The fact that Cangzhou's cultural tourism has become so popular is already common knowledge, and even A-Zhan, who lives elsewhere, has heard about it.
But when he returned to Cangzhou and saw the hordes of tourists for real…
Ajax couldn't help but show an expression of disbelief, completely shocked.
But compared to the joy brought by his hometown's sudden fame, A-Zhan felt a complex mix of emotions.
A-Zhan stood at the entrance of the old street in Cangzhou, looking at the bustling crowd in front of him, but his mind was completely blank.
After all, Cangzhou became an internet sensation not because of its unique culture, but because of its exotic cuisine.
And in the area less than ten meters away from him, this phenomenon became increasingly serious...
Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, illuminating the curious and excited faces of every tourist.
They held cameras, looking around, trying to capture every unique moment of the city.
However, behind this excitement lies a deep concern about the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of his hometown culture.
As A-Zhan stepped into the crowd, he was surrounded by the cries of vendors selling all sorts of exotic delicacies.
"Come and try our strawberry tofu pudding, I guarantee you've never had anything like it before!"
"Spicy hot pot bread, made with a unique secret recipe, highly recommended by the Cangzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau, don't miss it!"
"Hot pot chicken Manchu Han Imperial Feast, a local flavor of Cangzhou with a thousand-year history, will take you to experience the charm of Cangzhou cuisine."
These calls were quite enthusiastic, filled with the passion of the small vendors.
But to Azhan, these sounds were like sharp blades, cutting through his pure memories of his hometown's cuisine.
A-Zhan weaved through the crowd and arrived at a stall called "Hot Pot Chicken Manchu Han Imperial Feast". It was packed with people, all taking out their phones to take pictures, and some had even started queuing up to try it.
A-Zhan looked at the bizarre "hot pot chicken derivatives"—hot pot chicken buns, with their shiny outer skin and seemingly mismatched fillings; hot pot chicken grilled cold noodles, the cold grilled noodles mixed with the steaming hot pot chicken broth, looking completely out of place; and then there were hot pot chicken fried tigers, hot pot chicken cakes, hot pot chicken popsicles...
Without exception, every unusual hot pot chicken dish challenged his bottom line of understanding about food.
Azhan felt a sense of suffocation. He seemed to see his beloved hometown cuisine being ruthlessly deconstructed and reshaped, ultimately becoming a product that catered to tourists' curiosity.
He was angry, yet helpless.
Strawberry tofu pudding, spicy hot pot bread, fried grasshopper sandwiches...
What A-Zhan found most unbearable was the hot pot chicken Manchu Han Imperial Feast.
What is that thing?
Cangzhou's hot pot chicken should be the most authentic hot pot chicken; not a single word more or less is acceptable.
For the locals of Cangzhou, it is the local specialty food that they miss most when they leave their hometown.
But now, the Cangzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau is actually making a fuss about Cangzhou's most distinctive dish, hot pot chicken.
Hot pot chicken buns, hot pot chicken grilled cold noodles, hot pot chicken fried tiger, hot pot chicken cake, hot pot chicken popsicles...
Let alone eating them, A-Zhan feels nauseous just hearing those names.
So let alone tasting it, A-Zhan felt that those were the ultimate in bizarre cuisine and could not represent the food of Cangzhou at all.
Especially with more and more people from Cangzhou defecting, A-Zhan felt that things had deteriorated to an extremely serious degree.
If we're going to do things against our conscience just to make Cangzhou famous, then we might as well not make Cangzhou famous in the first place.
Moreover, Ajahn knew perfectly well that such innovation might bring short-term economic benefits.
However, from a long-term perspective, it is gradually eroding the foundation of Cangzhou's food culture.
A-Zhan feels that as a native of Cangzhou and a travel blogger with influence and reach, he should shoulder the responsibilities he should bear.
Therefore, A-Zhan decided to create a video specifically for Cangzhou, and to do so from a critic's perspective.
A-Zhan is going to expose the impact of "Cangzhou cultural tourism creative cuisine" on traditional food culture and awaken people's nostalgia for the original Cangzhou.
He urged people to focus on the true cultural characteristics of Cangzhou, rather than these sensational "creative delicacies."
However, regardless of the circumstances, as an influential blogger, A-Zhan certainly cannot make things up.
As the saying goes, truly listen, truly see, truly feel...
If A-Zhan simply releases a video criticizing Cangzhou's cultural tourism based on his own subjective perspective, then the situation is definitely not good.
To corroborate his point of view, A-Zhan went directly to the flagship store of 'Cangzhou Cultural Tourism Creative Cuisine' for an on-site visit.
A-Zhan walked into the "Cangzhou Cultural Tourism Creative Cuisine" that had been hyped up online. The restaurant was bustling with people, a mix of tourists and locals, and everyone's face was filled with curiosity and satisfaction for the novel experience.
Seeing this scene made A-Zhan's sense of Cangzhou's sudden popularity even stronger.
However, the shop's decoration, which was both traditional and somewhat absurd, left A-Zhan both amused and exasperated.
The walls are covered with pictures of various creative dishes made with hot pot chicken and a mix of different ingredients. Each one challenges A-Zhan's understanding of the limits of food.
Azhan found a relatively quiet corner to sit down. The surrounding noise seemed to be isolated by this small space, but his heart was far from calm.
His gaze kept sweeping over the creatively designed dishes on display, his heart filled with mixed feelings, an inexplicable worry about the hidden problems behind the booming popularity of Cangzhou's cultural tourism.
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