Mengzi : Guoqiao mixian

"When Japanese troops drove Beijing and Tianjin university professors, students, and administrators out of those cities, and then later out of Changsha as well, the academics made their own long march to Yunnan Province. They first established themselves in Mengzi, but after a year or so moved on to the provincial capital, Kunming. This was Lianda, or the Southwest Associated Universities."

I stayed in Mengzi for 10 days with my friends who were running one of the tuition centres. It was a lovely experience, getting to know the people there and interacting with the youths, who were so determined to succeed in life.

I also had wonderful food adventures. Every day Kak or Jie Jie and Younger Sister Alice took me out to enjoy the food there.

Photo from Google.

This is the legend of the origin of guoqiao mixian, the literal translation: 'Crossing the Bridge Noodles’.

The story of these beloved noodles begins with a couple who lived by the waters of a beautiful lake, known to attract scholars from across the country who yearn to strike wisdom among its peaceful beauty. In the centre of the lake was an island, where the husband studied madly every day away from his home. His wife, the heroine of this tale, grows frustrated that the long journey over the bridge to provide her hubby with a home-cooked meal always leaves her lovingly prepared noodles cold, soggy and uneaten. 

Taking pride in her food, she comes up with an ingenious, if not laborious, plan: she fills a clay pot with the broth and layers a slick of oil on top to insulate the soup. The noodles and each of the remaining ingredients were kept in their own separate containers so the husband could mix the steaming soup together himself. It was brilliant.

Our first encounter with these noodles began in Mengzi, a small city just south of Yunnan’s capital, Kunming. Home to a sparkling jade-coloured lake, Mengzi, by all accounts, is believed to be the home of this creative couple; the place where guoqiao mixian is said to originate. This was where I knew Leigh and I had to begin our rice noodle initiation.