The delicacy that impressed me the most was the bacon eaten by an ordinary family in the Chengbu Mountain District of Shaoyang in 2012.

It was very cold that year. A group of us sat around the firewood stove to warm up. There was a hanging pot on the stove. The head of the household took out his own smoked bacon and cut it into pieces. He poured it into the pot and stir-fried. Suddenly, the aroma of the bacon was in the heat of the stove.

The permeating smell made us salivate. There were not many condiments, just some white chili peppers, which became more fragrant the more they were fried.

After the cooking was done, the head of the household brought us rice. The bacon was still in the hanging pot. The flames were roasting the hanging pot underneath. The aroma emanated with the heat amidst the sizzling sound of the bacon. We couldn’t wait to pick up a piece and put it in our mouths.

It is really different from the bacon I have eaten before. It has a rich aroma in my mouth, oily but not greasy. The aroma of incense fills the whole mouth, with a slight spiciness from white pepper. This salty local delicacy makes me miss it to this day.

What’s even more amazing is the cabbage moss that is added when the bacon is almost done. The aroma of the bacon wrapped in it and the spiciness of the white chili peppers are really satisfying to eat in your mouth. I ate four of them in that meal.

Bowl of rice.

Now I often travel on business, but I have never tasted such delicious bacon.