Sugar and Spice

When you are entertained hospitably on every trip, you cannot fail to be introduced to the specialities of the country. Eating with chopsticks is a challenge in itself, but there are other challenges too. A table for a small group of diners is covered with so many bowls that eating becomes an exciting adventure. The dishes vary from delicious sweet snacks, such as dried fruit, to the most alien vegetables and animals you ever seen on a plate. And you are surprised by the variety of tastes, from sweet to salty and from mild to spicy. When you also encounter such an unusual flower after dinner, you have no choice but to name it after one of those special flavours.