The Desk Escape Plan: Can Wordsmiths Sell Good Produce?

When three people who have spent years working at a desk in front of a computer decide to sell vegetables at a community ecological greengrocer in Beijing’s Sanyuanqiao, can they hold it all together?

If you spend every day staring at endless screens, data and meetings, have you ever wondered: what is the point of all this? In this age of acceleration, a torrent of information flows past our eyes and through our fingertips, yet many of us have lost a tangible sense of work and life. For a fleeting moment, a powerful urge surfaces: I want to do something concrete, something you can see and touch — real “physical labour”.

In this episode of Food Talk, we actually went and did the “physical labour”. Hosted by Foodthink founding editor Tianle, we invited veteran journalist and former Caixin assistant editor-in-chief Huang Chen (known as “Biaojie”), along with two younger Foodthink colleagues, Yuyang and Li Ye.

When they left their cramped workstations and stepped into the real, hands-on world of selling vegetables — bustling around the counter and the vegetable displays — what did they encounter, what did they observe, and what did they come to think about? The three guests shared their genuine experiences of working in the greengrocer:

From the grand narratives of data journalism to which sweet potato tastes best; from reporting on algorithm-driven sorting systems to personally negotiating with a customer on the spot: “Shall we try the tomatoes from another farm instead?” In the physical labour of stacking stock, sorting produce and photographing new arrivals, they rediscovered a long-absent sense of groundedness and feeling truly alive.

Selling vegetables turned out to be more than a job — it was a way of reconnecting with the world. Through this “crossover” into physical labour, they not only got to know tatsoi afresh and learned the trick of steaming wotou (steamed mixed-grain buns), but in this atomised city, they saw how food rebinds consumers, ecological farmers and shop staff within the tangible space of a greengrocer, building a long-lost, concrete system of social support.

In short, this is not an episode about “changing careers” but a frank conversation about how we work, the structure of society, and bodily experience. It is about how we step away from the screen and, once again, make peace with the real world through our own hands.

If you, too, have ever thought of stepping out of the glow of a screen for a while, this episode might be for you.

Interactive topic: Would you try a job in physical labour to find that sense of tangibility? We’d love to hear your story in the comments.

This Episode’s Guests

Huang Chen (known as “Biaojie”), former assistant editor-in-chief at Caixin and founder of the “Hello, Data” workshop. Currently a long-term volunteer at Jishi, the community ecological greengrocer in Sanyuanqiao — a vegetable seller bridging the worlds of big data and everyday life.

Yuyang

Foodthink editor, recently kept busy pickling Chinese cabbage.

Li Ye

Newly appointed project officer at Foodthink and new host of Food Talk.

This Episode’s Host

Tianle

Founding editor of Foodthink and convener of the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market.

A special preview: haven’t you all been dying to see Tianle’s, Li Ye’s and Yuyang’s staff badges? The moment of truth has arrived — they are members of Foodthink’s “Vegetable-Selling Dream Team”!

Saturday, 7 February, 10:00–22:00, we are taking over the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market community shop in Sanyuanqiao — Occupy Jishi! So that we don’t drop the ball on the day, over the past three months several colleagues have been serving as trainees at Jishi, completing 48 hours of “undercover training”.

During the 12 hours of Occupy Jishi, eight Foodthink colleagues will transform from wordsmiths into greengrocer assistants, stepping out of the comfort zone of writing and into the real world of manual labour: liaising with eco-farmers, attending to customers, sorting and packing produce, restocking shelves, handling the till and printing receipts — oh, and Foodthink’s signature staple: making their own staff meals. This is Foodthink’s annual gathering, and a very special year-end report card submitted to you, our readers.

Whether you want to put our vegetable-selling skills to the test, meet the Foodthink team in person, or simply pick up some good produce along the way, on Saturday, 7 February, all our “honorary shareholders” are welcome at Sanyuanqiao · Lixiang — we’ll see you “right away”!

See more of the exciting events from the day of “Occupy Jishi”.

Jishi, located in Phoenix Mall, Sanyuanqiao, Beijing, is just such a small yet design-conscious community greengrocer. Photo credit: Li Ye

The fruit and vegetables from our eco-farming friends may not always look picture-perfect, but they are certainly full of skill and care. Photo credit: Li Ye, Huang Chen

The shop’s little oddities: a jar of Sichuan paocai labelled “not for sale”, and a pot of enoki mushrooms that have air-dried naturally. Photo credit: Li Ye

What do you eat when you work at a community greengrocer that requires you to cook for yourself? Left: a day of Biaojie cooking on shift; Right: a pizza made with sliced toast by Jishi colleagues. Photo credit: Huang Chen, Li Ye

Jishi is more than just a greengrocer — it is also the smallholder farmer’s dining table. Photo credit: Li Ye

It is also a showcase for ecological agriculture and sustainable development. Photo credit: Li Ye

At Jishi, you can get to know your food. Even if you don’t need to buy any, you can wander through this public space and linger a while. Photo credit: Li Ye

Timeline

02:20 Why did a media professional who rose as a “test-ace” end up selling vegetables? 06:32 What exactly does a greengrocer’s daily work involve?

10:25 Observing consumption online and offline: do we still need brick-and-mortar greengrocers?

17:33 Trapped in the system: e-commerce sorters — is the algorithm optimising or alienating labour?

22:22 Brain hygiene: this generation is starting to “fall for physical labour”

24:55 Fighting anxiety: selling vegetables keeps me present

29:21 In a busy, atomised society, sometimes you need to sacrifice a little efficiency for genuine connection

35:41 Does a support system exist in the workplace?

40:10 Reflecting on utopia: what we actually do is the “physical labour” of our dreams

46:50 Beijing in 2015: an economic boom that called for an escape

49:40 Trisolarans can’t fathom humans’ “disconnect between knowledge and action”

53:43 Beneath grand narratives there are real individuals — we are more than just the 5.0% of national economic growth

56:36 What niche knowledge can you pick up selling vegetables? What’s good to eat in a northern Chinese winter?

01:01:06 Returning to the concrete, to human warmth, to humanity

This Episode’s Guests

This Episode’s Host

Timeline

Published by Foodthink