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Market day

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Every village in Yuanyang has its market day, whether it be on the
Rabbit and Goat* days (Shengcun 胜村), or the Tiger, Horse and Dog days
(牛角寨), or just every Sunday (the wild, hectic Laomeng 老猛).

Laomeng's market is arguably the most colorful, with people from eight different ethnic minorities converging for washbasins made from recycled tires, water buffaloes, meters upon meters of colorful ribbons, and so on. It's rumored that even Vietnamese people cross the border to attend.

Almost every day there is a market somewhere around Yuanyang, making it a village's liveliest time, as minority peoples arrive from all over to do their shopping. Most popular market snacks: sugarcane, grilled tofu.
 
 
*Every day in the lunar calendar is assigned an animal, just as the years are. Today, for example, is a Snake day. Traditional calendars list each day's animal, as well as various astrological projections, prescriptions and taboos: Don't sign agreements, don't go on a trip, but do consider getting married, etc.

Posted March 25, 2009
Mar 25, 2009
 said...
Zounds -- seems so wonderfully far from Beijing. Have you made any fine culinary discoveries beyond edible bugs?
Mar 31, 2009
insidersout said...
We've been eating mifen in wonderous variations everyday. Today we had Dong "oil tea": sun-dried puffed glutinous rice in a soup of steamed tea and beans. Strange combination, but tasty. We try to eat as much fresh wild mountain vegetables (including one with spikes) as possible, as well as spring bamboo. Also, rice and yellow flower pancake. In Huangyao they make everything with their famous fermented bean sauce (eaten by emperors and Southeast Asians), including spare ribs, tofu stuffed with meat and bamboo stuffed with rice. We've also discovered that we like tamarinds, but so do little bugs that enjoy living in tangy sweet bean.
Apr 21, 2011
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