top of page
Books
Image-empty-state.png

Haochuan Feng

Hometown: Jiangsu, China

Computer Science and Economics/Math Double-Major

Haochuan Feng is a senior student at Emory University, major in computer science and Econ/Math. He is an international student from Jiangsu China. He is very interested in Chinese and Italian arts.

Reflection on Making

Dongtai Fish Noodle Soup

I chose to make Dongtai fish soup noodle because Dongtai is very close to my hometown. This is a dish that I often ate in restaurants but never tried to cook myself. The fish soup noodle is a very good representation of noodles made in the South of China. It contains many key elements of Huaiyang cuisine.

Dongtai is a county in eastern China, in the Jiangsu province. As a specialty, the noodle is named after the county itself. The noodle has a history of over 200 years. It is said that in 1758 (in Qianlong’s 33th year), a noodle restaurant owner found a small bazaar selling noodles. He then bought a bowl and tried them. He realized the soup was so delicious, much better than that the noodles he made. He then chatted with the cook to tried to find the secret of the delicious taste of the noodle. From the conversation the restaurant owner found that the cook was originally a cook for the emperor. He was fired from the royal kitchen because once he didn’t make the soup well. He then returned home and opened up a small bazaar selling the fish soup noodle he had invented. A restaurant owner then hired the cook and asked him to make his noodle soup. All customers liked the noodles very much and it became a very famous dish.

Wheat is mostly grown in the northern part of China. Because of the abundance of water in Southern China, rice is the main food of the Jiangsu Province. The wheat can grow on dry land while the rice has to grow on paddy fields. In China lunch is usually the most important meal of the day. As a result, people in the Southern part of China would usually eat rice during lunch. From my own experience, my family would only eat noodles when my parents were so busy that they did not have time to cook a proper meal. Noodles made in this occasion are very simple. Instead, Dongtai fish soup noodles are often eaten for breakfast. The noodle is usually eaten together with pastries. This kind of breakfast usually is not eaten at home but instead at restaurants with friends or business partners. Chinese people like to discuss business and develop friendships while dining. It is too complicated to make the fish soup at home. It is not worth it to spend so much time and use so many materials to make the soup to serve a family of just three or four people. In restaurants, cooks are able to prepare large amounts of soup at a time and serve it to many people. It is quite similar to the way Vietnam restaurants serve pho. The soups are pre-prepared for whenever a customer arrives. The cook only has to cook the noodles in fresh water quickly and add them to the soup.

In China, there are four main cuisines, Huaiyang cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, and the Guangdong cuisine. The cuisines are divided according to different areas. Foods from each of the four cuisines vary greatly because of geographical and cultural differences. Dongtai fish soup noodle belongs to the Huaiyang cuisine. Huaiyang cuisine is very strict in its selection of good and fresh materials. In preparing the food, it focuses on presenting the original taste of the food instead of adding too much seasoning. It pays a lot of attention to the knife work and the controlling of fire (the degree of how much fire should be used for cooking and how long the food should be cooked).

Huaiyang cuisine has especially good soup. The Dongtai fish soup noodle is a typical example. At first glance, it doesn’t seem sophisticated or sumptuous at all. It is just a noodle in a white soup. The key to making delicious fish soup noodles is all about making the soup. The soup fully absorbs the nutrition and the flavor of fish and pork. As a result, the soup is actually very nutritious and delicious. Soup plays an important role in Chinese dishes. As I remember, every proper lunch in the family would include soup. It is believed that the soup can lubricate the stomach and thus be helpful in digestion. It is similar to the reason that Italians eat ice cream or drink wine after dinner. Chinese soup is similar to consommé or broth. There are meat soups and vegetable soups. But they are all much lighter than the minestrone or bisque. The main taste of the soup comes from the vegetable or the meat itself. There is only trivial amounts of salt added to help extract the flavor from the meat or vegetable.

“Xian(鲜)” is what Chinese people call the kind of flavor that is draw from meat or sea food. “Xing(腥)”is the raw smell of the meat. It is quite easy to cook vegetable soup. The difficulty of making a meat soup is to get rid of the “Xing” smell and draw off the “Xian” taste. The crux of getting rid of the “Xing” smell is picking fresh meat and cleaning it well to get rid of all the blood. Cooking wine, ginger, and garlic bulbs are added, not only to season the soup, but also to eliminate the smell. Once the bad smell is eliminated, by frying the meat and carefully controlling the fire, we would be able to successfully extract the “Xian” taste.

"The Trip Back Home"

By: Haochuan Feng

Because of COVID-19, I came home before the semester ended. The ticket price was outrageously high, and most of the flights were cancelled. I felt so lucky being able to make it home successfully. During the 15-hour flight, I did not take off my mask, nor did I eat anything. I felt a bit dizzy stepping on the land of my home again. I am part of the studying abroad upsurge in China in the past ten years. Now, there are millions of Chinese students studying abroad, far away from their families. In this tough time, everyone longs for the support of his or her family. But most of these students are unable to make their way back home.

There were many people at the airport of my hometown, all wearing masks, protective suit, or lab cloth, waiting to be transported to different cities. They all looked so tired and tense, as if it was really the end of the world. When I returned home in the past, my parents always stood outside the customs area, waiting to give me a big bear hug. Now, I am alone among thousands of strangers whom I can’t even see their faces because of the masks. I would only be able to see my parents after 2 weeks of isolation. When I returned home in the past, my parents always prepared delicious noodles for me after taking my home, all kinds of noodles - chicken soup noodles, beef noodles, or knife shaved noodles. It is a tradition to welcome people home with noodles. There is a saying in China that dumpling for seeing people off, noodles for welcome loved ones home. Dumplings are short, symbolizing that people wish to see each other again soon. Noodles are long, expressing people’s wish to spend more time together. However, it is only a good wish. I have to be away from home for my classes. I tried many foreign noodles. They taste good too. But they are not the same as the ones my parents made. I could not tell what the difference is. I just felt so. My phone vibrated. My parents sent me so many messages that it took a while for me to read them all. They were so worried about me. Was the fight cancelled? Were you safe on the plane? Were you hungry during the flight? Chinese people used to ask people “have you eaten” or “are you hungry” as a way of greeting. When I was younger, I disliked this kind of countrified way of greeting. But at this time, I really wanted to tell my parents how hungry I was and how much I wanted to eat a bow of steaming hot noodles with them.

After getting my body temperature checked for dozens of time on the trip, I finally made my way back to my hometown and arrived at a small hotel. I would have to stay here for the next two weeks alone. Soon after my arrival, my parents came. They brought me bags of foods and clothes that I would need in the next two weeks. I looked out from the window. My parents were waving their hands at me. I opened up one of the bags. Insides, there are small electric pots, a box of chicken soup, raw noodles, vegetables, and a memo: “Oh dear, how are you? You must be so tired and hungry. You haven’t eaten anything during the flight! We prepared some chicken soup. You can cook some noodles for yourself. We will give you a more proper homecoming celebration after you get home. Love you, mom and dad.”

I prepared the noodles for myself. I was so tired that I felt I might fall asleep at any time. My spirit was low too. 2020 is a tough year for almost everyone. I am worried whether I would be able to go back to school. Whether I was safe from the virus on the plane. But at least I was back home, at least I could see my parents through the window. Sometimes we don’t realize how much support we are getting from our friends and families. The support is especially valuable in difficult times. Life is full of bitterness, but noodles always taste so sweet.

bottom of page