Yunnan Love Food Will Travel: Yunnan, China By Daniel O’Sullivan Ask anyone in China to name his or her favorite place in the country, and Yunnan, in the southwest, will invariably crop up. Even amongst those who have never been, the province enjoys a special, almost mystical reputation as a place of stunning landscapes and diversity. It's easy to see why. In the north, rugged mountains mark the outer fringes of cultural Tibet, while in the south, borders with Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar are the point where China drifts seamlessly into Southeast Asia. One thing not commonly celebrated about Yunnan however, is food. In China, neighboring Sichuan, with its reputation as the "culinary capital" usually garners the honors in that respect. Elsewhere in the region, the proximity of the hot and tangy tastes of Southeast Asia also mean that the flavors of the province usually receive little more than a footnote in the traveling gourmand's recipe book. On a recent trip thr...