I bought this domain over 3 years ago, but always kept a “Coming Soon” sign up. I was too afraid of what to write and what to share. What should my first post be? What reflects who I am and what I love? As 2019 comes to end, I’m taking a step forward and out of my comfort zone. I want this space to be a collection of my memories - of what I’m passionate about, where I travel, and what I learn.
My first post is about something very important to me - BIRTHDAY NOODLES. For as long as I can remember, we’ve celebrated my family members’ birthdays with noodles. It’s a Chinese tradition that I hold close to my heart and as a Chinese-American, it’s important to me to hold on to as many of my culture’s traditions as I can.
Like a lot of traditions in the Chinese culture, the food symbolizes something. In this case, we eat (long) noodles because they represent “Longevity” - our wish for the birthday recipient to live a long life.
Growing up, we almost always had the same dish for everyone’s birthday - a bowl of soupy noodles topped with a piece of pork chop. These days, we’re spread out across cities and my tastes have changed, but I still make sure to eat birthday noodles (at least) four times a year. Goodbye pork noodle soup, hello ramen, chow mien, pasta, and more! As long as there’s noodles and they’re long (longevity) - I’m happy.
Today’s birthday noodles - my version of Crispy Fried Noodles 两面黄 (or Two-Faced Pan-Fried Noodles). Normally, there’s pork on top and the noodles are egg noodles, but eating plant-based means a few changes! I used udon noodles and topped it with some stir-fried veggies (oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, bamboo, and edamame). Didn’t quite taste like grandpa’s recipe, but I’ll keep working on it!
Happy Birthday 1. 生日快乐。Love you. ❤️ (and sorry this is late)
