Dianke Dianlai's chef Zhao Yongwang tells us about ethnic Yi food, but also laments the fast-paced life of Beijingers. He mentions his hope that through Yunnanese food, Beijingers can slow down to savor life---and of course, good food.

How long have you been in Beijing? I’ve been in Beijing for six years.

Did you come to Beijing to work at Dianke Dianlai? No, I’d been in Beijing for years, and then happened to meet Dianke Dianlai’s owner. The two of us thought the same way about Yunnan food, especially Yunnan food in Beijing. It was like we had known each other for years. So then we opened the restaurant together.

Do you think people in Beijing understand much about Yunnan food? Even though there’s quite a lot of Yunnan food in Beijing, people who live in Beijing don’t have a very good understanding of the cuisine. When you bring up Yunnan food, most people will think of cross the bridge noodles. But actually, authentic Yunnan food should be called minority cuisine. A lot of it is hidden in minority lives, like the Po roast chicken, or the Dai lemongrass roast fish, and the Buyi flower rice—they’re all minority dishes. A lot of Yunnan minority dishes are very interesting. Just take the Buyi flower rice for example. The Buyi minority has a tradition of eating flowers, so they boil flowers and rice together, and it becomes a colorful rice dish. This rice has a nice texture, and it’s also healthy, especially for women.

What’s the biggest difference between Beijing and your hometown in Yunnan? The biggest difference is people’s lifestyles. In Yunnan, life is very simple and self-sufficient, and life centers around your own activities. For example, I have a lot of friends and family who really pay attention to which place is selling the best fruit or vegetables on any given day, and they’ll tell their neighbors and others all about it, so everyone shops there and enjoys it. Beijing is completely different. When I first came to Beijing, I saw many customers every day. No matter who it was, you could see weariness and worry in their faces. We hope that Dianke Dianlai can help customers to slow down a little bit, savor their food, savor their lives, worry-free and happy.

Are you from an ethnic minority? I’m from the Yi minority, but I have a deep understanding of many other Yunnan minorities.

What are the Yi minority’s specialty dishes? Our traditional specialties are meat dishes. Yi people can dance and sing and are very friendly, and we love to eat and drink, so we have a lot of spicy food. But at Dianke Dianlai I don’t just make Yi dishes—I just chose a few meat dishes that I think best represent Yi cooking. We also have Dai cuisine, Buyi cuisine, Wa cuisine, Bai cuisine—about a dozen minority cuisines. We change the dishes according to the seasons.

Find it: 8 Da Fangjia Hutong, Chaoyangmen Nei, 朝阳门内大方家胡同8号, Tel: 6512-0930