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How the Chili Pepper Conquered China

sixthtone.com

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Re: How the Chili Pepper Conquered China

#11

Post by bootstrappit »

kieselguhr_kid wrote: post #6
dazsnow wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is this relevant?

Seriously. It'd be one thing if this was about tensions in the South China Sea but this is a story about peppers for fucks sake.

I doubt this piece was signed off personally by Xi Jinping or anything, but all these little details lodge subconsciously in your mind. Like, you might not specifically think of Chairman Mao as a poor rural dweller famous for his love of spice after reading this article, but after reading dozens of pointless details like it you might start to think he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

Re: How the Chili Pepper Conquered China

#12

Post by dwringer »

ahmadmijot wrote: post #5

I thought that chilli pepper is part of Sichuan culture back in the Three Kingdoms era but I'm surprised on how recent chilli pepper in their cuisine!

I was reading about this the other day and was surprised to learn that traditionally Sichuan cuisine used Sichuan peppercorns which are unrelated to either black pepper or new world peppers, and evidently have a somewhat different mechanism of action that is still being studied. I've never tried it but it's allegedly similar to the feeling of a 9 volt battery or carbonated drink [0].

[0]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper

Re: How the Chili Pepper Conquered China

#15

Post by shadowofneptune »

bootstrappit wrote: post #11
kieselguhr_kid wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously. It'd be one thing if this was about tensions in the South China Sea but this is a story about peppers for fucks sake.

I doubt this piece was signed off personally by Xi Jinping or anything, but all these little details lodge subconsciously in your mind. Like, you might not specifically think of Chairman Mao as a poor rural dweller famous for his love of spice after reading this article, but after reading dozens of pointless details like it you might start to think he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

George Washington was so honest he could not lie about chopping down a cherry tree, so maybe you won't lie either.

This doesn't seem to be a literary habit particular to China.

Re: How the Chili Pepper Conquered China

#16

Post by GordonS »

dwringer wrote: post #12
ahmadmijot wrote: post #5

I thought that chilli pepper is part of Sichuan culture back in the Three Kingdoms era but I'm surprised on how recent chilli pepper in their cuisine!

I was reading about this the other day and was surprised to learn that traditionally Sichuan cuisine used Sichuan peppercorns which are unrelated to either black pepper or new world peppers, and evidently have a somewhat different mechanism of action that is still being studied. I've never tried it but it's allegedly similar to the feeling of a 9 volt battery or carbonated drink [0]. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wi…

I cook a lot of Chinese food, and I've had food in Sichuan province before too - so I eat plenty Sichuan peppercorns and oil (aka "prickly oil").

It doesn't taste or feel anything like a battery, but it is quite unique!

It has a peppy citrus flavour, but also kind of numbs your whole mouth - it might sound odd, but it's really nice when combined with other ingredients.

You should be able to get peppercorns or oil from your nearest Asian store if you want to try it for yourself.

Re: How the Chili Pepper Conquered China

#17

Post by riffraff »

hunglee2 wrote: post #2

similar to how tomato conquered Italy, potato conquered Northern europe, dietary stapes which have a much more recent, counterintuitive history than we usually believe!

My favorite is maize, which was adopted in Europe as a staple food but without the means used by Americans to use it properly, so peasants in Europe got pellagra, which in the Americas was never an issue.

Re: How the Chili Pepper Conquered China

#18

Post by alisonatwork »

bell-cot wrote: post #10
HorizonXP wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually do think it’s relevant. They build credibility in your mind space via innocuous stories about peppers, so you’re more likely to accept their articles about more charged topics in the future.

Perhaps. OTOH - looking over Sixth Tone's front page, there are many "Here is a serious problem in China..." headlines. Far fewer "All is well" or "Interesting Story" headlines. And zero headlines about politics or national security issues, for Sixth Tone to be building cred on those subjects.

Sixth Tone represents a sort of progressive Shanghai-based view of China that is more palatable to people in democratic countries than the usual party line reporting. But, to be sure, the level of criticism is still always below the threshold of what the party deems acceptable. That doesn't mean the stories aren't pertinent or interesting, but it's worth keeping in mind that they will only ever go so far in reporting the facts on the ground. You may see criticism of corrupt behavior or generally "uncivilized" practices, but not of the broader party policies that led to the situation. In China, this is the best you can hope for.

Re: How the Chili Pepper Conquered China

#19

Post by quesera »

shadowofneptune wrote: post #15
bootstrappit wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt this piece was signed off personally by Xi Jinping or anything, but all these little details lodge subconsciously in your mind. Like, you might not specifically think of Chairman Mao as a poor rural dweller famous for his love of spice after reading this article, but after reading dozens of pointless details like it you might start to think he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

George Washington was so honest he could not lie about chopping down a cherry tree, so maybe you won't lie either. This doesn't seem to be a literary habit particular to China.

It's propaganda though.

Some advertisers spend on relevant keywords, others pay for generalized brand awareness. Many do both.

Anything published by a government in a foreign language has an agenda. It's propaganda. In this case, "brand awareness" propaganda.

Maybe the goal is to promote tourism, or to give a boost to exports.

Maybe it's to keep the country/government in the front of foreign readers' minds, to foster a sense of commonality or appreciation.

Whatever. There's an agenda. It's worth discussing and thinking about.

Like with advertising, it's important to know what role you are playing in the publisher's agenda. Accepting the material uncritically is not a neutral position -- it makes you a unwitting player in their game.

You are completely correct that the US does it too, both internally (presidential mythologies, to use your example) and externally (Radio Free X etc etc).

Re: How the Chili Pepper Conquered China

#20

Post by nibbleshifter »

dwringer wrote: post #12
ahmadmijot wrote: post #5

I thought that chilli pepper is part of Sichuan culture back in the Three Kingdoms era but I'm surprised on how recent chilli pepper in their cuisine!

I was reading about this the other day and was surprised to learn that traditionally Sichuan cuisine used Sichuan peppercorns which are unrelated to either black pepper or new world peppers, and evidently have a somewhat different mechanism of action that is still being studied. I've never tried it but it's allegedly similar to the feeling of a 9 volt battery or carbonated drink [0]. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wi…

Can confirm its similar to licking a battery.

A few places I've been to lately use it in cocktails, very interesting flavour.

There's also a Brazilian herb/flower with similar properties that is becoming popular in gastronomy.

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