Pastoral Pastoral?——Farmhouse Diary

Eating is an eternal topic. Some people even say that people live just to eat. I have a very healthy, tolerant and hard-working stomach, so no matter where I am, I can accept local food and almost never have any objections. So when I am alone, I often express my gratitude to my stomach without hesitation, and I also express my gratitude to my stomach. encouragement for future work.

This essay is a summary of my visit to some local farmhouses when I was working in some places at home and abroad in recent years. I hope my friends, especially foodies and pen pals, will like it!

Let’s start with domestic farmhouses. Let’s talk about Wannan first. When I was working in Ningguo, I often went to Luohuadang, a beautiful small village near the city. Strolling along the winding road, the farmhouses along the road are clean and bright, with vines twining and flowers blooming. There are dozens of ancient trees in this small village of less than half a square kilometer, especially a thousand-year-old locust tree with a beautiful shape and luxuriant branches to this day. Looking around, the green mountains in the distance, the streams, ancient trees and dwellings nearby form a three-dimensional picture, interpreting the beauty of harmony between nature and people. The farmhouse restaurant in the village has a good business. They are independent cabins surrounded by green trees and bamboo forests. Each wooden cabin has a table and several benches. The dishes, bowls and chopsticks are all very clean. The dishes served are based on local Huizhou dishes. Mainly, there are many small hot pots, including stone chicken, water chestnuts, small fish, native chicken, and pickled vegetables. It is very comfortable to eat with the local green plum wine. This typical southern Anhui flavor reminds me of my return trip from Wuhan to Xuan some time ago. City, passing by a farm restaurant on the Qingyi River in nearby Nanling County, eating at a farmhouse restaurant. Just as the rain cleared outside the window, what caught my eye was the spring water of the river under the sunset and the pretty girl from the farmhouse who came back from laundry by the river. , after two glasses of wine, it will feel like everyone is getting drunk even if the wine is not intoxicating. I immediately wrote a poem to record it:

There is a farmhouse in another nearby town. It is very large. People in southern Anhui are very particular about neatness. The yard is very clean. The first thing you see when you walk in is a small farmhouse. A boy and a little girl were playing next to the pond, which was quite interesting. The most fun thing was that there were several swings in the forest in front. The group of people had a childlike innocence and had enough swings. What impressed me most was that I had to walk through a bamboo forest path when I went to Chugong. When I was in the bathroom hidden in the bamboo forest, I looked at the mottled green bamboo leaves outside (how did you think of the bamboo shadow with green eyes? What is that?), and I felt Very cool.

Another time when I passed by the foot of Huangshan Mountain, I was deeply impressed by a farmhouse near a village. Their slogans were very culturally distinctive and filled in the content and practice of new rural construction into words. On the wall, the reading is catchy and impressive, and Huizhou still has a lot of cultural heritage. The excerpt is as follows:

Tianjingsha Cangxi Village Residence (not a work by Ou)

High mountains and tall mountains,

Maolin bamboo selenium tea. ? (Se-enriched tea, local specialty)

Birds singing, flowers fragrant and waterfall hanging.

Under the shade of greenery,

A house with white walls and black tiles.

Back in Beijing, when the leaves in the western suburbs were turning red, I took advantage of the meeting in Xiangshan to take a walk around the botanical garden. I never expected that the autumn in Beijing, where I have lived for more than ten years, is also very beautiful at this time. The autumn air is crisp and clear, and the forests are dyed under the blue sky and white clouds. In the breeze, a piece of cool air penetrates the thin clothes. The so-called "one leaf knows autumn" is most obvious on the cotinus. Clusters of purple-red leaves are so bright that sometimes purple-red, golden and residual green are actually gathered on one leaf. The leaves of the cork oak have turned yellowish brown, and together with its rough-striped bark, it gives Beijing’s autumn colors a solemn air.

That time I went back to Beijing and went to two farmhouses in the suburbs of Beijing. The first was Changping, a small farmhouse. I had a drink in the warm sunshine under the gourd stand and a few plates of side dishes such as potatoes and beans stewed. My appetite worked up and I ate it up. A group of people then went to the persimmon forest in the backyard to hunt persimmons. They bought dozens of kilograms at a low price and put them in the trunk of the car along with several large pumpkins. They also picked a few small gourds to play with. On the way back, the Badaling Expressway was crowded with cars laden with persimmons, local eggs and even Chinese cabbage. It felt like we were like a group of locusts and bandits from the city. After eating and drinking, we swept away the fruits of the farmers. Walk away.

Another farmhouse is near Fenghuangling. I suggested finding it because I was not used to the climate and climate when I returned to Beijing this time. I was infected with wind and cold and felt weak all over. I decided to climb the mountain after lunch. While driving along the road, I suddenly saw a store flag fluttering on the hill ahead. I drove up and saw a pergola, a few stone tables and wooden chairs; a fish pond with a few grass carp and rainbow trout; a brick wall with some hanging peppers and garlic; A fat girl, a few tabby cats and yellow dogs. So I decided to focus here.

After ordering a few dishes, I picked up the fishing rod, but I didn’t catch a single fish for a long time. After a while, the fat girl brought the dishes, a plate of stir-fried bitter vegetables, emerald green; a pot of spring water stewed fish, fresh and tender; another plate of fried river shrimps, and some hand-rolled noodles with sticks, locusts We started to eat again. Write a poem to remember:

After having enough food and wine, we can go up to the mountains. There is no need to mention the scenery. Just use the poem of Du Mu, a gangster: Far up the cold mountain, the stone path is sloping, and there are people living in the white clouds. . Stop and sit in the maple forest at night, the leaves are as red as the flowers in February due to frost. What a poem, what a poem. It’s true: I’m not afraid of you being a gangster, I’m just afraid that gangsters are educated.

When talking about culture, we must mention Taiwan, which retains a lot of original Chinese traditional culture. Wander through the small streets and alleys of cities like Taipei, check out jade ornaments in small handicraft shops, chat with women sitting around, eat fresh and delicious Hakka dishes at corner restaurants, and order something from a roadside snack shop. The rich and authentic braised pork rice, or simply taking a taxi to Shilin Night Market for oyster omelette, the soft Taiwanese Mandarin, the natural rhythm of life, the strong human touch, especially the traditional atmosphere I feel all the time, make me very comfortable. Even a little drunk.

Returning to the north, I visited several places in Heilongjiang in 2014. I felt that every time I went to Harbin before, it was too narrow. When I went out, I saw vast rivers and mountains, such as Daxinganling, Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, Dajiang, and Dajiang. Ridges, large forests, and large wetlands are truly beautiful scenery everywhere. Eating earthen stove in Xiangshui Village on the bank of Mudanjiang River, there are unnamed fried river fish on the table, sweet potatoes and corn (everything from the black soil is delicious), stewed river fish in a big pot, pickled cabbage stewed meat, red and oily. The salted duck eggs, and of course the Xiangshui rice, which grows on volcanic rocks and does not require any side dishes, is very fragrant when eaten alone, which greatly increased our appetite and made several people full of food. When I was drunk, I put on a single coat alone, walked outside the house, took a deep breath of cool fresh air, stood on the suspension bridge, and saw two huge rainbows piercing the water from the clouds at dusk after the rain. , the clear river water meanders away, and two small fishing boats lie empty in the middle of the river. Together with the black dense forest on the small island in the river, they look like an oil painting. I can't help but write this:

The most unforgettable thing about Xinjiang is driving on the vast and desolate desert highway. After driving for several hours, the scenery on both sides is always exactly the same. In the evening, we arrived at a lonely yard by the Tarim River. It was steaming inside. The owner cut down red willow branches and roasted fresh lamb. He brought a large basin to the table. The tender chunks of mutton were accompanied by the aroma of red willow branches and cumin. The golden pilaf next to it makes the carrots inside look red and oily. With the appetizing onion and cucumber salad, drink some shochu and look at the Gobi Desert and Populus euphratica forest in the distance in the dusk. A sense of loneliness, desolation and solemnity arises in my heart. Feeling of strength. In a place like this, I can really feel the beating of my heart, that primitive beating. In Wang Wei's poem, "The solitary smoke is straight in the desert, and the sun is setting in the long river" is probably the artistic conception of this. By the way, among the large plates of fruits on the table, you must eat watermelon first and then cantaloupe. The reason is very simple. After eating Xinjiang cantaloupe, any other fruit will not be sweet. As a result, you will be very sorry for the watermelon. . After returning to Beijing, I wrote a poem called "Broken Array" to remember:

I have returned to southern Anhui. In September 2007, I went to Shitai County for a poverty alleviation inspection. It was almost dusk when we got back. It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the host invited us to have dinner in Qiupu Fishing Village to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The fishing village is located by the Qiupu River. After walking across the suspension bridge, you can see the mountains in the distance, steaming clouds and rosy clouds, and a clear river flowing slowly to the north. A few boats docked by the river are dining places. After dinner, a bonfire was lit by the river, and several ethnic minority girls danced bamboo pole dances. The group played time, and some people joined the game.

After get off work, we were still not satisfied, so we were invited to eat roast beef (beef, especially local beef, is very expensive in Korea). While grilling, we talked about history. I said that some place names in South Korea and Hubei Province in China are almost the same, including Hanjiang River, Hanyang, and Wuchang. Seoul was also called Seoul before. Like Jingzhou, there are Dragon Boat Festival, sacrifices, and dragon boat races. And I was shocked. The hotel buffet in the morning actually had rice tea that I had never seen anywhere else! ! This shows that many Koreans may have originated from the Jianghan River Basin in Hubei... The deputy governor said that he did not know this, but in the Ming Dynasty, China helped South Korea fight a war to resist Japanese invasion. The Chinese generals at that time felt that South Korea was good and stayed. There are many descendants now. This explanation is good. The general is a high-level figure after all, and it is better than the escape story I told.

Then we talked about traditional Chinese medicine. The deputy governor said that a kind of ball on the tree is very popular in South Korea. It is a traditional medicinal material that can treat many diseases, but there are very few of them now. After gesturing for a long time, I finally understood it. It is a kind of mistletoe. I happen to like plants. I found a lot of them when I was walking in the woods during my spare time in Germany. I showed him the photos on my mobile phone and everyone looked at them with gusto. Koreans also attach great importance to health and natural herbs. Topics such as traditional Chinese medicine and history have become a bridge between us and increased mutual trust. In my opinion, cultural communication and collision are more delicious than food.

Another time in my memory, I drove to the Netherlands and strolled along the North Sea coast of The Hague. Seagulls were flying through the harsh sea breeze. There was actually a family swimming in the cold sea water, which made the shrinking neck We are deeply impressed. There is a seafood buffet restaurant on the beach. It costs 20 yuan per person. You can eat and drink as much as you like, grilled fish, grilled shrimps, sashimi and fresh clams, and have a great time. The restaurant is owned by a Chinese who is busy and very hardworking. After chatting for a while, I made some money, but it was too hard and not easy. I said you are one of the most diligent people I have ever met. He was so moved that he was speechless.

On the way back, I passed through a small town in Germany and my car ran out of gas. I decided to get off the highway to refuel and find a place to eat. After twists and turns, I entered a village and found the only restaurant in the village. It was clean inside. There were a few small tables, and people at three tables were chatting. Two of them were old people, each with a glass of beer (an aging society). There was a man and a woman at the next table. Later, several men and women came in. Everyone knew each other and said hello. It feels so good to be adjacent. After ordering food, there was actually nothing to order. The German menu was just a few things. Beef, fish and so on were all semi-finished products. They were fried in a pan and brought out. The difference was whether potato chips or potato cubes were placed next to them. , or vegetable leaves or beans. However, it is commendable that the raw materials are good. The sheep are naturally raised by the river. They walk, bask in the sun, and eat green grass every day. The taste of the mutton is naturally very fragrant, and there is no slight smell. It is also very delicious when paired with German beer. It's refreshing.

Having said so many differences in farmhouses, in fact, what we like is a very different thing, which is to return to simplicity, find the sense of harmony with nature, and find the sense of harmony in the busy life. The feeling of leisure allows us to savor the breath of life and return to our original heart. Here is a poem about "the taste of the four seasons" to share with all the sentimental foodies:

Bitter, sweet, spicy, sour, bland, salty, astringent, fresh, the taste of the four seasons, It is also the flavor of life. The truth is: We are all bearish on power and money, so don’t be annoying. Ha ha!