissa's name. Apologies (log)
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Wow, I really had no idea that corn would be grown there at all, not to mention being used used in steamed buns or porridge. I have seen popcorn that is an all dark ear like your photo, although my understanding is that it was developed in the past 30 years or so.

 

It's also interesting that potatoes haven't taken off. Of all the starches, it has one of the highest yields with minimal farming effort. (they grow best in low nitrogen [poorly fertilized] soil, unlike corn) That said, storage can be an issue. And, maybe the right recipe just never got popular. (maybe I sense an opportunity to make money as a street vendor selling french fries, or potato chips)

 

I see cabbage on the list. Do they make anything like coleslaw? I'd love a recipe for some sort of tangy cabbage slaw from China.

 

I was also wondering, in Japan, there is a tradition of making fresh pickles -vegetables that are marinated and generally eaten the same day. Do the Dong make any pickles like that?

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Nothing useful to add, other than this is the most beautiful, most mind-blowingly amazing, thread I've seen in quite a while.

I cannot say it any better than this.

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Wow, I really had no idea that corn would be grown there at all, not to mention being used used in steamed buns or porridge. I have seen popcorn that is an all dark ear like your photo, although my understanding is that it was developed in the past 30 years or so.

 

It's also interesting that potatoes haven't taken off. Of all the starches, it has one of the highest yields with minimal farming effort. (they grow best in low nitrogen [poorly fertilized] soil, unlike corn) That said, storage can be an issue. And, maybe the right recipe just never got popular. (maybe I sense an opportunity to make money as a street vendor selling french fries, or potato chips)

 

I see cabbage on the list. Do they make anything like coleslaw? I'd love a recipe for some sort of tangy cabbage slaw from China.

 

I was also wondering, in Japan, there is a tradition of making fresh pickles -vegetables that are marinated and generally eaten the same day. Do the Dong make any pickles like that?

 

Potatoes are available; they just aren't a major or even really a minor part of the Dong diet. In fact, they aren't in China generally. Most people, if they eat them at all, use them just as yet another accompanying vegetable rather than as a staple as we do in the west. The most common dish is stir fried shredded potato with chili and vinegar. Recipe here. I like it.

 

In the cities, French fries/chips are well known through the likes of McDonalds and KFC, but are rarely eaten outside of that context. In the countryside, where most of the Dong live, never.

 

About 18 years ago, I made fries for some young Chinese friends. They were insistent that they wanted sugar on them rather than salt!

 

Also the only variety of potato available is rather on the waxy side and doesn't make for great fries. I have met many accomplished Chinese cooks who are astonished to learn that there is more than one variety of potato.

 

Chinese people rarely eat anything uncooked, so there are very few salads or slaw-like preparations. I can't think of any among the Dong dishes.

 

Corn comes in many colours. 

 

Let me add to the vegetable list:

 

Daikon Radish

Tonkin Jasmine

Watercress

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I was also wondering, in Japan, there is a tradition of making fresh pickles -vegetables that are marinated and generally eaten the same day. Do the Dong make any pickles like that?

 

Sorry, missed this part of your question. 

 

I've never come across fresh pickles among the Dong that I recall. I'll ask.

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