Classic prose with a taste of sincerity
This is a small town on the Guangdong-Hunan Ancient Post Road. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it has been a prosperous commercial port. Walking into Dongpi Ancient Town, the mottled stone ancient streets, numerous ancient shops, and the gurgling Xixi River all tell the ancient town's long history and rich culture. The collision of influences from the Central Plains culture and Lingnan culture, and the exchanges and gatherings of merchants from the north and south. Forming the rich food culture of the ancient town, cured meat is one of the most representative types of traditional delicacies in the ancient town. Over thousands of years, this delicacy condensed with nature, time, tradition and sincerity has gradually become an integral part of the food culture of the ancient town. glyph.
Lao Huang is a wanderer in the ancient town. He left his hometown when he graduated from junior high school and wandered for more than 30 years. Now he and his family have settled in Shenzhen. His homesickness becomes stronger as he gets older. Many times, , he will always think of the long stone street in his hometown, the gurgling Xixi River, and the bacon in his hometown that is full of nostalgia and always makes him have endless aftertaste. For him, this is the life and memory preserved in the years. .
We accompanied Lao Huang into a restaurant called "Fumanlou" in the town. The owner of the restaurant is called "A Dong". People in the town said that A Dong is a good hand in making cured meat. !
Adong has lived in the ancient town for more than 30 years. This man who came out of the mountains, like many people in the town, has loved eating preserved meat since he was a child, and has learned how to make preserved meat since he was a child. Over the years, preserved meat has become He finally had his own preserved meat workshop at the age of 20. With his sincerity, he made high-quality preserved meat for himself to taste and share with others.
In the morning of early winter, when the first ray of sunshine shines on the Xixi River, the people in the town begin their busy day. On this day, taking advantage of the good weather, Adong made 200 pounds of sausages, 20 cured ducks, 20 cured chickens, 20 cured pig feet, 100 cured eggs, and 10 cured dogs. Traditional Dongpi cured meat is air-dried and has high requirements on weather. Outside Shiban Ancient Street is the long-running Xixi River. The river wind blows from the northwest of the river. Dongpi Ancient Town is at the center of the wind. The unique climate environment provides Dongpi people with natural advantages for making cured meat.
Dongpi people have been making cured meat for nearly 500 years. They use spirits, salt, and sugar to pickle the meat. The seasoning is actually very common, but the traditional production process is quite particular. At dawn, A Dong moved the ingredients marinated in the evening to the bright and spacious workshop and started busy work. When making cured meat, Adong pays attention to well-selected materials, fine production, high quality and good quality. Every process of pickling, mixing, brewing and drying is meticulous. From the focused eyes of A Dong and others when they were making preserved meat, we read a kind of confidence and sincerity!
The prepared cured meats are hung on the ceiling, swaying gently in the north wind. Adong said that this batch of goods was ordered by an old customer in Foshan. This customer has been ordering his goods for more than ten years. With such weather, the cured meat can be dried and delivered within a month.
The north wind is blowing, and the winter in northern Guangdong is cold. A Dong lit the hot pot and let us taste a full meal of cured meats. The house was filled with a strong aroma and a delicious atmosphere. Put on a smiling face. In people's hearts, the desire to try new things is eternal, but as time goes by and people get used to eating it, the taste of being pickled and dried may be more attractive than fresh food. The longer the time goes by, the stronger the taste becomes.
At this time, we are sitting next to the hot pot, eating the fragrant cured meat, sharing the joy of the workers' harvest, and tasting sincerity, enthusiasm, and culture. This feeling warms us in the cold winter. We make people instantly feel that this is spring in winter! And what Lao Huang showed was the deep nostalgia that had been buried in his heart for decades!
Saying goodbye to Adong, Lao Huang led us to walk on the long stone street and stroll along the gurgling Xixi River. The afternoon sun was still warm, just like our hearts at this time, in this passionate place. In our land, we see the dawn of hope!