Photo courtesy of Wild China, Fuchsia Dunlop’s tour company
I was late to the Fuchsia Dunlop Sichuan party, thanks to the temporary scarcity of her classic Land of Plenty cookbook. (It’s now back in stock at Amazon at regular prices.) I loved her recipes, and loved her initiative in roaming the back streets of Chengdu in search of traditional dishes that have fallen out of favor with modern Chinese diners. So, what better thing to do than take a culinary tour of Sichuan with Fuchsia Dunlop, 13 days exploring precisely the locations she writes about in her books?
The tour is being offered two final times, in May and September 20189, starting at $7390 U.S. exclusive of airfare. That price is expensive or more than fair, depending on your perspective. I am incredibly tempted to jump for it but probably won’t because I can’t plan my schedule that far in advance. But I am very likely to give myself a self-guided culinary tour of the same highlights at some point, which I can do thanks to the very detailed itinerary on the Wild China web page. [UPDATE: I checked back because of my initial error on the date, and it appears the itinerary has changed so only two days are spent in Sichuan. The rest of the tour is the kind of introduction you’d want as a first-time visitor to China. For an alternate deep dive into Chengdu eating, check out this self-guided option.]
The best and worst aspect of guided culinary tours is the curation. Ideally, you are going to visit a store or restaurant or supplier or farm and be introduced to the single best thing they produce, with an expert explanation. But that also means you can’t experience it in the wild, like an everyday customer. With a self-guided culinary tour you don’t have this problem.
It’s easy to put together a culinary tour of Albany’s grim Central Avenue, for example. Start with a Chinese lunch special at Hu’s House or Northeastern Chinese, then shop the bulk goods and cheeses (with tastings) at Honest Weight. When you’re ready for a mid-afternoon snack, go to Asian Supermarket and enjoy a meaty char siu bao (their single best thing) at the independent food stand to the right of the door and maybe pick up one of their cold prepared items to eat later. (Bring a cooler with ice in it for take-out food, or dishes you taste now and want to return to later.) Pass some time with a matinee movie at Colonie Center or Crossgates Mall, then go back to Central for a red sauce dinner (I recommend the eggplant parm) at Ralph’s.
This noodle spread is from The Food Ranger’s Ultimate Chengdu Food Tour, an option for those who want to do it themselves.
Or, here’s a self-guided culinary tour of San Francisco’s Clement Street—and you don’t even need a car. (Which is always a good thing in SF.) Take the Geary 38 Express and get off at 6th Ave. For lunch, have spicy prawns with garlic at Taiwan or the #2 Beef Stew with flat noodles at King’s Thai Cuisine (the location just east of 8th Ave). Pass some time browsing the used cookbook section at Green Apple books, then pick up some dim sum for later (get the big chicken bun) at Wing Lee or Good Luck. (Actually, I’d buy the dim sum before Green Apple because these places sell out. You can check the cooler at the bookstore counter.) There are several Chinese groceries on Clement but the biggest and best is New May Wah where you can find fresh vegetables and condiments at reasonable prices. If you want to stay and eat dinner, pass some time by taking the 44 bus from the corner of 6th and Clement to the museums in Golden Gate Park. Then return for an early meal at whichever recommended place you didn’t go for lunch, or else at Burmese Superstar.
I also have an idea for a self-guided culinary tour of NYC’s Flushing Chinatown neighborhood. The key here, for out of towners who drive in, is to arrive early afternoon and stay at one of several hotels that are reasonably priced and provide parking. Do some reconnaissance in the afternoon at the many food courts and have dinner at the place of your choosing. In the morning, enjoy breakfast and an early lunch and fill your cooler before returning to your vehicle (be sure to confirm checkout time) and taking off. Specific locations will be filled in after I actually make the trip.
The key to these self-guided culinary tours is pacing yourself. You need to be able to go into a shop filled with wonders and just enjoy that single best thing. (Which shops? Which single best things? You have Yelp for that, as well as specialized food blogs like this one. Do your research before you go, then transfer a shortlist to your phone.) And you need to be able to take one bite of a magnificent whatever, then carefully wrap it up and put the balance in your take-out container.
