[AGL] Chinese Noodles

[Fontaine Maverick]

Aren't there other noodles made of other ingredients, such as wheat, buckwheat, soy? 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bill Irwin 
  To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s 
  Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2007 3:38 PM
  Subject: Re: [AGL] Chinese Noodles


  Hard to say which noodle is which just from a movie but I am guessing that it may be the fun tiao noodle.  Fun tiao noodles are made from rice and come in a variety of shapes such as thin, wider strips and sheet form for wrapping thing up.  They are good taste and should be available in any oriental food mart.  When cooked they are a little bit translucent.  They can be used in a variety of dishes and are best with some kind of soup base. 

  Not all Chinese eat rice.  An oriental friend here who does ceramics did a workshop in China on wood fired kilns, he has a large one here and was an invited artist at the workshop.  He said he had a great time except he didn't like the food, the problem with the food was - no rice!  They served steamed buns and wheat noodles but never any rice.   The workshop was in North China.  If you are a rice eater you have to have rice 2 or 3 times a day and if you don't feed a rice eater rice they act like they haven't really eaten.  In Chinese, dinner is ready is announced as "chir fan"  (eat rice) and to ask if someone has eaten the question is "Chir fan ma?" (did you eat rice?).  Rice only grows in South China.

  You can get fun tiao at the oriental food store - ask for rice noodles.  Can be boiled and then fried or served with any dish that has some sauce.  Good food, give them a try.  There are a lot of small noodle restaurants in South China and I like to eat in them but I always bring my own bowl - the noodle dishes are well boiled but the dishwashing really sucks.

  Aloha from Hawaii where everything is served with 2 scoops of white rice.
  Ewie

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Gerry 

    This is addressed to Ewie whose personal e-mail address I don't have. The subject is noodles, Chinese variety. I have been watching a series of Chinese films, many of which take place in historic times. Quite often I have noticed that the featured cuisine among the families, particularly in the country, is noodles. In some of the films the promise of a batch of noodles at the end of a job inspires the workers in the same way that a side of barbecue might have inspired our forefathers in Texas. Watching them pig out on this feast has stirred my curiosity.

    I spent over 2 years in Japan and Korea as a young man and recall the osoba carts which seemed to be everywhere (in Japan--Korea was still a war torn mess when I was there) and ate many a bowl of these rice noodles. But these are not the same as the ones in the Chinese movies which are more like a pasta which has been sliced into thick strips. I would like to know more about these. What's in them? Are they still a staple in China? Availability? Sure would like to try some, I think (?).

    Any information on this subject would be welcome.

    G
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