How many forum members live in China?

[Not Nicky]

 

By percentage of visits top countries are US (by a long way), then UK and China roughly equal, Singapore, Canada, Australia...

 

Would the visits from "US" be inflated a bit by people in China on a VPN? I know I'm almost always on the VPN unless I'm only using local sites for something, or at work where I can't use it consistently.

[lips]

...include a sentence or two suggesting something you think would make a reasonable substitute.

That would potentially make it (the recipe, article) a viable commercial product. :O

[Shelley]

One thing I would say is don't change what you do now, it is a winning formula as shown by your popular following and encouragement from forum members.

 

Just keep doing what you do. Putting it in one place and having links to separate articles is about the only change you need to make.

 

Don't change the content or presentation just how it is tagged and catalogued to make finding things easier.

[roddy]

"Would the visits from "US" be inflated a bit by people in China on a VPN?"

Very possibly. 

[abcdefg]

Thank you all for those thoughtful suggestions. I will push on. There is so much interesting and tasty food here, that exploring it is always fun. Such a rich place. And if I can share that exploring fun with some internet friends, all the better!

 

Every day is an adventure. Yesterday the market was full of a new vegetable that wasn't there only one week before. Vendors in carts are selling it on every street corner. It's green, strange looking and very cheap. Sort of like several large knobby Brussels sprouts all joined together.

 

Am still trying to work out what it's called and how to use it. Bound to be something local and in peak season right now. In a few days I'm sure my hunt will be rewarded and I will try it in my kitchen and then tell you about it. One seller told me it tastes a bit like cabbage.

 

Thus far the vendors have all been dialect speakers, and they call it something that sounds a bit like 饿菜。(I'm sure that's not the right character; maybe it's 恶, meaning ugly.) I pressed one vendor pretty hard and she finally said it was 野菜，which just means "wild vegetable." None of the sellers so far has been able to write; one youngish one tried with her index finger on her palm, but soon gave up.

 

I'll take a good photo tomorrow and send it to several of my Kunming friends. They will surely know.

[abcdefg]

I think this is it: http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=R6QnXapA7AamcaBB7DAelMpsAUUqCRMnvVnZ1iMu8Xut9Tiq_MSK-8dn0T_E1Zl7VXQDWaMfIyN-kBEG1a22SmguZ3VObQD5OxtYKt2DdmWhZfardnBrxIQd4gxKS8DW

 

 

(More coming soon.)

[Lu]

Perhaps it is 恶菜, who knows. There is (or at one point has been) a type of citrus fruit known as 'ugly'.

 

Your story about the vendors not knowing the Mandarin name or how to write it reminds me of the story of Han Shaogong buying fish in Hainan...

What's this, he asked the fishmonger in Mandarin.

A fish, says the guy.

Well of course, but what kind?

Fishmonger gets irritated: A big fish!

Han Shaogong snickered to himself: here I am on an island with a centuries-old fishing tradition and this guy doesn't even know what that fish is called! Only later he realised (or learned) that in fact, Hainan has an extremely rich fishing vocabulary, unsurprisingly. But it's all in Hainanese, and their Mandarin knowledge just isn't that detailed.

[abcdefg]

Good story, Lu. Sure does ring true!

 

I wondered about it being "ugly" too 恶。Didn't think the word was "Russian" 俄。But, breaking news, it turns out that they were saying 儿菜。 Have not yet tracked down where the name came from and decided how best to use it.

 

  

 

http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=wu79H4KfTMI_gno_KUvXfjOSOI4SxfMVxL6DdwwIbj-xlJoR_tTtl5Tbl83hcl4odEHOCGlJ8n_59ltkzLaOHkcKDdJQ0CqpuBqEqP4rU1q

[dwq]

I wonder if there are members from Macau...?

[baihua]

Ex-vegan, current pescatarian living in Shanghai

 

Outside of the buddhist religion, I haven't really found many receptive to vegetarianism, although if you mention it, it is not a subject of mockery. In line with Angelina, food security is an important issue and awareness is growing. I have never seen free range eggs, but you can find organic produce. Otherwise, I'm spoilt for choice in terms of vegetables, tofu, eggs, porridge and sea food. At the same time, the vegetarian niche is the usual racket here that it is back in the UK. Expect expensive specialist restaurants.

[abcdefg]

I have never seen free range eggs...

 

Baihua -- I buy them all the time here in Kunming. Sellers call them 土鸡蛋。The chickens are not confined in cages. Cost me 1 Yuan each for large ones. Small ones are less; jumbos are more.

 

I eat meat, but love my vegetables dearly. If I were forced to choose between being able to easily buy great veggies or great meat; I would choose the veggies any day of the week. And tofu is available here in so many different varieties and forms.

 

Unfortunately, being an inland province means Yunnan does not get the best seafood. We do have river and lake fish plus a few shellfish 贝壳。But we are not as rich in that department as you are in Shanghai.

 

I do have several local friends who eat entirely vegetarian 吃素。One is a devout Buddhist, while another is just a health conscious lady. The third is someone who objects to the way animals raised for food are so often mistreated. And there are a couple more who eat vegetarian just out of habit.

[eion_padraig]

@abcdefg,

 

The food posts are great. Unfortunately, my follow through on cooking anything at home is poor. I need to find a partner who would enjoy following your cooking advice.

I live in Guangzhou still, but I have accepted a great job at an excellent international school in Shanghai starting in August. I lived in Shanghai over 10 years ago for 3 years. It should be interesting to go back.

 

Eion

[abcdefg]

Thanks, Eion, I understand. Hope that Shanghai turns out to be a great career move. It's certainly a vibrant city with lots to see and do, not to mention excellent food.