Not just a spice, but the very spirit of Sichuan

I never know what to order at Chinese restaurants in Beijing. So the first question from friends I dine with is almost always: "Do you take spicy stuff?"

I must admit that this seemingly simple question is really a very complex one for me.

Singaporeans love their spicy food and I am no exception. It's not just a question of spicy or not, but Chinese spicy, Malay spicy, Indian spicy, Eurasian spicy, Peranakan spicy ... ?you get the idea.

Fish head, Assam and Devil's curries, chili and pepper crab, laksa, shrimp paste sambal belacan and chili padi - I am accustomed to a broad range of spicy cuisine, as well as the essential ingredients that fire up its dishes.

Well, except for Sichuan pepper, or hua jiao as it is known in Chinese. Until Sichuan ma la hot pot became popular among friends back home, I had few encounters with this tongue-numbing condiment.

The ubiquitous chili pepper in its various degrees of fieriness blazes from my mouth down the throat, but the hua jiao makes me oblivious to everything else on the table.

The mystery of how a tiny beadlike thing could pack such a punch and wipe out all sensation of taste adds to the allure of its namesake.

It is one of the reasons why I have always wanted to visit Sichuan.

Other than hua jiao, the province is known for some of the most beautiful natural scenery on the planet. Images of mist-covered hills rolling into the horizon, winding rivers and a humid climate have always attracted me.

I also find the Sichuan way of speaking strangely familiar - at least more so than other totally alien-sounding Chinese dialects.

And in the past month, I have been one of the people countrywide who have been feeling acutely the catastrophic effect of the May 12 quake on the province - as well as the inspiring strength of those who continue to battle the aftermath of the disaster.

Many colleagues and friends have been advising me against going to Sichuan. Give it a few years, they say. Let recovery and reconstruction take their course, and the place will be ready for visitors again.

But I have no intention of putting off my trip. If anything, I want to go and see the region for myself now more than ever.

I am sure the fiery spirit of the Sichuan people that the rest of the world has been getting a taste of will teach me a thing or two - about life and how to overcome the incredible vagaries of nature.

After all, China to me is not just about its landscape or its food. It is really about its people.

(China Daily 06/11/2008 page20)