Foods with Stories

A culture that has been around as long as China has been is always going to be full of stories and symbolism in every walk of life, including food!

Noodles with Legends

Noodles are the staple of Northwestern Chinese cuisine because rice is hard to grow in the arid Northwestern climate and wheat is easier to grow. Wheat becomes flour, which becomes dough, which becomes noodles. One of my friends from China, Benjamin Xi, said that when he was growing up in his village, rice was 'luxury'. Noodles and potatoes were the two staple foods of his family.

This story is about 'saliva' noodles, noodles which are shared by many, many people which brings about a feeling of community and family. The article details it quite clearly as an honor to be had. It's true.

What I really miss about Chinese food is not the flavor of the dishes, but the sense of community that I got when having a meal with others. When Chinese people talk to you before they are fully fluent in English, they use a lot of "Chinglish"which is literally translated from their language, and I have heard a lot of people say to me, "okay, so next time you come here, we can come together and share a meal." It sounds weird in English, but think about it. We can come together and share a meal. Really sit and think about it and you'll see why it's such a powerful thing in such a simple statement.

Lanzhou Beef Noodles

Lanzhou Beef Noodles (牛肉面）have been around since Guanxu's reign (1875-1908) and have been a staple of Northwestern cuisine ever since. Overall, 拉面 (hand-pulled noodles) are seen everywhere in China, including Lanzhou style!! 兰州拉面 is a very famous dish among all Chinese.

Freaking delicious. Every special dish in China has a long history and a story. It's one of the great things about a long-lasting culture like China.

Chinese National Day!

As some of you know, last Saturday was the 62nd Chinese National Day. For those of you who do not know, the People's Republic of China was founded on October 1st, 1949 - October 1st is the July 4th of China, to put it in perspective for the Americans reading this. 

I have to say to my readers in Singapore, Malaysia, Morocco, Australia, and others, I do not know your independence days - leave them in comments! Remember, you don't have to sign up to leave a comment, just leave it! As China's Independence Day, it is celebrated in style! Fireworks, lights, decorations, all the stops are pulled out for this holiday!

A fun bit about this holiday is that all university students get a week off of school! This week of the year in China is called the "Golden Week" in China and most students and people who can get off work try to go home and be with their families and old school friends. All of my friends posted stuff about the holiday on their QQ statuses. Hotels offer a lot of discounts and the trains are intensely crowded with people wanting to go home. This year, 49 million Chinese are expected to travel home during this week!!

Beijing

Hong Kong

Lanzhou

A lot of people in America think that China is this crazy totalitarian dictatorship that forces people to be happy and to celebrate the CPC anniversary and the National Holiday, but it's not true. Many Chinese people love and are very proud of their country. Of course, there are a few in China who do not like their country, but they exist in every country, not just China. During this holiday, people can put their political differences aside and just enjoy being home and with their families and enjoy home-cooked traditional food and fireworks.

            Tiananmen Square packed full of people on National Day with people just having fun