You need not whip up a spicy Szechuan dish to enjoy a glass.

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Then stick with the surprisingly nutty fiddlehead ferns, prepared with black vinegar, Szechuan peppercorn oil, and garlic an instant classic.

NEWYORKER: Biang!

In short, daily life in a hardscrabble farming village in Szechuan province is a world away from the Shanghai Nanjing Road ritzy shopping street or even an old, walled neighborhood in Harbin, a crossroad of many cultures in northeastern China.

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Spice overload too, since Whitehouse sometimes throws too many spices into dishes that sound pretty straightforward. (Should Szechuan pepper really be a marinade ingredient in sugar-cured ocean trout and avocado?) It crossed my mind to march into the kitchen and throw his spice rack away.

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In general, the foods were gourmet takes on regional specialties: the Dallas Cowboys did Quail Breast Wrapped in Niman Ranch Bacon, the Denver Broncos served Szechuan Style Colorado Bison Short Ribs, the Green Bay Packers Wisconsin Duck Borscht with Duck Brats and Caraway Cream, The Kansas City Chiefs honored their legendary hometown BBQ heritage with Cider Braised Pork Shoulder with Caramelized Onions, and so on.

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