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| Ba Wenhan goes deep into mountains to collect bamboo shoots. (Photos by Zhao Xia / For China Daily) |
"When I was 4, my grandma took me to Sichuan to visit her younger sister. When I was an undergraduate, I visited Sichuan many times because my then girlfriend, who is now my wife, was attending Sichuan University. That's how I grew to like Sichuan," Ba explains.
After the couple settled down in Chengdu, Ba started researching the list of time-honored Sichuan delicacies and ingredients.
His first trip was to the Wawu Mountain in Hongya county, following a recommendation by a friend who had eaten the dried bamboo shoots there.
Ba bought 30 kg of those shoots from Wawu Mountain and launched his Taobao store.
He usually travels alone.
"I usually ask along the way before finding the farmers who might possess a famous delicacy," he says.
He recalls his visit to a small restaurant near Luocheng, a remote town in Qianwei county. The moment he entered the eatery, all the diners, who recognized that he was a stranger in the town, stared at him.
Ba says despite the unfriendly vibe he received at the restaurant, he mustered the courage to speak to the diners and owner.
His efforts paid off - the cook shared information about a local family who makes the famous Luocheng beef jerky.
"The family started making the beef jerky in 1932 and never uses artificial coloring or preservative. To make the beef pleasantly red, they introduce a medicinal herb which is beneficial to health," Ba says.
Ba's unique vocation definitely has not been a walk in the park.
Sometimes, Ba has to plod for a substantial distance alone. In some of the mountainous areas, there are no cellphone signals for several days.
In winter, the mountain path is covered with snow and dangerous.
What he fears most during his journey are dogs.
"Dogs in mountainous areas are wild. As they seldom see other living beings, they get very excited and fierce," he says.
Even though Ba is careful about his purchases, he has made mistakes.
His first batch of dried bamboo shoots from the Wawu Mountain had been soaked in water and turned moldy very quickly.
"The farmer soaked the bamboo shoots so that they look better," he says.
Ba continues to learn and takes notes wherever he goes. He has now compiled four diaries detailing how to distinguish quality food and ingredients from substandard ones.
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