Fuchsia Dunlop decided to visit China after reading articles about the country for several months. The one-month backpacking trip exposed the English woman 1 a wide range of Chinese food. "The dishes and soups I had even in the cheapest and plain eateries were better than 2 I had in the U.K.,” Dunlop recalled.
The last stop of her trip was Chengdu, 3 capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. Dunlop learned from friends that Sichuan food represents one of China's 4 (good) cuisines, and when the spicy flavor of Sichuan pepper exploded in her mouth, something inside her changed forever.
After she returned to London, Dunlop made the decision to study in China at Sichuan University. When she wrote down "studying Chinese 5 (policy) on ethnic groups" on the 6 (apply) form as the reason for a scholarship, what she really had in mind were Sichuan dishes.
Her journey eventually led her to become the most knowledgeable English person on Chinese food. She 7 (write) many books on Chinese cuisine since, including Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper, which was translated into Chinese in 2018.
According to Chen Xiaoqing, 8 (know) for directing the documentary of A Bite of China, Dunlop is the most insightful foreign writer who 9 (vivid) describes Chinese cuisine in an exciting and accurate way. What she presents to the readers is not just food, but also the profound traditions and tremendous changes 10 (occur) in the country behind the flavors.