second best food in china probably, but the competition is tough. do you like vietnamese food? lao food? sichuan food? do you like fermented pickles, sauerkraut, hot sauces, herbs like mint and culantro?

mixian (rice noodles):

• daiwei (dai ethnicity style) mixian from the south is a bit like vietnamese pho. herby, tangy, brothy. thin noodles, lemon juice and pickles and fermented bean products.
• douhua mixian is a kunming dish with thicker noods. no soup, instead a miso-like spicy sauce and peanuts, and most importantly a ton of soft tofu (douhua)
• chou doufu mixian is mixian with stinky tofu. good + good = very good
• xiaoguo mixian is the regular kunming soupy mixian in a rich spicy broth

wandoufen (yellow pea jelly):

• wandou liangfen is cold pea jelly with a spicy sweet and sour marinade.
• zha doufen is deep fried pea jelly cubes with a dipping sauce.
• xi doufen is pea jelly that hasn’t solidified yet, eaten like a porridge. dehong specialty.

erkuai (sticky rice blocks?) similar to korean rice cake or east chinese niangao

• chao erkuai (just stir fried pieces of same), like a less saucy tteokboki
• ersi are thin strips of erkuai used as noodles
• shao erkuai is a round flat piece of erkuai toasted and made into a little taco with funky sauces, pickles, youtiao