Ua kamaʻilio ʻo Aubrey Gates King mai ʻAmelika e pili ana i kāna mau makahiki ʻelua o ka noho ʻana ma kahi kauhale Kina a pehea ʻo ia i hoʻokō ai i ka meaʻai vegan i nā manawa āpau ma kahi ʻāina i ʻike ʻole ʻia.
“ʻO Yunnan ka mokuʻāina hema hema loa o Kina, e pili ana iā Myanmar, Laos a me Vietnam. I loko o ka ʻāina, ʻike ʻia ka panalāʻau he paradaiso no ka poʻe huakaʻi a me nā backpackers. Nui i ka moʻomeheu lāhui liʻiliʻi, kaulana i nā ʻāina laiki, nā ululāʻau pōhaku a me nā mauna i uhi ʻia i ka hau, he makana maoli ʻo Yunnan iaʻu.
Ua lawe ʻia au i Kina e kahi kaiāulu kumu waiwai ʻole i kapa ʻia ʻo Teach For China. Ua noho au ma ke kula me 500 mau haumāna a me 25 kumu ʻē aʻe. I ka hui mua ʻana me ke poʻo o ke kula, ua wehewehe au iā ia ʻaʻole au e ʻai i ka ʻiʻo a i ʻole nā hua manu. ʻAʻohe huaʻōlelo no ka "vegan" ma ka ʻōlelo Kina, kapa lākou iā lākou he vegans. ʻAʻole hoʻohana mau ʻia ka waiū a me nā huahana waiu i ka meaʻai Kina, akā hoʻohana ʻia ka waiū soy no ka ʻaina kakahiaka. Ua haʻi mai ke alakaʻi iaʻu, ʻo ka mea pōʻino, ʻoi aku ka nui o ka kuke ʻana o ka hale ʻaina kula me ka puaʻa ma mua o ka aila ʻai. "ʻAe, naʻu e kuke noʻu iho," wahi aʻu i pane aku ai. ʻO ka hopena, ʻaʻole i like nā mea a pau i koʻu manaʻo i kēlā manawa. Akā naʻe, ua ʻae maʻalahi nā kumu e hoʻohana i ka ʻaila canola no nā mea kanu meaʻai. I kekahi manawa, hoʻomākaukau ka mea kuke i kahi ʻāpana huaʻai ʻokoʻa naʻu. Hāʻawi pinepine ʻo ia iaʻu i kāna ʻāpana o nā mea kanu ʻōmaʻomaʻo i hoʻolapalapa ʻia, no ka mea, ua ʻike ʻo ia makemake nui au iā lākou.
He ʻawaʻawa a ʻono ka meaʻai Pākē Hema a i ka wā mua, ua inaina wale au i kēia mau hua ʻai ʻai. Makemake nō hoʻi lākou e lawelawe i ka eggplant ʻawaʻawa, aʻu i makemake ʻole ai. ʻO ka mea hoʻohenehene, i ka pau ʻana o ke kau mua, ua noi mua au i ka nui o kēlā mau huaʻai pickled like. I ka pau ʻana o ka hoʻomaʻamaʻa, ʻaʻole hiki ke noʻonoʻo ʻia kahi pā noodles me ke kōkua ʻole o ka vīneka. I kēia manawa ua hoʻi au i ʻAmelika, ua hoʻohui ʻia kahi lima o nā mea kanu pickled i kaʻu mau meaʻai āpau! ʻO nā mea kanu kūloko ma Yunnan mai ka canola, ka laiki a me ka persimmon a hiki i ka paka. Makemake au e hele i ka mākeke, aia ma ke alanui nui i kēlā me kēia 5 lā. Hiki ke loaʻa i kēlā me kēia mea ma laila: nā huaʻai hou, nā mea kanu, ke kī, a me nā kīkī. ʻO kaʻu mea punahele, ʻo ia ka pitahaya, ke kī oolong, ka papaya ʻōmaʻomaʻo maloʻo, a me nā halo kūloko.
Ma waho o ke kula, ua pilikia ke koho ʻana i nā kīʻaha no ka ʻaina awakea. ʻAʻole like lākou i lohe ʻole i nā mea ʻai meaʻai: ʻōlelo pinepine mai ka poʻe iaʻu, "ʻAe, hana pū koʻu kupuna wahine pēlā" a i ʻole "ʻAe, ʻaʻole wau ʻai i ka ʻiʻo no hoʻokahi mahina o ka makahiki." Ma Kina, ʻo ka hapa nui o ka heluna he poʻe Buddhist, ka poʻe e ʻai nui i ka veganism. Eia naʻe, ma ka hapa nui o nā hale ʻaina, aia ka manaʻo he ʻiʻo nā kīʻaha ʻono loa. ʻO ka mea paʻakikī loa, ʻo ia ka hōʻoiaʻiʻo ʻana i ka poʻe kuki i koʻu makemake maoli i nā mea kanu wale nō. ʻO ka mea pōmaikaʻi, ʻoi aku ka liʻiliʻi o ka hale ʻaina, ʻoi aku ka liʻiliʻi o nā pilikia. Ma kēia mau wahi ʻoiaʻiʻo liʻiliʻi, ʻo kaʻu mau kīʻaha punahele he pīni pinto i palai ʻia me nā hua ʻai ʻala, eggplant, kāpeti puhi, aʻa lotus spicy a, e like me kaʻu i ʻōlelo ai ma luna, ʻawaʻawa eggplant.
Ua noho au ma kekahi kūlanakauhale kaulana no ka pudding pea i kapa ʻia ʻo wang dou fen (), he kīʻaha vegan. Hana ʻia ia ma ke kāwili ʻana i nā pī i ʻili ʻia i loko o kahi puree a hoʻohui i ka wai a mānoanoa ka nui. Hāʻawi ʻia ia i loko o nā "poloka" paʻa a i ʻole ke ʻano o ka porridge wela. Ke manaʻoʻiʻo nei au hiki ke ʻai i nā mea kanu ma nā wahi a pau o ka honua, ʻoi loa ma ka Hikina Hikina, no ka mea, ʻaʻohe mea e ʻai i ka ʻiʻo a me ka paʻakai e like me ke Komohana. A e like me ka ʻōlelo a koʻu mau hoa omnivorous.