Preserved Vegetable comes to us in a can bedecked with an eye-catchingly garish label. We are told that it must be transferred to a plastic container for storage once it has been opened, as it is sufficiently acidic to eat through the can. "Should we actually eat something that corrupts metal?" one muses aloud. Yes, in limited amounts, we are told.

The Bridge and Tunnel Club decided to deploy the mystery vegetable, actually a Chinese radish, on a stir fry with noodles. Its color is a muted brown-green with red-orange chili powder flecks, the texture decidedly limp. Smelling of chili first and fermentation second, it actually tastes better than your nose would have you believe. PV gave the dish a satisfying kick of spicy sourness when mixed in with freshly cooked vegetables and shrimp.

A 340 g can of Preserved Vegetable is $0.99 at Kam Man Foods of New York, NY. If you don't have an Asian market nearby, you can order a similar product at kgrocer.com.