“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.”

― A.A. Milne

July, 1950. Hubei province, China. A group of old boatsmen are making the long journey from Shanghai to Chongqing. Transporting rice up the Yangtze River, they’ve run out of food—and wouldn’t dream of eating the cargo. There are no towns nearby to stock up on provisions. The boatsmen have just one option. They start gathering stones for a dish they eat several times a year: stir-fried rocks.

嗦丢 (suodiu) literally means “suck and throw away.” At its most basic, the recipe is rocks, oil, and salt, but there are different variations based on what you have on your ship: ginger, green onions, chili pepper, garlic. The rocks are washed and stir fried with the other ingredients. They flavor the dish in part; they’re said to have a fishy or shrimp-like taste. Consuming it is in the name: you suck the seasoning off the rock and throw it away. While it’s not eaten unless absolutely necessary, the dish is hundreds of years old.

Suodiu is a perfect example of how to live the principles of Zen. Just as you suck and throw away a river rock, Zen living means immersing yourself in the moment while accepting ephemerality. Let emotions surge through you: happiness, sadness, anger. Taste the rock to your fullest ability. Then, leave the previous moment’s events in the past. Discard the experience mindfully and begin again with a clean slate. Throw the rock away when the flavor is gone. In the next moment, do the same. Taste the rock. Discard the rock.

There is no escaping the true essence of suodiu. It’s rocks. But to make suodiu is to demonstrate complete acceptance of the situation. If you need to make stir-fried rocks because you have no options, make stir-fried rocks. Make suodiu with each moment. Acquaint yourself with the reality in front of you, without running from it, and you will turn the pain of retreat into the joy of acceptance. And after the moment passes, thank it for its usefulness, discard it, and start again.