Many of these mushrooms can only be found in Yunnan. Many mushrooms from Yunnan are exported to Japan in frozen or dried form, but the true luck is to have them available when fresh. I found myself living a rare moment.

My favorite part of the day begins with my team and Liu Ayi as we step into the bustling streets, dodging sanlunches (三轮车, motorized three-wheelers) and mianbaoches (面包车, minivans shaped like loaves of bread) and make our way to the market.

Lǐ Shīfu and his family are of Nàxī ethnicity, one of 56 minorities recognized officially in China. Recipes his wife, Yáng Āyí, cook have been passed down generation after generation and today shared with me from within the confines of their courtyard.

I was about ten years old when I read The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck. It was a page turner at that young age and while I ate up the family saga, never did I believe that some day I would live and travel China.

A brief yet thrilling ride on a winding gravel road brings me to a house that has been in the Liu family for over a century. I learn their favorite family recipes in the the old courtyard.

Meet the Zhāng family

It must be great to have a food expert in the family. The Zhāng (张) family is fortunate to have the talents of Zhāng Shīfu. Who wouldn’t want to dine daily at the table of a chef?