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Harvest Lunch in a Miao Village

liuzhou

By liuzhou
in China: Dining

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted (edited)

Today, I was honoured to be invited to lunch in a relatively nearby Miao village, where they were celebrating their good harvest.

 

Before we could eat we were entertained by the some of the villagers.

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These women sang to us.

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Some men played their traditional Lusheng instruments.
 

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Then they had a tug-of war between the men and the women. The women won (but there were twice as many women as men!)

Most people just hung around looking good in their best leisure wear.

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Finally, we were seated at a table, but before we could eat, we had to toast each other.

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These were some of my table companions. Old friends.

 

 

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Each table was furnished with two dips. On the left chilli, coriander/cilantro, Chinese chives in soy and sesame oil. On the right, duck's blood with chilli. 

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Kou Rou - Roasted, then steamed pork belly and taro.

 

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Chicken

 

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If not this chap I had met earlier, then one of his relations.

 

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Chicken and duck giblets stir-fried with vegetables.

 

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Duck - Note beak on left so you are sure what you are eating.

 

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Deep fried carp

 

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Steamed Shrimp

 

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Water Spinach

 

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People watching people eating!

 

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Neighbouring Table

 

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All very amusing

 

Edited by liuzhou
typos (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
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liuzhou

liuzhou

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Anyone who remembers my previous post about Miao people may notice these ones look different. The 'Miao' designation is one imposed by the Chinese government and there is great disagreement among the people themselves. They believe they are not just one ethnic group - and indeed, have different languages and cultures. It is estimated there may be as many as 100 different sub-groups. The people here self-identify as 白苗 (bái miáo), meaning 'white Miao'. 

 

One thing I did notice to my delight was how they very sensibly treat the dreaded  c@rn. They hang it by the neck until it is dead!


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Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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Posted
34 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I thought maybe someone that lived there really really really didn't want you to enter

 

 

:raz:

 

Maybe, but they should have hung them at the village gate, not the back of the village. Anyway, I would have read them as a welcome to a No C*rn Zone!

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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
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Anna N

Anna N

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2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

All very amusing

And I’m always amused, entertained, educated and awed. Thank you for sharing your amazing experiences. 

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

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Alex

Alex

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5 hours ago, IowaDee said:

Yeah, Shelby good thought.  Kinda  like hanging strings of garlic up to keep away vampires!😉

 

I guess I'm the anti-vampire. If I saw a house protected by a string of garlic, I'd be knocking on the door and asking what's for dinner.

 

Oh, and thanks, Liuzhou, for another edifying forum.

Edited by Alex (log)
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"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

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Shelby

Shelby

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Posted
1 hour ago, Alex said:

 

I guess I'm the anti-vampire. If I saw a house protected by a string of garlic, I'd be knocking on the door and asking what's for dinner.

 

Oh, and thanks, Liuzhou, for another edifying forum.

 

I'm with you.

 

And, yes, thanks as always Liuzhou!  I love the peeks into your exotic (to me) life.

 

On a side note, that corn is inspiring me.....I have a deck railing and that would make the cutest fall decor.  Must remember that for next year.  I'll take it down if you come visit, I promise ;) 

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IowaDee

IowaDee

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Love seeing new faces and places.  But just like here, almost everyone is glued to their damn phones.  We were out to lunch Wednesday and we were the only people in the restaurant not staring at a phone.  And that included the server when not doing his serving job!  

 

And we joke around here that a day without garlic and or onions is not an official day.   Have a wonderful friend who grows garlic and is wonderful about sharing it.  

Edited by IowaDee (log)
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Naftal

Naftal

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What beverages would be served at an event like this? or perhaps I am just thinking like a foreigner.

"As life's pleasures go, food is second only to sex.Except for salami and eggs...Now that's better than sex, but only if the salami is thickly sliced"--Alan King (1927-2004)

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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5 hours ago, Naftal said:

What beverages would be served at an event like this? or perhaps I am just thinking like a foreigner.

 

 

Beer, apple juice and rice wine were all served.

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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
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Anna N

Anna N

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3 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

 

Beer, apple juice and rice wine were all served.

What? No tea?

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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1 hour ago, Anna N said:

What? No tea?

 

Tea is seldom drunk with food in China. Before or after eating, maybe, but tea drinking is generally an activity requiring full, undistracted concentration on the tea.

 

One exception is 饮茶  (Mandarin: yǐn chá; Cantonese: yum cha), the breakfast meal where one eats 点心 (Mand: diǎn xīn; Cantonese: dim sum), but despite 饮茶 literally meaning 'drink tea', not everyone does even then.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
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The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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Anna N

Anna N

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5 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Tea is seldom drunk with food in China. Before or after eating, maybe, but tea drinking is generally an activity requiring full, undistracted concentration on the tea.

I did not know that. Another myth busted. Thank you for enlightening me.

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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liuzhou

liuzhou

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One thing I forgot to mention is that these Miao people like to play drinking games. Here is one example where the women pick on a man and force him, in an artistic manner, to down far too much home made-rice wine poured down a series of bamboo channels. I declined to partake, claiming ill-health, which no one believed. I hate their rice wine and I like to drink at my own pace. They graciously passed me by and this poor chap got the prize!

 

 

Apologies for poor video quality. It's crystal clear on my original, but not on YouTube. No idea why!

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

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The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
On 10/29/2019 at 11:53 PM, liuzhou said:

 

Tea is seldom drunk with food in China. Before or after eating, maybe, but tea drinking is generally an activity requiring full, undistracted concentration on the tea.

 

 

If you have discussed this before, I've missed it. Please accept my apologies, and elaborate anyway. Is tea-drinking there strictly a contemplation of the tea, akin to a wine tasting? Is it a celebration of the tea and its qualities, whatever they happen to be? What is the social component?

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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liuzhou

liuzhou

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On 11/10/2019 at 9:15 AM, Smithy said:

 

If you have discussed this before, I've missed it. Please accept my apologies, and elaborate anyway. Is tea-drinking there strictly a contemplation of the tea, akin to a wine tasting? Is it a celebration of the tea and its qualities, whatever they happen to be? What is the social component?

 

 

I've answered your questions (I hope) on a new topic here. It seemed more appropriate. 

 

Edited by liuzhou
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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