Hot Chile Paste

Unlike railway stations in India, those in China usually offer relatively little in terms of fun and diversion for a weary traveler, but there are exceptions. Late one night, on a trip from South to North China, we stopped in the town of Changsha in Hunan Province. Changsha is traditionally billed as Mao Zedong’s hometown (though technically that honor belongs to a nearby village), so we thought we should at least stretch our legs on the platform.

To our surprise, off in a corner wa