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OT WE 30 SEP 26 ~ Fresh Food on the Ancient Silk Road

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 5:00am

From a town in northwestern China called Dunhuang meaning "Blazing Beacon" there is a rich history going
back around 4000 years. It is an important crossroads combining the ancient Southern Silk Road and the main
Road from India.

Food in Dunhuang combines features of both Xinjiang cuisine and Lanzhou food. I found this video showcasing
the Night Market, the vendors and dishes being made fascinating. About 40 minutes. Hunger warning!

Jumping over to Japan for omelettes.

And Bento Boxes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x9xDkFSHm4

So, that is my story for today. Open thread, so post whatever you have of interest.

A new cover from Cockburn. (Bessie Smith).

Tags:

Open Thread

Vote

Comments

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 6:25am

Hiya, good morning

.
Another day to figure out the workings of the word.
An example of the trumpet regime's destruction of
trade to 'hurt' China, Canada has used the US tariff war
to expand markets to China. Oil, sulphur and copper exports
are greatly increasing. Once again backfiring policy. Guess who
it harms? US industry and consumers of course. Unbelievable.

Kevil Walmsley gives us a breakdown. About 8 minutes.
https://kdwalmsley.substack.com/p/video-canadas-exports-to-china-soar?r=...

—

Zionism is a social disease

Submitted by Lookout on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 6:23am

Good morning...

Looks like the NE and the SW are getting hammered with rain. Hope everyone rides it out with minimal hassle.

We're off to the gulf coast tomorrow, so today is packing day. I think we've done all the food prep we're going to do before departure.

At any rate several chores to tend to today.

See you around the site. Thanks for the OT!

—

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 7:33am

Enjoy your gulf journey

@Lookout

Our Nor'Easter has blown itself out finally.

In other news, a passenger airliner had to be
redirected away from Israel due to a mishap in
the cockpit. Reports are saying there was a fight
between the pilot (Russian) and co-pilot (Ukrainian).
HR at FLYDUBAI need to work on their scheduling of crew.

—

Zionism is a social disease

Submitted by on the cusp on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 8:58am

Good morning, Cap'n!

@QMS One pilot was Omani, the other was from the UAE.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 9:12am

Thanks for clarifying

@on the cusp
.
the report I got was from TASS.
Russian flavored slant .

—

Zionism is a social disease

Submitted by humphrey on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 12:00pm

Speaking of Netanyahu.....

what a sick asshole he is https://t.co/bnAB00Op4u

— -- GEROMAN -- time will tell - -- (@GeromanAT) September 30, 2026

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 12:44pm

trumpets BFF

@humphrey
.
with bonafides like that you know they is evil
'nuff said

—

Zionism is a social disease

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 12:46pm

Speaking of Eva (not evil)

.
this one seems seasonally appropriate

—

Zionism is a social disease

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 3:59pm

Good afternoon or evening, as the case may be. By the time I

finished your videos, we had finagled a free bulky waste and recyclables fickup from our local refuse disposal company, for 6 am tomorrow. Working relatively continuously since we have schlepped several cubic yrds of stuff out to the curbm mcuh of which we had to first bundle, chop or disassemble. My watch sow says that I have 381 minutes of activity at an elevated heart rate, I'm drenched with sweat, and still not done. Even worked in some major pruning and set the trimmings out too. Regular weekly household trash, inclluding massive amounts of junk mail still has to go out too. Heh. Got to go out and finish so that I can have my 3:00 beverage on time, it is already profoundly needed.

Thanks for the cockburn

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by humphrey on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 4:02pm

Oh my! This Jesus freak is a madman!

Hegseth:

Today, at my direction, I’m establishing the Office of Religious Affairs. pic.twitter.com/mElNJWs1Mp

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 30, 2026

Hegseth:

Lord, here I am. Send me. Send me to fight the Redcoats, send me to fight the communists, send me to fight the Islamists. Send me. pic.twitter.com/g4IxW8WoNp

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 30, 2026

Hegseth:

Lethality is your calling card, and victory your only acceptable end state. pic.twitter.com/99eSsdvtfW

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 30, 2026

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 09/30/2026 - 4:27pm

this evangelical zealot is the overlord

@humphrey
.
of the department of war? We are in trouble.
He may have OD'd on testosterone. Now he can
combine religion and war. No obvious dichotomy there /s.

—

Zionism is a social disease

Submitted by soryang on Thu, 10/01/2026 - 4:56pm

Enjoyed the Dunhuang video, Q

Got me looking around to refresh my memory on the area. Got diverted with some errands, etc.

Magao Caves

Carved into the cliffs above the Dachuan River, the Mogao Caves south-east of the Dunhuang oasis, Gansu Province, comprise the largest, most richly endowed, and longest used treasure house of Buddhist art in the world. It was first constructed in 366AD and represents the great achievement of Buddhist art from the 4th to the 14th century. 492 caves are presently preserved, housing about 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 2,000 painted sculptures. Cave 302 of the Sui dynasty contains one of the oldest and most vivid scenes of cultural exchanges along the Silk Road, depicting a camel pulling a cart typical of trade missions of that period. Caves 23 and 156 of the Tang dynasty show workers in the fields and a line of warriors respectively and in the Song dynasty Cave 61, the celebrated landscape of Mount Wutai is an early example of artistic Chinese cartography, where nothing has been left out – mountains, rivers, cities, temples, roads and caravans are all depicted.

Criteria (vi): The caves are strongly linked to the history of transcontinental relations and of the spread of Buddhism throughout Asia. For centuries the Dunhuang oasis, near which the two branches of the Silk Road forked, enjoyed the privilege of being a relay station where not only merchandise was traded, but ideas as well, exemplified by the Chinese, Tibetan, Sogdian, Khotan, Uighur and even Hebrew manuscripts found within the caves.

There's an old document from Dunhuang at the link below. At first I thought it was a poem. I didn't see an author mentioned. The explanation says it's a form letter, for a literate drunk official of the era, I imagine.

敦煌醉後失禮謝書 Dunhuang Drunk Apology Letter Translation

Also reminded me of the film about XUAN ZANG-

XUAN ZANG: Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film

Looks like Dunhuang was second stop on his Silk Road journey back then. Saw the movie in 2020 on youtube. Took the screenshot back then. Link for the film

—

己所不欲，勿施于人。

Submitted by QMS on Thu, 10/01/2026 - 4:22pm

Glad it also sparked your interest

@soryang
.
I find these ancient cultures fascinating. Even taking it from just
a food perspective, there is a lot of history there to appreciate.
Knew nothing about the caves. Thanks for sharing it.

干杯！

Got me looking around to refresh my memory on the area. Got diverted with some errands, etc. Magao Caves Carved into the cliffs above the Dachuan River, the Mogao Caves south-east of the Dunhuang oasis, Gansu Province, comprise the largest, most richly endowed, and longest used treasure house of Buddhist art in the world. It was first constructed in 366AD and represents the great achievement of Buddhist art from the 4th to the 14th century. 492 caves are presently preserved, housing about 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 2,000 painted sculptures. Cave 302 of the Sui dynasty contains one of the oldest and most vivid scenes of cultural exchanges along the Silk Road, depicting a camel pulling a cart typical of trade missions of that period. Caves 23 and 156 of the Tang dynasty show workers in the fields and a line of warriors respectively and in the Song dynasty Cave 61, the celebrated landscape of Mount Wutai is an early example of artistic Chinese cartography, where nothing has been left out – mountains, rivers, cities, temples, roads and caravans are all depicted. Criteria (vi): The caves are strongly linked to the history of transcontinental relations and of the spread of Buddhism throughout Asia. For centuries the Dunhuang oasis, near which the two branches of the Silk Road forked, enjoyed the privilege of being a relay station where not only merchandise was traded, but ideas as well, exemplified by the Chinese, Tibetan, Sogdian, Khotan, Uighur and even Hebrew manuscripts found within the caves. There's an old document from Dunhuang at the link below. At first I thought it was a poem. I didn't see an author mentioned. The explanation says it's a form letter, for a literate drunk official of the era, I imagine. 敦煌醉後失禮謝書 Dunhuang Drunk Apology Letter Translation Also reminded me of the film about XUAN ZANG- XUAN ZANG: Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Looks like Dunhuang was second stop on his Silk Road journey back then. Saw the movie in 2020 on youtube. Took the screenshot back then. Link for the film

—

Zionism is a social disease

Submitted by soryang on Thu, 10/01/2026 - 5:00pm

Yes, it starts with food

@QMS

That market was fascinating. I tried to get a better graphic of Xuan Zang's journey. He brought Buddhism to China. This one opens up, so his route is visible.

—

己所不欲，勿施于人。