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A touch of nostalgia in a traditional rural setting
By Jiang Qiuxia |
January 31, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THERE'S something about the rural history of Spring Festival that makes some people nostalgic for the simpler, more rustic lifestyles of the past.
It's not surprising then that many people nowadays choose to celebrate the annual holiday away from the hustle-bustle and noise of the inner city.
An ideal place for such getaway is Maoqiao Village in Jiading's Huating Town. There, the person in search of the past Spring Festivals will find genuine farmhouse cuisine, traditional buildings, guileless farmers, free-range poultry and winding farmland roads. It's a scene of peace and tranquility.
Somehow the festive season activities seem so much more alive and engaging in a back-to-the-nature setting. Since food always plays a big role in Spring Festival celebrations, it's pleasant to rediscover that the food here is much fresher than those travelling through a long and complicated logistics system to reach the table. Posh restaurants may be all the rage in town, but they don't hold a candle to the flavor and charm of eating at the farm gate.
Maoqiao Village, located at 1268 Shuangzhu Road, has been designated as one of 35 national model villages in rural development.
Its newer buildings incorporate the rural architecture of the past. Its houses - some of them a century old - hark to a by-gone era. The village has kept alive its local specialties, too, like bamboo and straw weaving, long-tailed anchovy, honey peaches and garlic. Here, you can admire an endless expansion of farms and even pick your own fresh fruit. You can stay overnight in a farmhouse inn, and local farmers are happy to have you lend a hand with some of the work around the farm.
The rural household is a beehive of activity during Spring Festival. Every household prepares salted chicken, duck, fish and pork to serve guests, and every home is festooned with New Year scrolls with poetic couplets expressing best wishes for the Lunar New Year. There are a number of farmhouse restaurants in Maoqiao serving ordinary but delicious dishes featuring chicken, fish, braised pork, shrimps and eggs.
The food is prepared in traditional kitchens, according to time-honored recipes, and is served on rustic tables with benches. The freshness of ingredients, gleaned from surrounding fields and pastures, is unmistakable.
It's not surprising then that many people nowadays choose to celebrate the annual holiday away from the hustle-bustle and noise of the inner city.
An ideal place for such getaway is Maoqiao Village in Jiading's Huating Town. There, the person in search of the past Spring Festivals will find genuine farmhouse cuisine, traditional buildings, guileless farmers, free-range poultry and winding farmland roads. It's a scene of peace and tranquility.
Somehow the festive season activities seem so much more alive and engaging in a back-to-the-nature setting. Since food always plays a big role in Spring Festival celebrations, it's pleasant to rediscover that the food here is much fresher than those travelling through a long and complicated logistics system to reach the table. Posh restaurants may be all the rage in town, but they don't hold a candle to the flavor and charm of eating at the farm gate.
Maoqiao Village, located at 1268 Shuangzhu Road, has been designated as one of 35 national model villages in rural development.
Its newer buildings incorporate the rural architecture of the past. Its houses - some of them a century old - hark to a by-gone era. The village has kept alive its local specialties, too, like bamboo and straw weaving, long-tailed anchovy, honey peaches and garlic. Here, you can admire an endless expansion of farms and even pick your own fresh fruit. You can stay overnight in a farmhouse inn, and local farmers are happy to have you lend a hand with some of the work around the farm.
The rural household is a beehive of activity during Spring Festival. Every household prepares salted chicken, duck, fish and pork to serve guests, and every home is festooned with New Year scrolls with poetic couplets expressing best wishes for the Lunar New Year. There are a number of farmhouse restaurants in Maoqiao serving ordinary but delicious dishes featuring chicken, fish, braised pork, shrimps and eggs.
The food is prepared in traditional kitchens, according to time-honored recipes, and is served on rustic tables with benches. The freshness of ingredients, gleaned from surrounding fields and pastures, is unmistakable.
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