你家冬天怎么吃白菜?

But I’m not from Dongbei, and I’d never heard of suancai before a pop song brought it to the nation’s attention. “All Dongbeiren Are Living Lei Fengs” (《东北人都是活雷锋》), a sassy hit, included the line “Cuihua, serve the suancai! (翠花，上酸菜)” Cuihua, a common rural-Dongbei girl’s name, immediately became a byword for waitress, and suancai turned into the  representative dish of Dongbei cuisine.

The taste of suancai is unforgettable. It’s sour, refreshing, and somewhat like sauerkraut,
a dish I discovered when I first studied abroad, in Dusseldorf. But Manager Li pointed out the difference between the two. “German sauerkraut is made of regular cabbage—this is more suited to a salad. Chinese baicai,though, is strong enough for slow cooking.”

As the days get cooler, Li pickles both baicai and regular cabbage for himself. “The suancai sold in supermarkets is not good to eat. My homemade suancai is much better,” he said in his strong Dongbei accent. “Ever since I learned to cook, I’ve been picky about foods. I only like my own homemade suancai.”

To make your own homemade suancai, Li says you should wash and dry the leaves of 75kg of baicai individually, then cut them lengthwise. Spread them flat on the bottom of a large earthen jar, scattering 1.5kg of salt on top. Fill the jar with 15kg of clear cold water, cover the leaves with large stones, then seal the jar with plastic wrap. I know—it seems like a large amount, but if you’re going to eat it all winter, you better prepare well! Leave the baicai to ferment for a month. “After one month,” Li says, “it is OK to eat.”

Li takes his food seriously, and hesitated when Manager Li’s head chef, Li Zhongzhi, is very
shy and always smiling. “Manager Li is a better cook than I,” he said demurely. “You should interview him, not me.” But finally, after a battle of compliments, Chef Li agreed to teach me his recipe.

Li was the typical Dongbeiren: friendly, caring, reliable. I’d recommend you make as many Dongbei friends as you can. But before you do, why not try this traditional Dongbei dish first? I’m sure there’s a waitress named Cuihua who would be happy to take your order.