Guangxi Gastronomy

[liuzhou]

In order to show some of the food available in local restaurants, this video is nine minutes of ads on the main food delivery app in China, Meituan's version covering Liuzhou, Guangxi. For obvious reasons, it's all in Chinese, but you get to see the food.

 

 

 

[Kerala]

What's the white stuff in Coke looking bottles? Seen at the beginning of the video.

[Kerala]

Overwhelming choice. I would be happy to spend a year working through that!

[liuzhou]

17 minutes ago, Kerala said:

What's the white stuff in Coke looking bottles? Seen at the beginning of the video.

 

豆奶 (dòu nǎi) - Soya Milk.

 

 

[liuzhou]

  

4 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Other than luosifen, what is characteristic about the food from Guangxi?  It seems (based on previous orders) to be similar to Hunan, right?  It seems to be located kind of in between Hunan and Chongqing/Sichuan.  Also, is the food in Guizhou similar to Sichuan as it is geographically closer?

 

Liuzhou and the rest of northern Guangxi is heavily influenced by Hunan cuisine. The south much more by Cantonese.

 

As to the connection between Sichuan-Guizhou-Hunan, I'd say you are correct. There is sort of continuum between them, but Hunan is still very different from Sichuan.

Many 'Sichuan' ingredients are actually grown in Guizhou, although I'd say Guizhou cuisine is closer to Hunan, at least in the parts of Guizhou I've been to. I think that it is mainly the influence of the ethnic minority populations' cuisines. Hunan and Guizhou (and Guangxi) are much more influenced by that than Sichuan is.

 

The overall flavours of Hunan and Guizhou are generally heavier, more vinegary etc than Sichuan's, although there are exceptions.

 

That's my quick off-the-cuff answer but I'll think more and maybe elaborate later.

 

 

[liuzhou]

This past week has been a holiday for most people in China and it seems that 90% of the 1.4 billion population has crowded into Liuzhou!

 

With crowds drawn by Luosifen initially, the city has become a wider gastronomic destination. People are piling in everywhere with long lines and waits of up to two hours outside most of the hundreds of luosifen shops.

 

All over Chinese social media are videos of people lining up to sample the delights of rice noodles in snail broth. The snails are moving faster than the lines.

 

The line outside my favourite, near my home, is now one of the longest and the locals' gruntle is decidedly dissed. We can't get our own food anymore!

 

 

Above is about 1/16th of the line. The shop has seating for 8 people.

 

But it's worse than that.

 

青云 (qīng yún) means 'clear sky' but is also the name of the city's oldest and largest street market and one of my favourite haunts.

 

Over the last week it has turned into purgatory.

 

Thousands of tourist sheep are cramming themselves into the narrow streets in search of 'authentic' Guangxi street food. 

 

 

No one can do their regular shopping there anymore.

 

Hopefully, they'll all go home this weekend, but perhaps not.

 

🔥🔥🔥

 

 

Edited February 16 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Here is Qing Yun market in more normal times.

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

Local media is now reporting a 3 hour 40 minute wait in line for a bowl of Luosifen and still they're coming. Idiots.

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

In 2012, Liuzhou held an event they titled "10,000 People Eat Luosifen".

 

There weren't 10,000 people in attendance; numbers can be a bit fluid in Chinese. It just meant 'a lot'.

 

However, it may have been prophetic. Thousands of people have been visiting over the last week's holiday for the Chinese New Year, specifically to eat luosifen and other local specialties.

 

Today, the stores selling luosifen which I passed were full, but the 3 - 4 hour wait lines had gone.

 

Damn! I had vaguely planned to go out wearing my commemorative baseball cap from the 2012 event and sell it to the highest bidder.

 

There can't be many still surviving - I'm not  the baseball cap type, so mine has seldom been worn.

 

I'm sure it's a desirable collectors' item now and these idiots will buy anything.

 

Now I'll need to wait till the next holiday - May 1st.

 

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

Final news. Liuzhou authorities just released an official report stating that the city saw over 6 million visitors over the past week.

 

Given that all overnight stays in hotels etc are registered with the police, the figures are probably fairly accurate. 

[liuzhou]

I'm putting this here as it seems to fit and doesn't belong anywhere else. Nor do I think it deserves a new topic of its own.

 

The 'all you can eat buffet concept' is universal I think, although I generally avoid it. You have no idea how long that food has been sitting there.

 

But this Guangxi style AYCE restaurant here in Liuzhou seems to be doing just fine.

 

 

 

Edited June 17 by liuzhou (log)

[donk79]

People are dining at the buffet?  Do they move from dish to dish?  Or do they "fill their plate" then stop wherever is handy?

[liuzhou]

2 hours ago, donk79 said:

People are dining at the buffet?  Do they move from dish to dish?  Or do they "fill their plate" then stop wherever is handy?

 

No. They sit where you see them sitting. Wait staff bring them bowls of noodles in broth* and then they add ingredients of their choice from the dishes in the centre of the long table. These are repeated along the length of the table and are replenished as required. More broth is available on request.

 

* The women in the striped apron top right of the image is bringing some one a bowl of noodles.