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Join Andrew in Guangzhou, the bizarre-food capital of China.
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00:02On this Bizarre Foods, a carnivore's slice of heaven.
00:06Hello, food.
00:07Where nothing is off limits.
00:10Oh, look at them. They're alive.
00:13And tasty temptations hold magical powers.
00:16I've never eaten anything like this in my life.
00:18Where the mysterious is a mouthful.
00:21That is just a textural freak-out.
00:24And cooking is a sport.
00:27Whether it's swims, crawls, or flies,
00:30you can eat it all here in the capital of crazy cuisine,
00:34also known as Guangzhou, China.
00:37I'm Andrew Zimmern, and this is Bizarre Foods.
00:41I'm a chef, writer, and culinary explorer
00:44who understands that what's common cuisine in one country
00:47can be an exotic edible in another.
00:49I believe that sharing food is the best way
00:51to experience other cultures.
00:52So I travel the world, sampling one tasty morsel at a time.
00:57stomach collapses when a weddingcem isạn with food.
01:09That's what we're keeping the oradaro for.
01:10Its is what we need to create.
01:10I'll take a look auld for a Tuesday when it comes to the alarm.
01:11What's meant?
01:18In addition, a number of thing is no caffeine.
01:20Make me save one step at a time time.
01:20If you want unusual food in China?
01:24China, go to Guangzhou.
01:25This city of 10 million people may look like any other mega metropolitan area, but get
01:31a bit closer and you'll see why Guangzhou has earned its reputation as China's headquarters
01:37for uncommon cuisine.
01:47As one of the country's largest trading ports, this region has been exposed to more imported
01:52foods and ingredients than any other place in China.
01:56Guangzhou's year-round mild weather makes it an ideal place to grow fruits and vegetables
02:01and raise animals.
02:02Its location at the mouth of the Pearl River has led to a booming fishing industry.
02:08Today, Guangzhou is China's third largest city, yet its culinary history dates back over two
02:15millennia.
02:16Guangzhou, formerly known as Canton, is the birthplace of Cantonese cuisine.
02:20One of the hallmarks of freshness.
02:23But the Cantonese also have a taste for the unusual, making the food scene one of the most
02:27exciting in all of China.
02:30Westerners referred to Guangzhou as Canton up until the 1980s.
02:35Located just 100 miles northwest of Hong Kong, this area has long been considered one of China's
02:40great food destinations.
02:42I'm going to start my tour with a restaurant crawl and a sampling of foods in the heart of
02:47the city.
02:48Then, I make my way into the mountains of King Shin for a taste of nature, and I end my
02:54trip
02:54in the remote village of Nan Hai for a traditional dinner at a family farm.
03:00Cantonese food is characterized by an insistence on fresh ingredients accented with simple seasonings.
03:07The fresher the food, the fewer spices are needed to enhance natural flavors.
03:11But that doesn't mean the cuisine here is bland.
03:14It's anything but.
03:16To get a true feeling for a city, I like to start with street food.
03:21This area, called Shangjiazhu Road, attracts a younger, more adventurous crowd.
03:27So, in one 50-yard stretch of street, you can find an awful lot of food.
03:32Grilled oysters with ginger and scallion, chicken feet, rice baked in lotus leaf, fish balls, tofu
03:41skin, spring rolls, noodle bowls, and of course, grilled squid.
03:48Oh.
03:49It's good.
03:51It's good.
03:52It's good.
03:54Street food is a big part of the Asian lifestyle, as are larger restaurants catering to specific
04:00tastes.
04:00The city's most famous eatery is called simply the Guangzhou Restaurant.
04:05It's over 70 years old and serves up to 10,000 diners a day and is famous for dim sum
04:12and
04:12traditional Cantonese foods.
04:13Dim sum is quintessentially Chinese and refers to an entire genre of smaller snacks that can
04:20be eaten all day long.
04:22Now, dim sum restaurants sprang up as a way to provide sustenance for weary travelers who
04:28are traveling down the length of the Silk Road, but for me, it's just some of the best food
04:33in the world.
04:34I like it all, especially something called phoenix talons, also known as chicken feet.
04:41There's an art to eating chicken feet.
04:43You just sort of suck and gnaw away at the skin and cartilage.
04:48These are fried, then simmered for a long time in a sweet sauce of soy and rice wine, a little
04:55bit of Chinese rock sugar.
04:57It's one of the great foods of the world.
04:59Very, very good.
05:07Wow.
05:09Fantastic.
05:11Lucky for me, the main menu features some rather unusual choices.
05:15Steamed abalone in its own shell, stuffed duck's feet, and a sweet dish with shrimp that's called
05:22simply stir-fried milk.
05:24Got to start with the stuffed duck's feet.
05:28How cool is that?
05:30Imagine the labor that it takes.
05:33Look at that.
05:35That's a duck's foot, just peeled away from all of the cartilage and bone, leaving just
05:41the skin and those three little pieces of meat that lie over the toes and make them work.
05:46Stuffed with shrimp.
05:53Chewy.
05:54It's actually got great flavor.
05:56That's sort of like the ultimate surf and turf dish, duck's foot with ground shrimp.
06:01Wow.
06:03Abalone is typically a tough little creature, texturally.
06:06To make it tender, the Chinese braise it and steam it for a very long time.
06:11Abalone, one of the chewiest foods in the whole world, usually sliced paper thin.
06:16I'll give this a go.
06:22They just melt in your mouth.
06:23I've never had abalone so tender.
06:25That's extraordinary.
06:27Now, I'll eat anything, but there are some foods that repulse even me.
06:31I'm not especially fond of mushy jelly-like textures like the one in this shrimp and milk dish.
06:38See, with a lot of foods, you should just eat it.
06:42You shouldn't really spend too much time looking at it.
06:46You might be psyching yourself out.
06:53Those taste like fatty egg whites.
06:56It's almost a neutral flavor, but the texture is just not good for my taste.
07:06Oh.
07:08And I can't quite tell you how out of place the flavor of cooked shrimp is with this sort of
07:15congealed milk skin.
07:20Oh.
07:26I decide to keep working my way up the food chain and head for another popular local spot called the
07:32Jin Ying Lu restaurant,
07:34a place known for fresh ingredients and ancient Cantonese dishes.
07:38Oh, wow.
07:42There's an old Cantonese saying that if it walks, flies, swims, or crawls with its back to heaven, it must
07:49be edible.
07:50Roast suckling pig, turtle soup, pigeon, scorpion.
07:56You almost don't know where to begin.
07:58Turtle meat is an abundant source of protein in China.
08:01This soup is a traditional dish, and it's long been considered a form of ancient Chinese medicine.
08:07Now, they've put an awful lot of turtle meat and chicken into the soup already, making it a little easier
08:16to eat.
08:16But the best part are still all the delicious little bits of turtle goodies in here.
08:31There's a lot of little bones.
08:33And it does taste a little swampy, living in murky waters and eating little shoots and leaves at the bottom
08:40of lakes and rivers.
08:41That makes for some pretty funky-tasting flesh.
08:45That's a nice turtle.
08:48Pigeon is the game bird of choice in southern China, and farms around the city raise the birds for sale
08:53to local restaurants.
08:56Mmm.
08:59Oh, my.
09:02Salty and gamey with crispy flesh.
09:07Kind of tastes like duck.
09:10But not as strong. Very mild.
09:17I just love the seasoning.
09:19Salt and tea smoke is just a crazy good combination.
09:23So the Chinese don't discriminate when it comes to meals with wings, scales, shells, or even stingers.
09:29And they prefer their arachnids prepared over a very high heat and seasoned with salt and hot chilies.
09:35Now, scorpions, like most spiders, taste a lot like crab.
09:41I kid you not.
09:42Next time you're in this part of the world, avail yourself of these little beauties.
09:50They are fantastic.
09:53And as you can see, they still have their little stinger.
09:58Now, suckling pig is China's equivalent to our turkey on Thanksgiving.
10:03The young pigs are butchered between the age of two and six weeks old and then slow roasted for maximum
10:09flavor.
10:10And because the meat is so delicate, it requires an experienced hand to carve them.
10:16Look at the knife skills on this guy.
10:19Reminds me of the rabbi that performed my bris back in 1961 at the children's wing at Mount Sinai Hospital
10:26in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
10:29It's fork and knife time.
10:33I think this might be the best bite on the whole pig.
10:36The little layer of meat right around the belly.
10:40Wow.
10:42Spectacular.
10:43But of course, everyone loves the whole roasted suckling pig for the skin.
10:47Mmm.
10:50Oh, that's good.
10:52And of course, you have to eat the ear.
10:58Although usually, I like a little less waxy buildup and hair in mine.
11:07Eh.
11:09We just get rid of that piece.
11:12Crispy pigs here.
11:14Much better off a suckling pig.
11:17Oh.
11:19That is outstanding.
11:21That was some authentic Chinese food.
11:23And just like at home, there's always lots to share.
11:26That was great.
11:28Here's the problem.
11:29I think I over-ordered a little bit.
11:31Do you think I could get some of this to go?
11:33Yeah, thanks a lot.
11:37Up next, market shopping with Jackie Chan,
11:40who's as famous for his culinary skills as the other Jackie Chan is for his fancy kung-fu moves.
11:54The city of Guangzhou has a great energy about it.
11:58Young and old alike share the quest for balance and harmony.
12:00You can see it in the public parks where people come to exercise and practice traditional dance and martial arts.
12:06Many Chinese believe that achieving balance brings better health and well-being.
12:11This concept is known as Qi and refers to an energy flow that circulates through channels within the body.
12:19Many believe that what you eat can seriously affect your Qi, giving new meaning to grocery shopping in this part
12:25of the world.
12:26You know me. I love markets. And Xingping Market is Guangzhou's largest.
12:31There are over 2,000 vendors, both inside and outside, spread out over about a dozen city blocks.
12:37They get about 60,000 visitors a day who come here to shop for everything from starfish to dried frogs,
12:44bok choy to balut.
12:50Many people here are less interested in the four nutritional food groups
12:54and instead buy according to the needs of their Qi.
12:58Eating rabbit meat helps cool your energy flow, while chicken meat could warm it up.
13:03Animal protein is not just the centerpiece of a meal here.
13:07It's considered to have medicinal properties, often utilized as a curative or a preventative.
13:13To hunt down some of the more unusual foods here, I'm joined by one of Guangzhou's A-list celebrities, Jackie
13:20Chan.
13:21That's Jackie Chan, the renowned chef, not the martial arts expert.
13:24Jackie has devoted his life to cooking and is one of China's most famous chefs.
13:29Tonight, I'm going to be eating dinner at his five-star restaurant.
13:33But first, Jackie and his assistant, Frida, give me the inside scoop on where they find the freshest local ingredients
13:39for their signature Cantonese creations.
13:42Is there a different type of dish that you make with the small turtle versus the big turtle?
13:51It's the biggest one and the oldest one turtle better than the smaller one.
13:55So that turtle has got to be the best turtle in the whole store.
13:59Yes, I think.
14:00Look how excited you got. That's a giant turtle.
14:04Turtle meat ranges from the very tough to the incredibly fatty.
14:09So choosing the right one is crucial to the success of a dish.
14:12But for tonight's meal, Jackie has something else in mind.
14:15I know what this is. Jellyfish.
14:19Chef Chan likes to use the marinated with the dark vinegar.
14:24Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. I love that.
14:34Wow. Here's something you don't see every day.
14:38Scorpions are inexpensive protein sources in this part of the world and are usually sauteed or fried, then added to
14:45dishes for a nutty flavor.
14:46Are these very traditional foods in this part of China?
14:50In China, is this very good?
14:52I would be afraid of this.
14:53Now, if the younger people maybe don't like to try this one.
14:57Yeah. Like me.
14:59One of the fascinating things about the kingping market is the variety of unusual foods and strange-looking items, like
15:06these dried creatures and spices.
15:08What are some of these for? Do they treat different ailments or just to maintain health?
15:13Just only keep your body good.
15:15And it keeps you cool.
15:17Regulates your temperature.
15:18Yeah, sure.
15:19Your chi.
15:20Yeah.
15:21Your chi.
15:22Oh, really?
15:23Yeah.
15:25Chef Jackie takes me by another part of the market where vendors sell their prized medicinal concoctions, from real bird's
15:32nests featured in the Chinese soup delicacy to this parasitic fungus thought to regulate the immune system.
15:39These cures don't come cheap.
15:41So this is like 50,000 U.S. dollars.
15:45Okay, please.
15:50Now this is worth the trip.
15:52The fresh seafood section.
15:53Guangzhou's status as a seaport and river city have earned it an exalted place in the hearts of seafood lovers
16:00around the world.
16:00These are blue swimmer crabs, we call them.
16:05They're fabulous.
16:07Yeah, very good.
16:10Normally we will work fry with the spring onion.
16:13Yeah.
16:14With the crab, this kind of crab.
16:16That's very nice.
16:17I just love the color.
16:18The colorful blue crabs look appealing, but Jackie has a more exotic course in mind for tonight's dinner.
16:24This scruffy, mean-looking crustacean.
16:28It's a hairy crab.
16:30Hairy crab.
16:31Yeah.
16:31Oh, look at that.
16:33Be careful.
16:34Be careful?
16:35Yes.
16:36No, no, no.
16:37Not here.
16:39Ah.
16:42Oh, nice.
16:44Oh yeah, he's got some big muscles.
16:46Yeah.
16:47On the front there.
16:48Hairy crabs migrate from fresh water to the ocean every September through November to mate.
16:54The most coveted crab is the pregnant female because the eggs are also a delicacy.
16:59The hairy crab is revered for its sweet, fragrant flavor.
17:03I think this one's better.
17:07Here's what I'm noticing though.
17:09Do you see the hair on the arms?
17:11Do you see that?
17:15Yeah, it kind of looks like you a little bit.
17:20The chef is well known for his unique seafood dishes.
17:23And I'm eager to see what Jackie does in the restaurant with these little lily pad loungers.
17:30Oh, wow.
17:33Oh, he's beautiful.
17:34And very dark.
17:36He's got big legs.
17:38That's good.
17:39That's what you want to see.
17:40You want to see a big leg on your frog.
17:42You've got to love a bag that's moving.
17:45That means dinner is going to be good.
17:47Now, for those of you that are doing the math at home, enough frog for three or four people to
17:52have dinner is about $3.
17:54Frog's legs, hairy crabs, jellyfish salad, now that's a mouth-watering meal if it doesn't escape first.
18:02Oh!
18:03Oh!
18:05Runaway frogs!
18:07Shopping for dinner can be an adventure, but the best is still to come.
18:12Coming up, from pond to plate at Jackie's five-star restaurant.
18:16And later, a meal made of fungus.
18:19Yes, indeed.
18:20Fungus.
18:31As the capital of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou is a big city with lots of traffic.
18:37Getting around can be a challenge, but the city's new subway system is extremely efficient.
18:43If you've got the time, you can join the locals and bike to your destination.
18:48No matter where you go in Guangzhou, you'll most likely find a restaurant.
18:52There are actually more than 10,000 of them in this city alone.
18:56One well-known restaurant in town is the Summer Palace, located in the Shangri-La Hotel.
19:01And since I just helped famous chef Jackie Chan select some of the items for my dinner tonight,
19:06I'm thrilled that he's letting me into the kitchen to see where he performs his gastronomic wizardry.
19:13That roar that you hear are the giant Mongolian woks getting ready to go into action.
19:18Look at this.
19:20Three, four, four dozen cooks for one little restaurant.
19:24Incredible.
19:26Worms.
19:26Oh, that's all.
19:28Oh, wow.
19:31Oh, look at that.
19:32They're alive.
19:34Nice.
19:36Jackie started his culinary career at the age of 11, working in a relative's restaurant.
19:41And 30-some years later, he's an executive chef and one of the best in China.
19:46In our country, he would be a rock star if he were cooking there.
19:50But here in China, very few chefs in the West have any idea of the level of cuisine that he's
19:57cooking at.
19:57But just look at the type of restaurant that he's running.
20:01The freshness, the quality of the food is just incredible.
20:04Sometimes there's 30, 40 ingredients just in a sauce in a dish.
20:08So as every dish comes into the kitchen on the ticket, all of the food is assembled that needs to
20:15go into that particular dish in teeny little trays so that the person manning the wok can prepare each plate.
20:21It's incredible.
20:22It takes a lot of labor.
20:24One of the keys to cooking great Chinese stir-fried recipes is a really, really hot wok.
20:30The smoky perfume of a perfectly sautéed wok dish is known in kitchen lingo as the breath of the dragon.
20:37I'm taking that as my cue to get out of the kitchen and take my seat in the dining room.
20:44Oh, my gosh.
20:46Jackie has personally selected my dinner tonight.
20:49And for starters, I'm having a soup that's made with the dark meat of the black bone chicken and wolf
20:54berries.
20:55Also on the table, something I've never had back home.
20:59Starfish.
21:03Holy moly.
21:11Mmm.
21:16Here's a little tip from me to you.
21:19If you've never tried starfish before and that was my first bite, you might want to feel around and make
21:26sure that you're not getting too much shell.
21:29Wow.
21:32That is just a textural freakout.
21:35This has absolutely no flavor whatsoever.
21:38It's like eating hard sand.
21:42Okay.
21:43Looking forward to the next course.
21:45I'm a big fan of jellyfish.
21:47And I have jellyfish salad just about every opportunity that I can.
21:53Oh.
21:55That is outstanding.
21:58Tart.
22:00Cucumbers are spectacular in there.
22:03Jellyfish is very, very, very gelatinous.
22:06But once you chew it once or twice, it just disappears in your mouth.
22:12And you taste that wonderful ginger and sesame.
22:20The starfish is a little crunchy.
22:22People don't eat the starfish.
22:27Just the, look, see the starfish.
22:31Now you tell me.
22:35Thanks, Frida.
22:37My buddy, Frida.
22:38Ah, the chef's special.
22:40A baked omelet with a couple of unique ingredients.
22:44Worms and hairy crab roe.
22:53They taste like vermicelli, little bits of pasta.
22:57They have a very, very mild, nutty flavor.
23:02They actually go pretty darn perfectly with the eggs.
23:05They don't skimp on the ingredients here.
23:07I like that.
23:07Usually when you have a worm omelet, they don't put enough worms in them for me.
23:11This one, plenty of worms.
23:16Mmm.
23:17People have eaten worms here for centuries.
23:19And why not?
23:20They're plentiful, inexpensive, and pack in the protein.
23:24The same goes for the big, fat, juicy frog legs that the chef bought in the market earlier today.
23:29He's preparing them two ways.
23:31Half are dipped in a batter with a fresh almond coating and then deep-fried in a wok.
23:36The remaining legs are paired with snap peas and black, woodier fungus.
23:41Fungus is very popular in China and considered good for your health.
23:46I love it.
23:55Fresh frog tastes nothing like chicken.
23:59It tastes like frog.
24:01Very, very mild white meat.
24:06And when you have it as fresh as buying it live and then eating it a few hours later,
24:10the sweetness is incomparable.
24:13And I'll tell you, this is a genius dish with the black, woodier fungus and the snap peas.
24:23Oh my.
24:24And I'm a big fan of almonds.
24:26So I think I'm going to like this too.
24:31Mmm.
24:34Remember what I was telling you before about the heat on those woks, the breath of the dragon?
24:39As delicate as this food is, it has to be cooked in extraordinarily high heat.
24:43And you can see those little scorching marks on the edge of that snap pea.
24:47You can almost smell that sear on there.
24:50That's how hot that wok is.
24:52And that's what makes great Chinese food so fabulous tasting.
24:56Then, the other item we bought at the market today.
25:00Very nice.
25:01The hairy crab is traditionally always served last in the meal because it's so delicious,
25:06it would overshadow any other food served right after it.
25:09The chef cracks it table side for me.
25:13Once the legs are removed, Chef Jackie Chan cracks open the shell to reveal the roe.
25:18Everything that isn't a shell is edible, but the lungs are usually removed before the crabs are eaten
25:24because of their bitter taste.
25:26That is nice.
25:28Spectacular.
25:30Mmm.
25:35Just a couple of little bites, and you can see what all the fuss is about every fall when it's
25:41hairy crab season.
25:43Sweet doesn't even begin to describe how good this crab meat is.
25:50Oh.
25:52The mustard, the roe, is very, very creamy.
25:56Has a very, very unique flavor.
25:58It's almost like sea urchin and foie gras kind of mingled together.
26:03The Japanese have a word for this sort of fifth taste.
26:06It's called umami.
26:07It's an indescribable sort of flavor.
26:10Mushrooms have umami.
26:13Crab roe has umami.
26:19Mmm.
26:20Boy, is that delicious.
26:22The taste is much sweeter than anything we find back in the States.
26:26So if you love crustaceans, you'll want to come to Guangzhou in the fall.
26:31Coming up next, the art of noodle pulling in one of Guangzhou's most famous restaurants.
26:36Wow.
26:38That's thin.
26:45Like most big cities in China, Guangzhou is experiencing a rebirth.
26:49Brand new skyscrapers are sprouting up throughout the downtown area, but residents still live in two worlds, where modern conveniences
26:57coexist with ancient customs and landmarks.
27:00Jianghai Tower in the city's largest park was built at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty in 1380 to show
27:06off the nobility's far-reaching influence on the townspeople.
27:09There's an old Chinese proverb, preserve the old, but know the new.
27:14A more fitting modern-day slogan might be, if grandma didn't eat it growing up, we don't eat it now.
27:21The noble classes created and followed strict dining and food preparation customs, some of which are still practiced today.
27:29Noodles are a symbol of longevity in China, and the custom of noodle pulling has been prized for generations.
27:34The master noodle chefs at Jumauju noodle restaurant continue the time-honored tradition of stretching, measuring, slicing, shearing, and serving
27:45noodles all by hand.
27:48Oh, yeah.
27:49These guys are also pros at needling noodles.
27:52That is some seriously thin noodle work, my friend.
27:56As they say in Compton, this is the shiznit.
28:00Jumauju's menu has more than a hundred unique noodle dishes.
28:04The variety is mind-boggling, so I asked frequent diners Jang Jang Wong and Dang Chung Jang to order for
28:11me.
28:12We've got stuffed wontons, lo mein, pasta shells, whole wheat glass noodles, some I've never seen before.
28:19Like these dumplings shaped like cat's ears.
28:22Little rolled cat's ears.
28:24They almost look like Italian capoletti that have been rolled up into little tubes.
28:34Oh, with vinegar and tomato and spring onion.
28:37This one might be my favorite.
28:39This is truly amazing.
28:41These noodle bowls typically contain only one long pasta strand.
28:46Ah, look at that.
28:48Well, yeah, that is a very long noodle.
28:52It must mean I'm going to have a very long life.
28:57Individual noodles for some dishes can be up to 50 or 60 meters in length.
29:01That's half a football field or the distance from home base to second.
29:05Creating these super long noodles require skill and the practice of athletic proportions.
29:11Three months of training on average for a new chef.
29:13So, I'm willing to give it a try.
29:17All right, I think I got this.
29:18And then at one point he cuts it with his finger and he's done.
29:21And that way, the entire pot is filled up with one noodle.
29:25Like all arts, it takes a lot of skill and perseverance to be successful.
29:30First, the most important thing, of course, is to address the noodle.
29:34Hello, noodle.
29:36All right.
29:36All right.
29:37Oh, yeah.
29:39Oh, yeah.
29:40All right.
29:41This, right away, this is much, much, much easier than it looks because I have it in
29:46my hands now.
29:47And, whoo!
29:54Whoop!
29:55Oh!
29:57All right.
29:57You ready?
29:58Okay.
29:59All right.
30:00So, whoa!
30:02See, my loop isn't big.
30:05That's where, that's where, whoa!
30:08That's where I'm lacking.
30:09Maybe the practice of noodle slicing is more up my alley.
30:13Oh!
30:15This is like paper football in third grade at the Dalton School in New York.
30:20I got this no problem.
30:22All right.
30:23Here we go.
30:25Yeah, let me add it.
30:26See, the important thing with this is the angle of your dangle.
30:31Yeah?
30:32Oh, like this?
30:33Yes.
30:34Okay.
30:34Let's see.
30:37All right.
30:38This one is much, much harder than it looks.
30:41All right.
30:46Actually, I think eating is my strong suit.
30:49I best leave the noodling to the professionals.
30:52Oh.
30:53Up next on Bizarre Foods, what's on these plates?
30:57I'll give you a hint.
30:58There's a fungus among us.
31:00Watch me try them all.
31:10One of China's most beloved free spirits stands immortalized in front of Guangzhou's most popular tourist site.
31:18Sun Yat-sen is considered the father of the Chinese Revolution, and this statue and museum pay homage to this
31:25great hero of the working class.
31:27He grew up a farmer's son on the outskirts of Guangzhou and believed the country's economy could be strengthened by
31:34drawing on its vast supply of natural resources, something that is happening today all across China.
31:41In the mountains, about two hours outside of Guangzhou, is the village of Qingxin.
31:46Now, this village is typical of most in the region, with small family farms dotting the landscape.
31:52These days, a different type of farming is beginning to mushroom.
31:56An economic powerhouse these days, China is also the world's number one exporter of specialty mushrooms and edible fungus.
32:03The area around here is ideal for growing fungi because of the mild, humid climate.
32:11Zhu Wan Shen is a manager for the Lin Zhang Bao edible fungus company.
32:16One of the top ten exporters in China, this village factory grows primarily mushrooms and is a great example of
32:23how centuries-old farming methods can be enhanced with a little bit of modern thinking.
32:27You can see there's a hole here that the mushroom grows both sides.
32:32Oh, so the mushroom spores are already in the dirt?
32:36Yes.
32:37Oh.
32:39The workers stuff the spore-laden soil loosely into plastic bags as the plastic will retain the moisture.
32:45They leave an opening on both ends so the mushrooms can grow out into the air and be easily cut.
32:51Each of these round bundles will produce more than two pounds of mushrooms.
33:03The next step is to place the bundles into a cave-like area so the mushrooms can prosper in a
33:08warm, moist environment and not get dried out by the sun.
33:12This farm produces 13 types of mushrooms, most of which are sold at markets or to other restaurants.
33:18I guess the tarp keeps the sun away?
33:23Keep it cool.
33:24Mmm.
33:26To show off the superb taste and promote their product line, Lin Zhang Bao opened its own restaurant in the
33:32town of Tsing Sin.
33:34Smells good.
33:35Yes, every single dish here features mushrooms or some other type of fungus.
33:40The Chinese have been using fungi medicinally for more than 2,000 years, and today they're revered as low-fat,
33:47no-carb sources of B-complex vitamins.
33:51Wang Ping has been a professional chef for 12 years in one of China's more male-dominated fields.
33:57She's succeeded because of her great skills and the mastery of the large repertoire of classical dishes.
34:03River fish with fungus, fill-netted stinkhorn mushroom, and something called View of Gulian,
34:10in which Wang takes morel mushroom caps, fills them with the ground pork and vegetables, dips them in batter and
34:16deep fries them.
34:17I'm also looking forward to the restaurant's most famous dish, sea salt fungus chicken.
34:23The Chinese call mushrooms and fungi the fruit of the earth, and my host tells me they've got a pretty
34:28spectacular side effect.
34:30This one is good for losing weight?
34:32Yeah.
34:33Oh, then I should be eating this whole thing then, because the two of you are way too skinny.
34:39I could lose a couple pounds.
34:42I'm ready to dig in.
34:43First up, I'm dying to try the deep-fried morels.
34:47Yes.
34:51Totally different flavor.
34:53So light and sweet.
34:55Oh, yeah.
34:56Oh, yeah.
34:56Do you notice the way the minute I start talking about how something tastes, the chef doesn't need any translation
35:02at all?
35:03Mm-hmm.
35:03She knows exactly what I'm thinking.
35:04That's very cool.
35:05You should feel it.
35:06Right on.
35:06I like that.
35:07Count me.
35:08Yeah, exactly.
35:10I feel you, sister.
35:12Next, the river fish, which is actually a species of perch, accented with what else?
35:18Mushrooms!
35:18Let me try the mushrooms first.
35:20Mm-hmm.
35:22Oh.
35:24Those are extraordinary.
35:26Are those dried first, or are those fresh ones?
35:29The fungus is dried.
35:30We found if it's fresh, it's not good for health.
35:34Oh.
35:34It's special for men, you know.
35:36Really?
35:37Mm.
35:37Special man powers?
35:40Yes.
35:41I don't want to embarrass anyone, but we all know what we're talking about there.
35:44And then there's the fish.
35:46Perfect pairing.
35:48The earthy and pungent taste of the fungus goes really well with the salty fish.
35:54What's incredible to me is taste the mushroom, and then you taste the mushroom and the fish together.
35:59Mm-hmm.
35:59The marriage is spectacular.
36:02Now for the steamed stinkhorn mushroom, which, ironically, has no aroma to it at all.
36:08There's a little bit of a tartness from the scallion.
36:10It's very, very mild, but this mossy fungus, this has got to be good for you.
36:15This is good for you, right?
36:16Yeah, for beauty.
36:17For beauty?
36:18Yes.
36:19Oh, wow.
36:20I could use plenty of that.
36:22Now, the chicken in this region is highly regarded all across China for its lean and tender meat,
36:27small bones, and exceptional flavor.
36:30Chef Ping slowly poaches her bird in the sea salt fungus, chills it in the broth, and then serves it
36:35at room temperature.
36:37This is spectacular.
36:39But so much of chicken today that you eat around the world is factory farmed, and it doesn't taste like
36:44anything.
36:45Mm-hmm.
36:45This tastes like chicken should taste.
36:48Oh.
36:50There are few dining experiences better than discovering a young, passionate chef performing culinary magic in such a remote place.
36:58To you.
36:59To you.
37:00To you.
37:01Cheers.
37:04Coming up, a home-cooked meal just like Grandma used to make.
37:17Guanzhou is the most populous city in China's Guangdong Province, and signs of progress are everywhere.
37:23But you don't have to travel too far to experience a simpler pace.
37:30Farmers in the field, neighbors playing mahjong, it's life as it has been for thousands of years.
37:37This is your typical one-ox farm.
37:40The Wen family works their small parcel of land, raising their own vegetables and animals, essentially living off the land.
37:48I was fortunate to meet Ann in Guangzhou, who introduced me to her friend Tony, whose relatives have farmed here
37:55for generations.
37:55Uh, is this your family?
37:57Yeah.
37:58Hello.
37:59How are you?
38:00Hello.
38:01Andrew.
38:02This is Wen.
38:02Ah, very nice to meet you.
38:04How long have they lived here?
38:09Ah, the Wen family has watched the city close in on them over the course of their lifetime.
38:18How much has it changed since they were little kids?
38:28The properties price is gross and gross and...
38:36Everything's more expensive.
38:38Everything, everything's more expensive.
38:40Hun Xiaowen and his wife, Gui Zhenji, are the last of their family to farm.
38:47Their kids work in Guangzhou and most likely won't be returning to rural life, meaning the family farm dies with
38:54the parents.
38:55Today's pickings include some choy, a fresh green that grows abundantly without pesticides or modern technology.
39:02The Wens practice organic and sustainable farming methods, something that's become a trend around the world.
39:07Here they've been doing it the same way for...
39:09Simple is best.
39:11Yeah, simple is best.
39:15Simple is best.
39:22Like farmers everywhere, they take a break from chores for a lunch that, simply put, is the freshest you'll find
39:28anywhere.
39:31This traditional Chinese meal includes lots of vegetables and a small amount of animal protein for all of us to
39:36share.
39:37In this case, one of the Wens roosters.
39:39The village population is about 600, and each street houses 15 to 20 families.
39:46The homes are made up of many small connecting rooms, one of which is the kitchen.
39:51The dead rooster is being placed into a pot of boiling water, where it's let to sit for a couple
39:58of minutes.
39:59It just makes for easier plucking.
40:02And there you have it.
40:04Same way it's been done for a thousand years.
40:12When cooking for company, many times, neighbors join in the food preparation and in the meal.
40:19Also on the menu, a fresh carp caught moments ago in the canal.
40:25Joining us for lunch are neighbors, Guangxiang Wen and his daughter, Bi Xia Wen.
40:30I'm honored that the Wens are treating us to such a feast.
40:34An egg and green vegetable dish, the sum choy, the carp with ginger, black bean and scallions, water spinach, steamed
40:42shrimp, chicken with ginger, roasted pork belly, and hairy gourd.
40:50With Chinese country cooking and other Cantonese cuisine, simple is best.
40:54Each dish contains only a few ingredients, some only two or three.
40:59The emphasis is always on purity and freshness.
41:04Unbelievable.
41:07This carp is very, very delicate.
41:10Oh, it's delicious.
41:12The flavor of fish with the fermented black beans is one of my all-time favorites.
41:20Notice all the vibrant colors and flavors on the table?
41:23Some of these are foods I've never eaten before, and some would even be discarded in Western kitchens.
41:28Sweet potato leaves.
41:31It tastes like water spinach.
41:33Delicious.
41:34Wow.
41:35And this is the hairy gourd?
41:37Yeah.
41:38All right.
41:44Very nutty, not too sweet.
41:47I don't like them when they're too sweet.
41:48It tastes like pie.
41:50That's really, really good.
41:52There's nothing like eating food right off the farm.
41:56Well, now, this is good.
41:58You see?
41:59The foot is holding on to a little bit of chicken for me.
42:05Mm-hmm.
42:06Mm-hmm.
42:07Mm-hmm.
42:08Mm-hmm.
42:10See?
42:11The chicken here tastes like chicken.
42:13So special.
42:14Different from KFC.
42:17Yes.
42:19This is extraordinary.
42:21Yeah.
42:22The flavor of the eggs from their chickens.
42:25Mm-hmm.
42:25And that this green very much has that slightly bitter mustardy flavor.
42:33Oh.
42:40Thank you very much for this experience.
42:43Thank you very much for this experience.
42:46This is extraordinary.
42:48I'll bring my pillow and my blanket.
42:50I'm moving in this afternoon.
42:57Even though we come from opposite ends of the world,
42:59I feel right at home here with the Wens.
43:05As the People's Party modernizes and China opens up to new ideas,
43:10it'll be cool to see whether or not the Cantonese absorb or ignore
43:14the newly globalized modern food world.
43:17You ought to come to China soon and check it out for yourself.
43:19And remember, if it looks good, eat it.
43:26It's so bizarre.
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