The reason for choosing this specific dish involves my homesickness. Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, I am currently separated from my family in China. Despite having the chance to leave Atlanta, I am still isolated in Vancouver, Canada. Originally, I was scheduled to return to China in late June, but with China’s travel restriction and my Canadian Citizenship, I do not even know when I will be able to return. Fearing the uncertainty of America’s ability to handle the outbreak also hindered my family’s decision to visit me in Vancouver.

This dish is a well-known dish, originating from the Hu’nan Province towards the Southern regions of China. Like the nationally loved tomato & egg dish (番茄炒蛋), pepper sautéed pork (辣椒炒肉) could also be served on a wide variety of occasions. As a child growing up, I have eaten this dish with noodles on my way to kindergarten, with rice at home for lunch, or even served at a restaurant on special occasions (in Hu’nan).

Like most dishes originating from Hu’nan, pepper sautéed pork (辣椒炒肉) is a dish heavily drenched in fatty oil. One could determine the healthiness of the dish by controlling the amount of oil mixed in, but much like all delicious cuisines, the fattier the oil, the tastier the dish. After mixing some sauce accompanied by peppers and pork into a bowl of rice, I can guarantee its disappearance in under a minute. The spiciness of the pepper and juiciness of the pork would inspire anyone to gulp down mouthfuls of rice.

I believe it is interesting to note the famine periods of China when considering this style of meat-based cuisine. Due to the aftermath of the Great Leap, during the early 1900s, many Chinese citizens were subjugated to extreme famine; surviving only on meal tickets provided by the government. During those harsh times, meat was very scarce, served only on special occasions. Even during special occasions, my grandparents told me that the ratio of meat to peppers was also heavily tilted towards peppers.

To me and my privileged background, this dish represents my childhood. Whenever I prepare 辣椒炒肉 away from home, I also take a picture and send it to my family on WeChat. It is my way of expressing how much I have missed them while away from home.

One of my most treasured memories was during my kindergarten days. My grandparents used to bribe me around the topic of school. During my early youth, my parents had to work very early in the morning, leaving my grandparents the responsibility of getting me to school. Conscious of my hatred for school, my grandpa would experiment with ways to trick me into going. The most effective method by far involved taking me out for noodles. At least once a week I would be tricked by going out for noodles in the morning and ending up at school by 8:30. I even remember my post-meal tears of betrayal whenever we crossed the bridge (湖南大桥). The reason, not surprisingly, is because the bridge always led to the kindergarten.

Overall, being able to share my favorite childhood cuisine and reminisce about some good memories was truly a wonderful gift during this Covid outbreak. Not only was I able to take my mind off this pandemic, I was also able to relax and enjoy the preparation process. Because of the absence of certain cooking ingredients, such as cooking alcohol, I had to poach the pork in an alternate way to remove the gamey stench/flavor from the meat. I was also forced to use rice wine as an alternative to cooking alcohol.