Long noodles are a symbol of longevity in Chinese culture, making them a popular dish during Lunar New Year celebrations. But that's where consensus on the tradition ends.
After staring at empty tables for the last two years because of the pandemic, the owner of New York's Hop Lee restaurant says business is slowly recovering.
Longevity noodles symbolize long life. According to tradition, the chef can't cut the noodle strands, and each strand needs to be eaten whole -- no breaking it before you eat it.should be eaten, and you'll likely get different answers. "The most traditional way is actually to just put aromatics like scallions and garlic, along with freshly-ground red chili powder on top of the noodles, sear it with vegetable oil and dress it with soy sauce and black rice vinegar. We call these Spicy Hot-Oil Seared Hand-Ripped Noodles," Wang tells CNN Travel.
"The exact type of noodles varies, but the idea remains 'long noodles for long life,' and any long noodles serve that purpose." As he couldn't change the length of his face, the emperor decided to eat long noodles because the word for noodle sounds similar to the word for face in Chinese. The custom then spread beyond the palace to the rest of the country.We consulted two food historians for their thoughts on the folk tale -- and they aren't buying that story.
"I called Mr. Wang Renxiang and Mr. Naomichi Ishige . Both are Chinese noodle experts; neither know how longevity noodles and the story came about," says Chen. They're also eaten in other Asian countries that celebrate Lunar New Year, like Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. "When the noodles arrive, the guests would stand up. They'll pick up some noodles from the bowl, pull them up over their head theatrically with a pair of chopsticks, bring the noodles to their faces and slurp them in one go with a happy face. It's a way to express their gratitude to the host."
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