Picture
Extraction of hornet larvae from nest.

Cabin fever was rising after several days of house sorting, so we headed out to the countryside, destination Da Zhai village. Our main aims were to deliver photos to Farmer Ding and her neighbours, with whom Ali and the girls planted rice in April [see blog archive]. Ali also hoped to recreate a photo of the rice field, four months on.

We got off the bus at Da Zhai Middle School, opposite which there is a small roadside restaurant. While we tucked into two plates of egg and vegetable fried rice (5 RMB each), the owner prepared a dish of hornets (mixture of bees and larvae) for some other customers. He buys the full nests at a market in Simao at 260 RMB per kilo, and serves them up fried for 60 RMB a dish.

'Three insects make a dish', is one of Yunnan's 'Eighteen Oddities' (shi ba guai). This makes reference to the large size of the mosquitoes in Yunnan, as well as the fact that insects feature regularly on the menu. There's a simple motto: if it's living, eat it. Humans are the exception, although folklore (with a hint of prejudice-based scare-mongering) claims that the Wa people living in the mountains west of Simao are head-hunters.

On a school visit in Jingdong recently the driver screeched to a hault before a cobra basking in the sun ahead. The driver's first thought was to flag down a motorcyclist, to whom he inquired: "Do you know how to catch a snake? That one has a lot of tasty meat on it." Similarly, whenever we pass a cow, pig, goat or chicken, comments invariably focus on the quality of meat: "hao chi" ('good to eat') or 'bu hao chi' (not good to eat'). I usually have something else on my mind. In the case of the cobra, I was admiring it's beauty and trying to take a photo to share this exciting wildlife moment with Freda and Edie. Thanks to the local people's zeal for game, the forests are pretty void of wildlife. The up side? Walking in the countryside is relatively safe. I carried a stick with me today, nevertheless, beating the grass in front as I walked.

Picture
Ali, Farmer Ding [centre] and a friend.
The fields were thick with crops, through which we waded to reach the right photo spot. The rice is nearly fully-grown, and should be harvested in a couple of weeks. Farmer Ding arrived home with a small banana tree on her shoulder, for pig food, and was delighted to find we had returned with photos. She promised to call us the evening before harvest, so that we can go and help out. We are keen to see Edie and Freda's rice the whole way through the process, from seedling to supper. There's a bit more work to be done before then though.

Picture
Ali recreating the original photo where Freda and Edie joined Farmer Ding to plant rice seedlings in April. The crop is now fully grown, almost ready for harvest.
Picture
We helped plant the field back in April
Picture
Four months later, the crop is ripening nicely