The food at Kengtung’s local markets was like a long banquet: rows of tables were filled with all manner of dishes, ranging from small snacks to colourful curry pastes and dips, to main meals ready-cooked and packaged. I visited during monsoon season, when bamboo grows abundantly, and one unusual-looking dish I really liked was shredded young bamboo shoots, stuffed with pork and flash-fried. Bamboo is such a versatile plant, and a very sustainable one too. It can grow up to one metre (three feet) overnight, and the fresh shoots are absolutely delicious.