Pure ingredients speak for themselves | Master Nun’s Little Table
In this piece, Xia Lili takes us into the vivid reality of the project. Stationed in the kitchen of the Little Dining Table, Xia Lili not only brings meal mates, farmer friends, and food together in a whirlwind of activity, but also discovers the unexpected, magical “effect” of the Little Dining Table in restoring the body’s vital state.
I. Cabbage and Potato Stew: Sounding the Horn of the Spring Harvest
Picking at the various insect holes in the fresh potatoes, I could almost see my farmer friend Hu Xuemei and her “handyman” Brother Li working hard in the fields for the spring harvest. Xuemei’s vegetables, regardless of variety, are all 10 yuan a catty. To save money, I visit her stall once a month whenever she comes to the Chengdu Life Market; not only do I save on delivery costs, but I also get discounts for being willing to accept produce with slight imperfections.
In my birthplace, Shuzhuang Village in Chongyi Town, Dujiangyan, the adults were always incredibly busy at this time of year. Once the potatoes were harvested, the land had to be cleared to prepare for other crops; the large ones were sorted and stacked for storage, while the small ones were gathered in baskets to be eaten first.
When the adults were busy, the cooking was left to the teenage sisters. I, the little tag-along, would help stoke the fire while watching how they cooked. Usually, we would wash and cook the rice first. While the rice was simmering, we’d grab a handful of “taters” to wash, and tear the cabbage leaves into small pieces.
When the vegetables were cooked and the rice was steamed, the cook would scoop some bean paste from the jar while sending the little tag-along to the fields to act as a little trumpet, calling everyone back home from their labour.
Later, the elders passed away one by one; my male cousins moved their families away for work, and my female cousins married into distant towns. The little tag-along had no one left to follow back in the village. Coupled with administrative restructuring, Chongyi Town has since vanished from the map of Dujiangyan.
Fortunately, the experiences of my childhood in the countryside slowly grew into the finest rings of my life’s growth. Therefore, my hometown, my ancestral home, and my kin will always be with me.
II. Ingredients That Speak
Sister Jiang, a veteran meal mate of the Little Dining Table, said the potatoes had a “milky aroma”; I tasted a delicacy and fresh sweetness. Clean ingredients really do speak for themselves. I am glad my efforts were not in vain—I started the Little Dining Table specifically so that I could hear them speak every day.
Thanks to the Little Dining Table, a new life in Yulin has begun.
On the last day of February, after arranging a meal with my meal mates and receiving the payment, I spent the evening passionately ordering from the Tian’an Life online shop. I procured new chopping boards and knives for the Little Dining Table, bought a stock of mixed grains, dried goods, and seasonings, and ordered a weekly vegetable subscription from Hu Xuemei’s family farm.
Leaving the payment page of the Tian’an micro-shop, I couldn’t wait to tell Auntie Chen of the “Yujian Family Farm” in Meishan the good news. I ordered ten jin of rice from this “Little Dining Table rice supplier”. Auntie Chen was delighted, saying her farm was just about to harvest carrots, and she would send some to the Little Dining Table as a congratulation on the day of the market pick-up.
That night, lying in bed, I imagined various ingredients travelling from their origins toward me, bringing the fragrance of the earth and the blessings of farmer friends. I truly felt that “even in my dreams tonight, I would smile”.
After waking up smiling, the first day of cooking for my meal mates arrived.
Standing in the kitchen and looking around, I suddenly felt as though every familiar farmer friend was there with me in this rented kitchen, joining me in facing new challenges.
Where one spends their time is truly visible. Over the past decade, by diligently cultivating what I believed to be an ideal life, I have finally borne some “fruits of life”.
As a self-taught “food-intellectual”, I analysed the physical condition of my meal mates. Following the guiding principle from *The Life-Saving Diet*—”To improve health, one should prioritise natural plant-based foods”—I began to reshape everyone’s dietary structure, starting with the staples.
To ensure nutrient density, the “one dish, one rice” of the Little Dining Table requires that meal mates eat more than ten types of food per meal. Every day before cooking the rice, I perform a set of mental calculations.
Good carbohydrates are crucial for bodies with East Asian genes. Therefore, while reducing the proportion of white rice, I mix in brown rice or millet and add seeds and legumes—such as raw cashews, pine nuts, crushed corn, black beans, and peanuts—to achieve a comprehensive richness in variety, texture, and nutrition.
III. Running a Little Dining Table is Like Governing a Great Nation
Because of these meal companions, I have found myself reflecting anew on the act of cooking.
Each of my meal companions has their own reason for joining in. Miss Jiang wants to save time on cooking to explore her own interests; Tata, who runs a plant shop downstairs, and her brother simply lack the time and facilities to cook; Chuchuzi, a piano teacher, dislikes cooking but is tired of constant takeaways; and Liu Dashu, who runs a bar, wants to manage his health through a more disciplined lifestyle (primarily to lose weight)…
Aside from Miss Jiang, the others have little to no understanding of what ‘ecological ingredients’ are, nor the relationship between ecological agriculture and personal health. They neither feel the need nor have the time to learn. How could I make them perceive the value and meaning of the Little Dining Table?
I decided to devote some time to ‘outreach and education’. Every time I finished prepping and before I started stir-frying, I would take a moment to post a brief update in the WeChat group called ‘Healthy Living Group’. This wasn’t just about what was on the menu for the day, but also where the food came from and the benefits of certain preparation methods…
How could I cater to everyone’s needs within a budget? How should I combine the fridge inventory with the ingredients from my farming friends? Which companion’s current health state requires me to handle ingredients in a specific way? Whose working hours clash with the meal pickup time, and how can that be resolved? The constant coordination and balancing required a great deal of thought; it truly felt as though running a little dining table was like governing a great nation.
Yet, I remained happy, for during the daily cooking, I could hold silent conversations with the farmers and my meal companions through the handling of the ingredients.
Everything went smoothly.
The kitchen underwent a total upgrade thanks to the Little Dining Table, vastly improving production efficiency. With the help of my meal companions, the process of clearing out the freezer accelerated. The black pork, cured meats, soy-marinated meats, sausages, hams, and fish balls that had troubled me all winter now lined up to leave the freezer, making my heart cheer along with the fridge.
Within a few days, the meal companions began claiming they were like Pavlov’s dogs, anticipating the meal the moment the clock struck. They even mentioned feeling a sense of ‘happiness’ in their hearts. As the initiator and chef, I felt wonderful too: their eagerness made me feel needed, and seeing them devour every meal gave me a profound sense of achievement.
One day, Liu Dashu came to pick up his meal. As he walked downstairs with his bowl, he posted a photo, noting that the beauty of living in Yulin was having the Little Dining Table; his joy was evident. I suspect that beyond the healthy meals, he was happy to have actually managed to ‘wake up early’.
For someone in the bar industry, arriving punctually at 11:50 am for a meal is no easy feat. I hope the ‘healthy eating and disciplined living’ of the Little Dining Table can lend him a hand, allowing him to implement his health management plan more thoroughly.
Beyond Liu Dashu, I want to share the story of another meal companion, Chuchuzi.
Last autumn, I signed up for a forest hiking event organised by a friend, where I met Chuchuzi, a fellow outdoor enthusiast. She described herself as someone completely indifferent to food and the land, joining the Little Dining Table simply because she didn’t want to cook, sought value for money, lived close to me, and trusted me.
After her first meal, she told me with delight, ‘The food is delicious. Even the plain rice is tasty,’ and described the meal as something that would make a ‘nut lover feel pure bliss’. Every time she picked up her food, she would take a photo and send it to her mother back in her hometown—‘Now Mum doesn’t have to worry about me eating poorly.’
After two weeks of joining in, she told me her weight was steadily dropping—she had successfully lost about five kilograms—and that her body had undergone a wonderful change. She felt brimming with energy and no longer craved snacks or late-night treats—indeed, when the body receives sufficient nutrition, the organs operate with a peaceful, quiet autonomy.
In addition to teaching piano, Chuchuzi had formed two bands with friends and often stayed up late. With the Little Dining Table, I could nudge her to wake up early and help her manage her health, freeing her from the hassle of ordering takeaways and giving her more energy for her creative work. I joked that if her band or songs ever became famous, Teacher Xia could be said to have made a modest contribution to her great career.
The first month passed quickly, and Chuchuzi fell in love with the feeling of ‘eating a home-cooked meal’, becoming a die-hard fan of the Little Dining Table. Although she only asked me haphazard questions about food whenever she came to pick up her meal, she began, more or less, to reflect on ‘why eating well is such an important thing.’
One day, Chuchuzi told me very seriously: ‘This (getting to know the land and the farmers through the Little Dining Table) is a good thing, and it’s very valuable. I hope more people find out about it.’ By the second month, she wanted the Little Dining Table to persist in Yulin even more than I did: ‘As long as I’m working here (at the training school), I’ll keep coming for meals.’
Editor: Xu Youyou