Chengdu: Testing My Limits
“The Heavenly State”, a name Chengdu has earned from the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project along with its climate that provide the ideal environment for producing an abundance of exotic fresh fruits and vegetables year round. Chengdu is also home to the world famous, spicy Sichuan food and has been named the top food city of the world. Those of you who know me well would guess that this place was paradise for me.
I LOVE food, and I made sure to experience the Chengdu cuisine by participating in a food tour. Our tour guide and foodie expat, Dieter, lead us through the streets of Chengdu to experience the local cuisine prepared by vendors we had no courage to visit previously. A favourite stop was for Guo Kui-a freshly baked pita stuffed with picked vegetables and beef marinated in a Sichuan chili oil. We took a walk through the Wet Market, just before it closed for the day, and tasted an array of pickled vegetables and experienced the signature Sichuan peppercorn that puts the unique spicy flavour in all the local cuisine. It is a spice that comes from the citrus family and it isn't actually spicy, but gives your mouth a numbing sensation that is sometimes mistaken for spicy flavour.
The most exotic item I tasted on the tour was a rabbit head. It took an immense amount of “mind over matter”, but I did it and it was mostly enjoyable! After the rabbit head experience I noticed animal heads, mainly rabbit, on menus or displayed in food vendor windows everywhere. When I asked about it, one of my CYA friends explained that the heads are seen as a valuable part of the animal and it is ethical to eat them. It helps the consumer come to terms with the fact that an animal’s life was taken in order to provide nourishment and it should be respected. It’s easy to disconnect a steak or a chicken breast from the animal that provided it, but the head is a stark reminder of the sacrifice that was made.
Aside from food, Chengdu is also known for pandas! I was really excited to see pandas and it turns out so were hundreds of other tourists! Imagine this: it is 40°C outside and 100% humidity, you feel as though you are being steamed alive, sweat appears instantly the second you leave a conditioned environment, you are walking around a 5km squared park and the only thing that is saving you from the elements is the shade from arcing bamboo trees. Then add hundreds, probably thousands of people. You know that personal bubble we all take for granted, about 0.5-1metre circle around us? That does not exist. You have no claim to that space and it is constantly occupied. Which is the last thing you want on a hot day, trust me. Now you not only have your sweat, but the sweat of who knows how many others running down your arms and legs. But this is to be expected if you want the Chengdu panda experience.
I swallowed by discomfort and forged my way through the park. The pandas got to be in air conditioned enclosures, I wish I could’ve joined them! There are hundreds of pandas at the park, sponsored by various organizations. My favourite was the Bayer panda; we bonded over our connection with the agriculture industry. It took major effort to break through the throng of people to see him sitting slouched on the floor, chin resting on a bench, sleeping. If you go to Chengdu, I’d highly recommend a visit to the pandas. It will also help you understand the difference between 36 million and 1.4 billion people.
We also made a quick stop at WuHou Shrine and walked along the famous red walled path that encircles Liu Bei's tomb. The shrine had lush gardens surrounded by strong stone walls and housed statues that paid respect to several prominent leaders in throughout China’s history.
Chengdu was a great city to end our time in China, and it left me wanting to come back for more…despite the overwhelming number of people and suffocating heat!