Research, with emphasis on the search

So this weekend I went out to do a preliminary investigation into a possible research topic: buckwheat diversity and agroecology.  Big mistake.  I should have just concentrated on touring about and taking photos, because this was tres frustrating.  I should warn you now that this post is a rant.

Fairly warned?

So a couple weeks ago I met a development studies professor at  Yunnan University who is an Yi scholar.  The Yi are an ethnic minority with a large population in Yunnan, and have a long history and many different clans.  They are known for living in mountainous areas, making strong alcohol, and warmly welcoming their guests.  Professor Peng suggested I go to Yi villages to research buckwheat.  They have a long history of cultivating it and making delicious buckwheat pancakes that they eat with honey. She emphasized how tasty these treats are, and how she savored them as a kid.  Sounds good, I thought.   

So then she introduced me to Mr Chen, a man who works in the audio-visual resources lab of the anthropology museum.  A very nice fellow, he called up a friend who runs a little bed and breakfast  in the Yi village Danuohei.  "Are you guys still planting buckwheat out there?  I have this 美国朋友 (American friend) who wants to conduct a research investigation."  So it was settled that I could set a time to go out there and that they plant buckwheat but not just now, closer to September, but I could still talk to people about it and see the land and get an initial idea of the situation.  The following week I arranged with Mr. Chen to visit this village, and he suggested I bring along a translator.  Probably a  good idea, I agreed.

The following Friday, bright and early, Nina and Zheng, a young grad student from KIB, and I set out from Kunming on the 8:30 bus for the Stone Forest, where we could catch a van that would take us to the Yi.  I should tell you, the day before Mr. Chen called and said our hosts were going to attend a wedding, and wanted to bring us.  So we bought red envelopes for wedding gifts, and toyed with the idea of buying some decent clothes, and thought, this could be fun!