Hello and welcome back to Dogmatic.
Last month, you joined us as we dipped our toes into China’s vegan cuisine, contemplating the potentiality of a plant-based future in the Middle Kingdom. We feel that we’ve barely scratched the surface of this topic, so have decided to drag it out for another month!
We’re currently working on our next video, and are super excited to share it with you later in the month. We’ve had a particularly hectic and eventful few weeks of late, so for now, we’d love to share some of the weird and wonderful updates from the Dogmatic Pack.
Here’s what we’ve been up to…
Exploring the world’s oldest plant-based meat.
It’s no secret that plant-based meats are trending around the world. And while it’s true that plant protein giant Beyond Meat have begun production in China, synthesising ‘meat’ out of vegan ingredients is not a new practice here. Fake meat has been sold in Buddhist temples and restaurants for centuries.
As Jon Kieschnick Writes: “Vegetarianism is perhaps the most important contribution Buddhism has made to Chinese cuisine,” and part of that contribution has come in the form of foods prepared to look, feel and taste like meat.
Stay tuned for our next video, in which we will explore the oldest plant-based meat of all.
Meeting a Professional Foodie at one of Chengdu’s Hottest Food Spots.
Earlier this week, we met up with accomplished translator and writer 雨珈 Yǔjiā. She has translated an impressive range of books from English to Mandarin, including Fuchsia Dunlop’s widely respected guides to Sichuan cuisine Food of Sichuan and Land of Fish and Rice.
Yǔjiā took us to 屋顶上的樱园 wūdǐng shàng de yīngyuán, Rooftop Cherry Garden, an oasis-like enclave of seasonal food, books, art and plants near Chengdu’s central Tianfu Square. The conversation was as nourishing as the wild mushrooms, sour hotpot, fried bamboo shoots and smoked tofu.
Stay tuned for our next video, in which Yǔjiā will make an appearance!
Averting Catastrophe
While we’ve previously discussed China’s street dog presence, even more prolific in the streets, parks and apartment compounds of Chengdu are feral cats. Of course these foreign predators, hunting anything that moves, combine to create an ecological disaster summarised neatly by the following meme:
However, recently we found a tabby in our compound suffering from stomatitis: a painful gum disease which makes cats unable to eat or groom themselves, making them easy prey for parasites as they slowly starve.
This reminded us that cats are innocent animals, bred into being by humans and thrust into a world that is largely hostile to them. Their individual lives matter, and we as humans shoulder ultimate responsibility.
Thankfully, we managed to capture this particular cat, and she is now in the care of internationally-recognised animal hospital Chengdu Vet. We reached out to Chengdu Animal Rescue (CAR), a community of mostly foreign volunteers, who are contributing towards our veterinary bills. 24 hours of medication, pain relief and IV rehydration later, and the cat is eating. If her condition improves, we hope to find her a forever home.
(Joe) Becoming “Chengdu Famous.”
Recently I got a text from from Abu, the bamboo frame builder with whom we built our expedition bikes. “Would you be interested in letting Chengdu TV film you riding your bike on the Greenway?” he asked. Curious and excited for a bit of non-teaching work, I met the crew and travelled out to an area of newly-constructed cycle path in their car, not sure what to expect.
I soon found myself engaged in an intense film shoot for the next ten hours, which saw me cycle in a 70km arc around the city, all the while doing somewhat awkward pieces to camera and forcing unnatural interactions with locals.
One week later, the video has been viewed over a million times on Chinese social media and shared 60,000 times on WeChat alone. As well as being stunned and a little embarrassed, I’m also not entirely comfortable with some of the video’s claims, as they border on greenwashing.
However, this experience was a fantastic insight into the different approaches to cycling, interaction with nature and ‘green infrastructure’ in different cultures.’ And while building such huge infrastructure in any landscape has its costs, the sheer level of top-down spending taking place in this area is currently unmatched in the western world.
(Tamzin) Scouting for Future Adventures
After a year of being stuck in the city, it was thrilling to get on my bike and strike out on my own into the surrounding countryside this week. Solo camping near Long Men Shan, Dragon Gate Mountain, gave me a closeness with nature that has been sorely missing over previous months. I also got to talk with some lovely local women, whose kindness and concern they showed for me warmed my heart.
Thanks for reading, and keep your eyes on your inbox for our next video!
See you soon,
Tamzin and Joe.