Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

So many bastards, so little time.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

“Cheese and Kraken paired together for the appetizer trial.”

Fani Willis claps back at Trump chihuahua, Jim Jordan.

This fight is for everything.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

T R E 4 5 O N

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

It’s a doggy dog world.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

Not all heroes wear capes.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Excellent Links / Sunday Morning Garden Food Chat: ‘How the Chili Pepper Conquered China’

Sunday Morning Garden Food Chat: ‘How the Chili Pepper Conquered China’

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No garden photos to share — I assume y’all are either too busy working yours, or else (like me) frustrated by the insane weather. So here’s a semi-adjacent topic, since I know many of you gardeners are also chili-pepper fans. For Sixth Tone, scholar Cao Yu explains:

… Chili peppers first arrived in China in the late 16th century, when Portuguese and Dutch navigators brought peppers from the Americas to their coastal trading strongholds in Southeast Asia. From there, they were brought back to China by Chinese seamen who valued them not for their taste, but for their beauty.

It would be another half-century before the peppers began to be incorporated into local cuisine. Interestingly, this occurred not along the coast, where peppers were first imported, but inland, in the remote, impoverished province of Guizhou. There, ethnic minority communities began to use chili peppers as a way of adding flavor to their food. Guizhou didn’t have a single salt well, and the imperial government’s salt tax was staggeringly high. As a result, chili peppers became one of the few affordable condiments in the region. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the popularity of chili peppers gradually grew, until virtually all of the poor peasants in southwestern China became spice-eaters.

This endowed chili pepper consumption with distinct class connotations. The traditional gentry and imperial officials long resisted the popularity of chili peppers, believing that they were a coarse and unhealthy food. The negative image of chili peppers among China’s upper classes persisted even after the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the founding of the Republic of China.

Later, during the Communist revolution, chili peppers’ association with the common people made them the subject of praise and political symbolism. Mao Zedong — who hailed from one of the poor inland regions that had embraced the pepper — was famous for his love of spice. Several early Communist bases were located in the inland mountainous areas of the south and manned by the poor peasants whose ancestors had embraced chili peppers all those years ago. To an extent, the pepper became a symbol of the spirit of the Communist Party of China itself: red, fiery, rebellious…

Beginning in the 1980s, the systems that prevented the free movement of people from place to place were gradually loosened. China urbanized rapidly. In the three decades from 1990 to 2020, the percentage of Chinese living in urban areas more than doubled, from roughly 26% to almost 64%. Once settled, they created a new urban migrant culinary culture…

The defining quality of China’s urban migrant cuisine is spice. For more than three decades, the provinces of Hunan, Sichuan, and Guizhou, all traditional bastions of pepper consumption, provided a significant proportion of the country’s migrant workforce. For them, spicy food not only evokes shared memories of their hometowns, but also reaffirms their working-class identities. Migrants from other regions, even those where spicy food is uncommon, have also embraced the practice of adding peppers to their meals, sometimes for quite practical reasons: Chilis can compensate for the unpleasant taste that comes from keeping food in the refrigerator, allowing poorer workers to enjoy decent culinary experiences at a low price…

As a result, chilis have become one of the focal ingredients in mainstream urban dining culture, not only in the ubiquitous hot pot restaurants and mala tang stands, but also in fast food joints, supermarkets, convenience stores, and even in international chains such as KFC, McDonald’s, and Pizza Hut. In cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou, this is happening despite the objections of locals. Now minorities in their own cities, longtime residents complain of local delicacies being squeezed out by “coarse” spicy fare from inland…

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What’s going on in your garden(s), this week? Where are your memories of past gardens? Send me photos!

Reader Interactions

70Comments

  2. 2.

    satby

    What’s going on in your garden?

    Hoping to find out today, first day without rain in about a week. Edit: weeds, that’s also what’s going on. And hydrangeas, now that they’re a few years old I’m getting a little blooming starting.

  3. 3.

    p.a.

    I’ve wondered abt food cultures before the cross-pollenation of the age of exploration, especially the heat-loving cuisines of Asia. Youtube channel Pasta Grammer has one show where they do a few Italian recipes from before American influence.  I’m sure I could easily find more.

  4. 4.

    R-Jud

    The slugs have absolutely destroyed me this year, which is my first year with a garden since 2015. Hopefully I’ll have stuff to share in the spring.

  5. 5.

    Jeffery

    Finally had rain last night. An inch in the gauge this morning. It’s been raining all around me for two weeks. Could sit on the front porch and watch it rain across the river about half a mile away. So frustrating.

    This morning the garden has perked up. Some of the winter squash may have given up the ghost. Have to see how they responded to last night’s rain.

    The tomatoes will all start to ripen all at once, possible sometime this week. I have 9 ox heart tomato plants in the ground. They are loaded with large tomatoes. The neighborhood is going to be getting tomatoes.

  7. 7.

    Immanentize

    Peppers! I have poblano, serrano and jalapenos growing. I really like growing anaheims — they are much like hatch chillis — but no shop was selling plants this year! But I did get tomatillos which are growing fine after I put up an anti-riffraff fence to keep hare and whistle pig out.

    As AL knows, we have had a series of gully washers here near Boston. Most recent last night. I fear they might have drowned some of my plants.

  11. 11.

    Immanentize

    Just to give you an idea how little deviation has been in our weather since Elsa blew through a week ago: today’s detailed forecast gave me a chuckle…

    Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 10am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10am and 1pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm.

  12. 12.

    debbie

    The hydrangeas around here have begun to fade. This is the first year I’ve thought they didn’t last long enough.

  16. 16.

    Gvg

    We had weeks of rain before Elsa and now it’s back to drought. Phooey. Tomatoes had mildew and hornworms before they really got started. Royal Ana agapanthus are starting though and they are glorious.

  17. 17.

    satby

    @Immanentize: Elsa didn’t come near us, but we’ve had the same forecast for about as long; now going to clearer weather with humidity and mosquitoes. I itch just thinking about it.

  19. 19.

    Immanentize

    @raven: That is one fine looking crape myrtle. I love the bark on those trees. I planted white Natchez Crapes in San Antonio. They were great. Can’t grow them here.

    Looks like they block the house view now

    ETA I look at the Redfin estimate and weep. I bought the house on an FHA fixer upper loan for about 60k with 30k for repairs/improvements. We fixed it up, it seems! We left in 2001 and it is still the same color scheme…

  21. 21.

    raven

    @Immanentize: Whoa, ours has increased a good bit but not that much. Of course with a reverse mortgage it really doesn’t matter in the long run.

  22. 22.

    UttBugly

    I got it made for maybe two months. Anaheim, hot banana, Thai, tabasco, jalapeño, cayenne.

    I am pepper rich and I am most fortunate.  A very nice summer in the Ohio river valley of SW Indiana and NW Kentucky – so far.

  23. 23.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @R-Jud:

    I have deer. We did find an anti-deer spray that keeps them off the flowers.

    We have a 5X5 raised bed for tomatoes and peppers inside an old 10X10, 6’ dog run (with squash and cucumbers on the ground); I like to think the fuckers stand there looking at it while trembling in rage. Funny story, though – we notice some squash blossoms disappearing, and finally realized that box turtles were slipping in under a gap that we closed.

    We’re thick with those guys. I try to avoid them when mowing, but am not always successful when the yard gets thick in spots. I made ace by July 1, sadly – they’re good at hiding.

  28. 28.

    MomSense

    Yesterday it didn’t rain, just drizzled for long enough that I was able to weed the beds in the front of the house.

    I’ve had lots of yummy salads and pesto from my garden. I’m hoping the peppers and tomatoes withstand the rain because they were looking so promising.
    I bought four blueberry bushes yesterday but I didn’t have a chance to plant them. I’ve given up grand visions for the berm behind my house and now I just want to clean it up and block it.

    Last night I took my mom to see a summer concert at the seaside pavilion. In the before times we were season ticket holders for the PSO’s classical series. My mom played in the PSO for 20+ years and she has been missing live music. We had such a nice time. It was a John Williams movie theme with a guest conductor who was really funny and charming.
    My mom started playing in the symphony in 1976 when we moved to Maine. After concerts my mom, sister, and I would stop at a food truck called Rapid Ray’s and Dynamite Don’s. My sister and I watched the concerts from backstage so we were wearing ordinary clothes but picture my mom, who looked a lot like Audrey Hepburn, in formal black dresses, heels, hair in a chignon striding up to the RV to order three cheese choc and fries. We were having so much fun reminiscing that an older gentleman in line ahead of us paid for our food.
    There was a family with young children sitting near us at the concert. The little ones had never been to a symphony performance before and watching their faces light up with delight was such a beautiful thing to see.
    The conductor was very funny during the Jaws theme. There’s a recent viral video of a great white munching on a whale carcass in shallow water at a nearby beach so we were an appreciative audience. The French horn solo from Leia’s theme and the violin from Schindler’s List were beautifully played. First concert since February 2020 and I’m hoping we can return to in person concerts this year.

  30. 30.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Most of my gardening is on hold, other than watching things grow, a little harvesting here and there, and mowing between the rows. Anything more than that and I pay a price and some things I just can’t do. Finally get my MRI tomorrow and hopefully I’ll find out just exactly what all I did to the shoulder. Safe to say not near as bad as I at first feared and not even the same ball park as the first time I tore it up. Got my fingers crossed that I can fix it with PT only, which I start on Tuesday.

  31. 31.

    zhena gogolia

    Highly recommend North and South on Amazon Prime (not the Civil War miniseries — it’s English mill town).

    Richard Armitage is Colin Firth-level dreamy! Great performances all around, from Daniela Denby-Ashe (whom I’d never heard of), Sinead Cusack, Tim Piggott-Smith, Brendan Coyle, Anna Maxwell-Martin, and another person I’d never heard of who is brilliant, Pauline Quirke.

  37. 37.

    raven

    @debbie: Lot’s of old houses in our historic district were broken into apartments in the 70’s and now they are being returned to single family dwellings.

  41. 41.

    Scout211

    We have lots of Anaheim and poblano peppers this year in the garden.

    Reading everyone’s posts about all the rain your area  . . .  Sigh. We have our first red flag fire weather warning today and Monday for NorCal.

    It’s going to be a long and scary fire season this year.  

  42. 42.

    MomSense

    @debbie:

    It was when I was there, too.  I used to shop at Heartland, which was like a warehouse for groceries.  It’s a Whole Paycheck now.

  43. 43.

    debbie

    @MomSense:

    I checked another apartment. They seem to have carved the building up into even smaller apartments at more than $2,200 per month ($300/3 bedroom when I was there). ?

    It’s nuts out there.

  47. 47.

    zhena gogolia

    @debbie:

    Oh, do watch it! It’s not your usual bodice-ripper. Very thoughtful and interesting, with unexpected plot turns.

  49. 49.

    debbie

    @zhena gogolia:

    I will. They’ve been rerunning last season’s Call the Midwife. I missed most episodes because of a fund drive. It’s making me extra weepy for some reason.

  50. 50.

    oldgold

    @R-Jud:

    I solved my slug problem though tough negotiations that benefited both parties – The Slugfest Protocols.

    I discontinued the beer traps stocked with Old Grandpa’s Socks What’s On Sale Beer for a high quality IPA sans trap. In exchange for the slugs agreeing to only chew on the damn kale.

  51. 51.

    Immanentize

    @debbie: A double triple decker!

    I lived in a number of trips, mostly in JP. They are all condos now and minimum for a two or three bedroom is like 750k.

  53. 53.

    Immanentize

    @debbie: It was, and still is, but it is catching up. But hells bells, your old apt. is now totally surrounded by MIT.

  56. 56.

    Immanentize

    @MomSense: Did you ever go to the “clothing by the pound” warehouse on Broadway (I think it was?). Most of my wardrobe used to pass through that Somerville establishment

  57. 57.

    MomSense

    @Immanentize:

    NO.  Sounds like it would have been my kind of place.  I used to shop at a couple of consignment stores.  When my roommate brought her car to campus we would go to the gap seconds store in Stoneham and to Frugal Fannies.  You haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the mass dressing room there.  Let me tell you, college aged me was not prepared to see senior women in their skivvies. My friends and I were so self conscious and reticent about stripping in front of everyone to try on clothes.  Not so with the older women!

  59. 59.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    @MomSense: I loved Frugal Fannies, in Northern VA and in Maryland.  My mother-in-law, however was very shy.  She also choose the most unflattering clothes as she felt bad about her figure and went for loose and baggy until I convinced her that well tailored made her look thinner.

  61. 61.

    Immanentize

    @MomSense: 
    At Filenes Basement downtown, there were group dressing rooms, but on certain days, like wedding dress sale day, the aisles were the dressing room.

  62. 62.

    debbie

    @Immanentize:

    My first job was at Filene’s. One day, they had me working in the basement. They used to lock you inside circular counters where you were surrounded by people pushing their purchases at you and yelling that they wanted to pay for it NOW. My first and last day down there.

  63. 63.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Before the arrival of chili pepper from the New World, Chinese cuisine relied upon sour flavors from fermenting different foodstuff to add seasoning (in addition to salt, sugar & other flavors). Guizhou cuisine’s flavor profile is still dominated by spicy & sour. The famously numbing Sichuanese peppercorn, however, is indigenous to the region.

    It is not just Sichuan (including Chongqing Municipality, which was carved out of the province in the late 90s), Hunan and Guizhou Provinces that favor spicy chilies. Most of Hubei and Jiangxi Provinces do, as well. Across northern & northwestern parts of China, chili oil is often used, though prepared in a way such that it is much more aromatic than spicy.

  64. 64.

    MomSense

    @Immanentize:

    @debbie:

    A nice lady ripped the leather gloves right out of my friend’s hands while she was in line for the register. Compared to wedding dress day I think she got lucky.

  66. 66.

    lowtechcyclist

    Mao Zedong — who hailed from one of the poor inland regions that had embraced the pepper — was famous for his love of spice.

    And then the Fremen took it up, and the rest is history possible future.

  67. 67.

    debbie

    @MomSense:

    I went to Loehmans in Brooklyn a couple of times. Aside from the uncomfortableness of the group fitting room, you had to be willing to use your elbows to avoid what happened to your friend.  I’ve never been a contact shopper.

  69. 69.

    Geminid

    @Immanentize: I have a good friend who grew up in Medford. Debbie’s father was Irish, and her mom was Sicilian. The way she talks, I’ve thought that the town’s motto could be, “Blow it out your ass!”

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