Legend of Cold Noodles

There's a romantic story behind the simple plate of Liangmian (cold noodles). Legend has it that Wu Zetian, China 's only female emperor, who had first entered the imperial palace as a concubine, had a last bowl of noodles with her lover on the eve of her departure. She was so distracted by her sorrow at parting that she scalded her tongue on the hot noodles. Her lover immediately took away the noodles to cool down. Wu at this point proclaimed how happy she would be if there were such a thing as cold noodles, the noodle shop owner helped her pour out the soup from the bowl of noodles and mixed in something spicy and something sweet to produce liangmian. Wu liked it so much she embraced her lover, and the shop owner teased them saying this dish should be called “fuqi mian”—literally, husband and wife noodle. After she became emperor, Wu demanded to be served those same noodles every birthday. The verity of this story is doubtful, but what is undeniable is the popularity of cold noodle during Wu's Tang dynasty and they are still enjoyed today as an antidote to the sweltering summer.

“Mian Tang” -----Noodle Soup

Mian tang is the water that was used to boil the noodles. After cooking noodles, you'll find that much of the starch has dissolved into the water, resulting in an opaque soup that is literally called “noodle soup”, Northerners have a habit of drinking a bowl of this soup after eating their noodles. It is believed that this aids digestion and helps maintain healthy bowels. Some also believe that much of the nutrition from the noodles leaks into the cooking water. Chinese grandmas will tell you that drinking mian tang purges the excess heat in your body and prevents all kinds of illness, quoting Peking opera stars who insist that their infallible voices are product of drinking mian tang every day. Scare-stories of people dying from eating noodles without drinking their mian tang are loaded onto young children, loath to gulp down the hot, bland liquid.

But your refined palate will find that, after a meal of intensely flavored food, it is very refreshing to have a bowl of wholesome mian tang. It cleanses any aftertastes that linger in your mouth and prevents the drowsiness and thirst that usually result after feasting in Beijing 's summer.