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I remember seeing an interview with retired American news anchor, Tom Brokaw years earlier when I was visiting Shanghai. Brokaw recounted how the experience of famine powerfully shaped Chinese history. According to Brokaw, Premier Deng Xiao-peng’s reforms in the 1990’s were pivotal in creating surpluses of goods such as vegetables and fruits that transformed the Chinese economy. The reforms produced and empowered a new class of Chinese consumer and inaugurated a period of stunning growth that has only just begun to slow.

One way to understand the impact of food shortages and famine can be seen in the figure of China’s famous Laughing Buddha. If one’s community is subject to starvation and shortages, the sight of a portly, jolly monk would be cheering. His full round belly would reflect he was eating well, and his happiness would be a powerful reminder of success and wellbeing. Moreover, as a monk, he would symbolize the blessings of the Buddhas. It’s no accident he is a popular symbol associated with wealth, health, and good luck.

With the stunning growth of the Chinese economy in the 1990s and early 21st century came an efflorescence of restaurants and dining. In Hangzhou and Shanghai, I was struck by the vibrancy of the restaurants and the eagerness of their young patrons. They buzzed with an electric air of freedom and success. You could sense that times were good. In SWUN’s immediate vicinity, there was an abundance of similarly alluring restaurants. I’m probably lucky my budget and spoken Chinese were limited because I would have gotten very plump indeed.

As it was, SWUN’s cafeterias offered a delicious, affordable variety of food. Here again, eating strategically was key as not all dishes were created equal. In the cafeteria with the bubble milk tea, there was an incredibly popular beef noodle soup. The soup was one of the most expensive dishes in the cafeterias and the booth was never without a crowd. The chefs busily danced around filling orders like brokers on the floor of a stock exchange. The problem, however, was the pieces of beef in the soup had alot of bone and the soup had no vegetables. I quickly learned this soup wasn’t a great value for my meagre budget.