Now You See It, Now You Don't

In a couple of days we'll be heading back to Sichuan. I've been going through my notebooks from our January trip, and today I'm thinking about a lunch we ate in Chongqing.

Chongqing was a spur-of-the-moment sidetrip inspired by tales of deliciousness, and just plain curiosity. We never made it to Chongqing when we lived in Chengdu in the mid-80s (we never cruised up the Yangtze, either). But as a doctoral student in the late nineties I spent hours in a drafty archives building in Nanjing, reading scratched microfiche of documents which emanated from the city, which served as the provisional capital of the Guomindang-run Chinese Republic from 1937 to 1946. From these documents, and my readings on Republican China during its Chongqing era, I had a vision of an industrial coal smoke-saturated city tumbling down steep hills to the mighty Yangtze.

I wasn't too far off the mark. The air is probably better now than it was then, but the city -- or at least the part of the city that we stayed in -- appears to be permanently covered in soot. It was January, cold and grey and rainy and its streets, which really do wind down steep hillsides, were slick and uninviting.

Chongqing is re-developing rapidly and, as with most other Chinese cities, unattractively. But by accident we ended up staying near one of the Chongqing's oldest neighborhoods, whose twisting lanes and alleys hide a late Qing-era post office and a Republican customs house, among other historical treasures. And that's where we spent much of our two days there.

Two hours after dropping our bags in our hotel we found ourselves at a little shop on the edge of the neighborhood. I doubt that it had any pedigree, but it did boast a sort of ambassador, a friendly elderly busybody who'd been living in the neighborhood for decades. While we ate she drifted over to our table and away again, checking on our progress ("Oh, you really aren't afraid of chili, are you!") and then reporting back to the folks hanging out at the neighboring shops and to others who'd just been passing by when they noticed a couple foreigners feasting on noodles and stopped to investigate.

The lady running the shop was a superb cook, and the dishes on offer were just different enough from much of what we'd been eating in Chengdu to be interesting. We ate daoshao mian ("knife-cut" noodles) two ways: in a spicy broth with plenty of leafy greens and the same yellow peas we'd enjoyed with our "palm" noodles in Chengdu, 

 

and stir-fried with bean sprouts and chunks of lamb.

The noodles were a pasta-lover's dream: thick, uneven, and rough-textured with lots of elasticity and chew, fantastic in soup but even better stir-fried, having sucked up all the smoky flavor of the wok and the richness of the meat.

The food in Chongqing is said to be even more fiery than that in Chengdu. We certainly warmed right away to the lajiao (chili paste) served with our noodles. It was extra chunky with a definate roasted, almost burnt edge and a hint of black vinegar sourness. We added it to our noodles in pingpong ball-sized spoonfuls.

 

Over lunch Dave and I congratulated each other on this find. This little eatery, we knew, would be a place we'd return to on our next, hopefully longer, visit to Chongqing. The city, ugly on the surface, was seeming more and more intriguing.

 

As we were leaving I asked the shop's ambassador for a street address.

"It doesn't matter, this restaurant won't be here next week," she told me. "Didn't you notice that many of these buildings are vacant? The whole area is scheduled for redevelopment."

 

I suspect that if we make it back to Chongqing this time what we'll find in its place is a massive hole in the ground.

It's China: now you see a neighborhood, now you don't.

Comments

[eastingfeasting]

wow, delicious and sad at the same time, also we share similar hobbies, loving what china does to the chilli in paste that is an art in itself.

[Mila]

I've been to Chongqing twice this year, height of summer. I'm heading back in October and looking forward to mala in cooler weather.
Other than the food, the city doesn't appeal to me much, although I think if I had a way of getting around town without being stuck in traffic, I'd enjoy it a lot more. And I want to sail up?down? the Yangtze!

[Linda]

Darn-I was excited about finding this place! Sounds like Fuchsia Dunlops experiences in old Chengdu neighbourhoods.
I am appalled at what they have done to Qianmen Street in Beijing - tore down the huotongs and shops and created a phoney Las Vegas like Qing Dynasty street complete with designer shops. It's just too weird!

[Jodi]

If you know the unofficial name for China is "Demolish that!" (in Chinese), then you should not be surprise for all these demolition. Who are we to feel sad about this? The entire nation, from the Great Leader to the humble worker, everyone is proud of all these development. More mall please!

[Katy]

Robyn, you could tell that this building would soon be demolished from the big red circled 拆 all over the wall. Look up and around, you will probably see this often now in Chengdu in areas where redevelopments are undertaking. Look for this and Dave can get shots of tomorrow’s ‘history’!

Also, EatingAsia ban may have been lifted in China – colleagues at China’s Universities, using China’s Education Network – obviously monitored by the authorities, could now view the site – although downloading very slow. And they cannot on FB or Twitter, along with many other sites. If the ban was about Taiwan, perhaps the 3000 Sichuan tourists a week or a month to Taiwan had made some difference! Perhaps with the ROC 100 celebration, EatingAsia will be on full blast next year! I am sure you will be so looking forward to more ‘challenges’ on the authenticity of your Chinese food knowledge and terminology from true locals! We all learn from ‘good intentions’, don't we! :-)

[Robyn]

Hi Katy - I know well about 'zhai' from living in Shanghai in the mid-90s, when 1/2 the city (including the building 25 feet from our back door) was a construction site! We weren't looking for 'zhai' when we ambled down this street, but saw plenty of them (along with the red and yellow banners exhorting residents to 'support' the remaking of Chongqing and other such tripe) once we turned the corner.

Jodi -- I hope you meant that comment in jest. It is absolutely NOT true that the 'entire nation' is 'proud' of all this 'development' ... especially the residents of neighborhoods like this who are forcibly moved from their homes to wastelands of towering apartment blocks 1.5 hours from the center of the city. We spent 2 days talking to pple in this neighborhood. Most were resigned to moving, but we couldn't find any who were happy about it.

It is very weird Linda. But also very China.

Mila - we're contemplating returning to Chongqing next week for a couple of days. It's not a visually appealing city but I feel almost challenged by it -- to find something to really like (besides the food, which is great!).

eastingfeasting -- well put! Parsing chili pastes, sauces, and oils in China is an excellent hobby!

[Jemaine]

Jodi - I assume by 'Great Leader' in China you are referring to the dollar?

[Katy]

Erm..Perhaps you don't need any more 'challenges'?

Jodi -- what are the characters for 'Demolish that' - the unofficial name for China? do you mean 重整/重振？I didn't know about that one. I see what you mean about feeling sad (for whom?) -- I think people from the developed countries are 'sad' to see a China with its unique tradition and culture that once in their dream had gone. But I do see what you mean and I know Chinese are extremely proud of their achievements and they so rightly deserved it. And I wouldn't want to say if it comes from a fear/threat that China may soon dominate the world.

[Robyn]

Katy - it's not a 'challenge' it's a conversation.

Feel free to disagree but until you've talked to pple forced to move from their homes to make way for apartments that will be purchased by primarily high-income individuals (not the laobaixing) you might reserve judgment. I saw enough yellow trucks in Shanghai forcibly removing pple and their belongings (and protests against it) to think I have an inkling of the 'other side' of development in Chinese cities. I could point you to probably hundreds of newspaper articles about forcible removals, beatings, inadequate compensation for homes, protests, etc. Shortly before our visit to Chengdu in Jan a woman set herself on fire to protest being forcibly removed AND watching her family being beaten by thugs hired by developers to clear the area. This is not uncommon at all. Perhaps you've heard of 'nail houses'? I'm sure Jodi has.

If being concerned for these individuals and their rights, and wanting to point out how they experience 'development' is being sentimental, then yes, I am being sentimental.

Chinese have a right to be proud of how far the country has come in a relatively short period of time. But there have been and continue to be human costs associated with growth.

It is possible to like (even love) a country (your own country even) and its people and its food and still see -- and discuss -- its warts. Unless one prefers to wear rose-colored glasses. I'd rather see both sides of the coin, thanks.

[Katy]

Jemaine --that is not nice, spiteful actually if I am honest. China well deserved the achievements they have today, they work so hard for it. No one is perfect and the same to wherever you come from.

[Katy]

Robyn, right. Your 'old woman' foreigner's point of views do not come for no reasons! Both sides of the coin - accepted.

[Rita Reyes]

Congratulations on making the top 50 food blogs!

Rita
Gluten Free

[Gabriel Hummel]

The post title directly describes my feelings towards this food.

Its like a magic trick, now you see it, now you don't.

Hopefully no bunnies were killed during the making of this post (just sheep)

[Robyn]

This post was about a delicious lunch, a neighborhood in Chongqing, and changing China. Who knew it would engender so much emotion. It's all getting just a bit too heated and for the first time on Eating Asia I am closing comments. Discussion over, thanks for reading.