Dali’s Market Basket

Over time, a shopping basket tends to settle into a predictable rhythm, shaped by habit and the reliable presence of staples. But while the daily routine usually revolves around the usual tomatoes, eggplants, tofu, and eggs, the real interest lies in what is new—those seasonal arrivals guided by curiosity or mere chance.

The rainy season has been drier than usual so far. Despite occasional flashes of saffron milk caps and boletes, the great mushroom harvest hasn't quite arrived. For now, we settled for cultivated king oysters, which make for a surprisingly excellent vegetarian "chicken" soup.

A neighbor recently opened a restaurant specializing in braised pig’s trotters, but the real curiosity on the menu is raw *Tian Ma* (Gastrodia elata). I’ve long known this orchid tuber as a staple of traditional medicine and soups, but I’ve never tried it raw. Apparently, it is typically served with honey or a soy-based sauce to mask its medicinal edge. We shall have to see.

Elsewhere, the stalls hint at the approaching summer: bamboo shoots, young and starchy lily bulbs, plums ready for fermenting, and remarkably cheap asparagus—all spilling out in abundance from the earth.

To stave off hunger, I stopped for *liangfen*—that savory legume jelly, fried until crispy on the outside and dressed with peanut powder, vinegar, soy, chili, and Sichuan peppercorn oil. This particular style is a staple among the Naxi people in Lijiang, though there it usually comes with a different blend of spices and a generous helping of chives.

The couple running the stall were Han Chinese from south of Dali, and they swore their recipe put Lijiang’s to shame. Out of historical curiosity, I asked where their family had lived before settling in Yunnan, but the question seemed to fluster the owner for some reason, so I let the matter drop.

In the "curiosities" corner, I was amused to spot chunks of "rock honey" tucked away near a Yi minority vendor.

This dubious product—purportedly wild honeycomb—is an old acquaintance from my first year in China. Back then, I triumphantly brought home a block of what turned out to be yellow-dyed sugar scented with artificial honey aroma, only to be gently schooled by a local friend who reminded me that in China, things are rarely what they seem. The vendor barked at me not to take a photo, but what is a forbidden photo compared to the sting of a decade-old insult?

And so, I return to the kitchen laden with mushrooms, plums, orchid tubers, and eggplants—a temporary haul of the land’s abundance. Yet the Mediterranean stomach is a stubborn organ; the Sabbath tradition holds firm, and so it shall be: stuffed vegetables.

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A brief note: in addition to providing travel services throughout China, I lead market and culinary tours here in Dali, Yunnan. Mushroom foraging and other seasonal experiences are also available, depending on the time of year.

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