I. Smallholders at the mercy of the elements and mothers longing to escape the motherhood penalty Due to the weather, the survival rate of the seedlings planted late this summer was very low. Consequently, Hu Xuemei’s farm on the outskirts of Chengdu had no vegetables available for delivery a while…

I. The Bean Soup of Ennoblement In a previous article, I mentioned wheat meal; this time, let’s talk about bean soup. These two humble staples carry a wealth of information; they require a tidy kitchen and a well-tended stove, and they demand our utmost attention. Yan Shigu of the Tang…

Foodthink Says As autumn arrives, The Little Dining Table in Yulin, Chengdu has been running for half a year. These six months of practice have fostered a growing sense of harmony between the cook, the dining companions, the farmers, and the food itself. For everyone involved, beyond the planned changes,…

The world grows suddenly dim; the landscape has turned to autumn. A foodie does not conjure sorrow just to pen a poem, but simply follows the footsteps of the seasons to eat, and eat, and eat. Flowers bloom in their time and fade in theirs; as the fifteenth day of…

Editor’s Note A plate of steamed chicken fillet with peas left the child craving more and had the dining companions of the reopened ‘Small Dining Table’ salivating. Yet, even with such impressively delicious farm-to-table produce, if you miss it this year, you must wait until the next. Farm-grown food always…

Editor’s Note In the previous instalment of this column, Sister Yiguo showed us how she uses her ‘Little Dining Table’ in the city to provide her friends with wholesome, delicious meals. Even more dedicated than her is the producer of the rice served at that table—Chen Ying, the owner of…

Editor’s Note We are what we eat; eating well has never been a trivial matter. The scandal involving edible oil transported in tankers has once again sparked anxiety over food safety, highlighting the immense difficulty of tracing the origins of what we consume. Along the long chain from farm to…

Editor’s Note In the Yulin community of Chengdu, a vegetable “blind box” from farmer-friend Hu Xuemei brought a little “shock” and an unexpected change to Xia Lili, the cook of the Little Dining Table. This is the fourth instalment of “Master One-Pot’s Little Dining Table”, which will discuss Xia Lili’s…

Editor’s Note In the opening of the “One-Pot Abbess’s Little Dining Table” series, Xia Lili begins with a series of memories, explaining her “dining table” philosophy and the origins of the Little Dining Table project. In this piece, Xia Lili takes us into the vivid reality of the project. Stationed…

Editor’s Note In a corner of Yulin, Chengdu, Xia Lili—known to the locals as “Master Yi Guo”—has launched a new experiment: The Little Dining Table. This is a warm, collective dining initiative where neighbours team up as “dining buddies” to purchase and share meals, establishing regular eating habits and enjoying…