Not being on social media at all except for this blog, I am probably one of the last to become aware of the popularity of an image aesthetic called Cottagecore. Minus any political connotations this trend has developed, Cottagecore is basically "...an aesthetic inspired by a romanticised interpretation of western agricultural life". The anxiety over the COVID-19 pandemic has many people wishing for a simpler, more stress-free life, and viewing Cottagecore images is one way to satisfy this yearning. It is especially popular on photo-sharing platforms such as Tumblr, where fans search out and post images like the one above that exemplify the Cottagecore ideal. Here are more examples:
Interestingly, since the pandemic started I have been following a number of vlogs on YouTube that document a similar lifestyle, only in China! My favorites document the daily life of rural Chinese women who live in rather remote areas. All of these vlogs focus on cooking, but for these women cooking starts with raising almost all of their food themselves, or foraging for ingredients in the surrounding countryside.
Some of the videos are truly breathtaking, showing the beauty of their localities as well as some aspects of everyday life not necessarily focused on food. Almost all of these women have pet dogs, all very different from each other but all equally adorable, ranging from a huge Malamute to a small yellow mixed breed with a big personality. Some of them have other animals as well, both pets and livestock (and no, dogs are not livestock for these families in case you were wondering).
I think what I like best about these videos is that there is very little dialog (which is a good thing because I do not speak Chinese) - instead, lovely music plays softly in the background. Some but not all of the videos have English subtitles describing the ingredients and cooking methods. Most of these descriptions are not really detailed enough to allow duplication of the recipes, but for me that is not the point - I just enjoy watching the simple routines of daily life for these women. Below are examples of a few of the vlogs I follow, starting with that of Li Ziqi, who lives in China's Sichuan province and who I have described in a previous post:
The Wild Girl vlog features a young woman from Guizhou province who has her own brand new little house in the country. Her home is lovely, spare and neat and full of light. She also has the cute little yellow dog that I just adore - he reminds me of my dog Madison. This woman does a lot of foraging in the wild for her ingredients, as seen in the video below where she gathers the most amazing-looking mushrooms I have ever seen:
Another popular Chinese rural lifestyle vlog is that of Dianxi Xiaoge, who lives in the Yunnan province of China and features many local recipes and customs in her videos. She owns the large and amusing Malamute named Dawang, who is as big as a pony but still thinks of himself as a puppy. This young woman also spends a lot of time foraging in the wild for recipe ingredients, as seen in one of her most recent videos below:
My post is getting way too long, so I will continue with the rest of my favorite YouTube vlogs next week. I also intend to explore this Cottagecore notion a bit more, as I find it intriguing but possibly open to a more expansive as well as more realistic interpretation. I do think that we could all do with a little more simplicity and comfort in our lives right now, though, wherever we can find it!
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