The Dips Everyone in Northeast China Loves: Why Don't Southerners Eat Them?
Talking about 'zhanjiang cai' (dipping vegetable relish), it seems everyone has tried it.
Isn't it just washing clean fresh vegetables and having a sauce to dip them in?
But for Northeastern people,
zhanjiang cai is
a unique and unforgettable hometown flavor
You can use vegetables from Northeastern gardens to dip in zhanjiang cai
And the variety is very rich
Eating without making a bit of zhanjiang cai always feels like something is missing
It's like the personality of Northeastern people
Simple, direct, hearty, and straightforward
Northeastern people especially love to eat zhanjiang cai, besides soybeans, celery, and chives, even large onions, leafy greens, radishes, and cucumbers, even eggplant, can be dipped in zhanjiang cai. Northeastern people eating zhanjiang cai is truly 'you won't know until you've tried it, and once you've tried it, you'll never forget it.' Thus, you'll have a habit of eating zhanjiang cai.
Why can zhanjiang cai be eaten in Northeast China, but not in Southern China?This is not the difference between Southerners and Northerners, but rather the difference between Southern and Northern climates, which leads to the question of whether vegetables in the South and North can be eaten raw.In Northeast China, although it's very cold in winter, Northeast China has distinct four seasons with dry climate and abundant sunshine, making vegetables easily produce sugar. Raw vegetables in Northeast China will have a sweet taste. In contrast, the South, although it doesn't have the cold of Northeast in winter, is still damp and humid in other three seasons, resulting in vegetables with more moisture, less sugar accumulation, eating raw vegetables besides crispness, will not have sweetness, and even have an unpleasant taste. Moreover, the agricultural industry in the South is developed, and most dishes are cooked, so it's difficult to accept the habit of eating zhanjiang cai at first. It's probably a state of 'my honey, your poison'.
As the saying goes, one soil nurtures one people. Many Southerners who haven't been to Northeast China, when they hear that Northeastern people eat raw vegetables dipped in sauce in sub-zero temperatures, they can't imagine Northeastern people's lives. When they hear that Northeastern people eat raw vegetables dipped in sauce, they open their eyes in astonishment. In fact, humans have survival wisdom wherever they live.
Northeast winters are cold, but city buildings have heating, while outside, it's icy and snowy, and inside, it's warm as spring. Rural conditions are slightly worse, but there's a wood stove. In winter, families sleep, eat, and chat on a warm wood stove, feeling no cold. Eating 'zhanjiang cai' is a life habit that Northeastern people have developed in a unique climate environment, and it's a proof of the sweetness of vegetables grown in black soil. Love Northeast, come eat zhanjiang cai!
