Mala: China Folk House Flavor with Dr. John Flower S1, Ep.9

Where do I start?  How about with this episode's bags, which were collected by me in China in 2014:

*Lay's Sichuan Pepper and Chicken Flavor
*Lay's Spicy Green Peppercorn Fish
*Lay's Numb and Spicy Hot Pot
*Lay's Cheese Lobster
*Lay's French Chicken
*Lay's Kyushu Seaweed
*Ridge Barbeque Skewer

I met with Dr. John Flower--a friend of mine, who together with his wife , Dr. Pam Leonard, spearheaded the giant project of moving a traditionally-built folk house from Yunnan Province in China to Jefferson County, West Virginia.   You can read all about and watch video of the disassemblage and moving of the house here:  https://www.chinafolkhouse.org/

Weirdly enough--my family, my husband, myself, and various friends in this area of West Virginia all have ties to China.  Some of us have studied there, some have run businesses there, others have toured and played music there.  John Flower has done all of those things in addition to being the Director of the Chinese Studies Program at Sidwell Friends School. 

Because some of my bags are only in Chinese characters and I am illiterate in Chinese, John looked through my collection and helped me translate.  Not that is made much sense anyway!  He also reflected on the role of regional ideas of flavor and connecting people through food.

Glossary:

la:  hot/spicy

Yunnan:  region of China that borders Tibet, Laos, and Myanmar. The region is known for its   
                      large number of ethnic minorities such as Bai, Naxi, and Lisu  people.  Along with
                      the Chinese Han majority and Tibetans,
Sichuan:  A region of china known for its distinctive cuisine involving hot peppers and
                     numbing peppercorns.

Thank you to bluegrass band, Magraw Gap, and John Flower for singing "Kangding" so beautifully.