These pickles are so interesting to me because I’m not sure I’ve ever seen them in the US, yet they’ve been served to me in almost every Chinese restaurant I’ve ever visited in Japan.
They’re called 榨菜 zhà cài, or ザーサイ zaasai in Japanese, and they’re made from the stem of a mustard plant. They have a hard, fibrous texture—sort of like the rough parts of a broccoli stem. My Chinese friend says they should be spicy, but Japanese versions usually are not. They’re basically a mandatory part of Chinese restaurant lunch sets here, but now that I think about it, I know one place that uses them in noodle dishes as well!
The painting is ridiculously impressive but why does the music make me feel like im being chased through the town by guards for stealing a loaf of bread
