Lotus Galore!

I was in awe at the first sight of this landscape filled with large lotus ponds under the clear blue sky, with lush green mountains highlighting the background. As I walked through the narrow pathways between ponds, I realized the variety of lotuses they had to offer in terms of their size, color and texture. Welcome to the Ten Mile Lotus Field !

What fascinated me the most was, the edibles prepared from different parts of the flower. Creative delicacies including the sweet lotus seed and petal soup, root and stem fry, crisps, dessert and tea graced the table.

Using an old school tool to peel the lotus seeds

Sweet lotus seed and petal soup

Lotus flavoured tea

Back home in India, a small lotus pond outside a fancy bungalow or a five star hotel is a novelty and I was naturally quite moved by its abundance here in the Zhejiang province of China. Moreover, I had never imagined this flower could be edible! Ever wondered plucking out a gorgeous pink lotus and munching on it?!

 

Dumpling treat

One sunny afternoon, as I was working on a diary entry (a part of my work here in the historical village of Yuyuan is to pen down my daily cultural encounters) I received a text message from my friend Giles on the Wechat group, tempting us to come try some of the dumplings his host mom and sister were preparing at his home-stay.

I couldn’t resist the invite and dropped by to try some delicious looking dumplings. As I arrived, the family was still in the process of making ‘Qing Ming Guo’ – dumplings with tofu, pork, and onion stuffing and I got a chance to try my hand at making this traditional delicacy. Another variation was with the outer covering prepared with glutinous rice paste and crushed sugarcane grass with caramel sugar filling. The green color signifies the family bonding and this variety was generously offered to me.

“You are pretty good at it” said Ayi (aunty) as I was attempting to make delicate folds along the edges with the flattened green rice dough. These were then steamed in a special container in their kitchen and served hot.

‘Qing MIng Guo’

 

Intriguingly, this delicacy is prepared only once every year either on 4^th or 5^th April to celebrate the ‘Tomb Sweeping Day’. As the name suggests, this day is celebrated to remember the ancestors by visiting their tombs, cleaning (sweeping) the area and lighting red candles. Along with the Qing Ming Guo, offerings such as pork and rice wine are made.

Probably impressed by my (not so great) culinary skills, Ayi asked “Would you like to come by for dinner later in the evening?” I barely needed any thinking.

As a memory, they later had me write my name (next to India) on the world map in the background.

With the gang!

It was amazing how an informal dumpling invite turned into an insightful cultural experience with my new friends in the village.

 

The Bench Dragon Dance

I had a unique opportunity to witness the spring festival of ‘Bench Dragon Dance’. The name didn’t really help me picture the festival and we were all the more curious to experience it. This was to be a special case since a spring festival was to take place in the rainy season for us global participants to experience. We felt honored.

Participants gearing up for the big event

As the name goes, 138 families across the village had their respective wooden benches attached to form a long chain in the shape of a dragon. Each bench had a paper lantern with a live candle burning in the center. Each bench belongs to a family and a member (usually male) of the family is supposed to carry it on a stilt. The bench is a symbol of family pride and crossing it from above is considered extremely offensive. Thus, one is expected to slide from below it if at all one needs to cross over to the other side of the ‘dragon’.

The festival started at 6 PM with fireworks and a live band. A large group of eager villagers gathered around the Ancestral hall and we were escorted to the main venue of the event. All the participants (bench bearers) were glowing in their yellow t-shirts and pepping up for the heavy workout that was to follow. I spotted my host uncle (Shushu) amongst them and felt a sense of pride as I watched him gear up and hold on to ‘our family bench’!

As the sun went down, the music got louder and the dragon began to move in circles, forming a whirlpool of red lanterns. As we were soaking in the sunset, drumbeats, a mix of red and yellow colors and the energy, the music paced up and so did the movement of the dragon. Before we knew, the scene got intense and people were running over each other with the benches hitting some heads. I was then reminded of our local friends stressing on safety during the event! The situation mellowed down eventually and safety measures were ensured. The dragon dance went on until a couple of hours into the night and proved to be an absolute treat to watch.

The bench bearers were welcomed back into their homes with firecrackers  we shared this proud moment with our beloved Shushu while sipping on some homemade wine and locally branded Snow beer.

It was indeed one of the most memorable experiences here in Yuyuan so far and I’m sure to remember this one for years to come…

Ants for breakfast

The morning started with a self reminder: Eat a light breakfast at home since we (as judges) were to be treated with authentic Chinese cuisine for the Food Tasting Competition.

Initially I thought we were to visit individual homes around the village to try out the homemade breakfast menu and give ratings for the dishes. Instead it turned out to be an official mega event with a stage, blasting music, anchors, media and tents with tables, all set to serve well-garnished Chinese cuisine!

A rich variety of seafood items, pork, duck and chicken were served. Most of the meat was freshly chopped and prepared a few minutes before the event (yes, they stressed on that). The dish that stood out the most for me was ‘Ma Li Ban Jia’ literally meaning ‘Ants moving the House’! The dish that initially from a distance looked like a mix of nuts and coriander seeds, turned out to be beans and large sized black ants. The dish is called so because the ants look like they are carrying food along to look for a new storage place. I had only  watched these Chinese delicacies with insects as ingredients on the TV, but did I picture myself tasting them while in China? Probably not.

Having grown up in a ‘vegetarian’ home in India, I haven’t been conditioned to eat either meat or seafood and insects were far from consideration. In fact, you would find me screaming my lungs out on seeing a bumblebee in my room! And here I was, being brave and embracing this authentic cultural experience. Interestingly, the ants have a natural sour taste, which blended well with the neutrally tasting beans. You’d be surprised but my Chinese friends hadn’t tried this dish before and were equally curious to know what it tasted like. Apparently the delicacy is special to this region in Jinhua and you might not find it in other parts of China.

Upon proudly sending this photo to my family and friends back home in India, I got responses like “Wow! Did you really eat that?” “Woah, I wish I could taste them too!” All I could say was, “Yuyuan village is the place to be”.

My Chinese Family

I’ve been blessed with an adorable Chinese family during my three week long home-stay in Yuyuan village, Jinhua. I live in a wooden house that’s over two hundred years old and is owned by Nainai (grandma). Historical wooden carvings from the Qing dynasty and the quadrangular housing style are a highlight of this accommodation. The Li family has been residing in this house for over fifty years.

Nainai has one daughter and two sons. As my housemates (Ana, Einat and Amay) and I arrived to our new home in the late evening, we were welcomed with Chinese green tea and a round of quick introductions. Initially we mistook the son and the daughter to be a couple but as we later learned, they were only visiting Nainai to help her jumpstart the homestay business and that both of them have their respective families residing in other (modern) houses in Wuyi county.

Nainai is the most adorable member of the family. At eighty years, she has the energy of a teenager! She has the sweetest smile in the whole wide world and despite how little I understand her local Chinese dialect, we share a special connection. Nainai is a social butterfly and has her friends over for chats and green tea parties at home quite often. My day starts with a warm ‘Nainai hug’ and that’s probably what I’ll miss the most when I’m back in India.

Ayi is a lovely woman – she has a special place in my heart with her ever-smiling face and extremely caring nature. From the very initial days, she has considered our food preferences and made a variety of delicious vegetarian dishes along with some traditional Chinese meat delicacies to balance the menu. Ayi has a classy dressing style and I absolutely love her hairdo! I later learnt that she works in a garment-manufacturing factory. My housemates and I sorely miss having her around when she goes back to her home in Wuyi county for work and to be with her family.

Shushu is a hard working farmer and his sun burnt skin and muscular physique speaks for it. He cares for us girls in his own way. One morning, when I had to go for my first Taichi session, he came along with me just to make sure I reached the right venue! It’s nice to randomly bump into him in the village while he’s chilling with his pals or smoking a cigarette. The time we get to hangout with him is during the meals. He proudly offers us homemade (strong) kiwi and grape wine and it makes him visibly happy when we accept a glass of beer for company. “It’s a way of showing our hospitality”, he says, as we go “Kanpai!” I find him slyly grinning every time I try speaking in Mandarin (probably it’s the strong English accent!)

My housemates and I wouldn’t have asked for more. As they say ‘All good things come to an end’, the very thought of leaving this magical village and our beloved family is a constant reminder to make the most of our stay here. Needless to say, we’ll cherish this bond forever..