Lo mein is a common Chinese dish that is prevalent in China and in the US. Lo mein originated 2,000 years ago in Northern China when wheat became widely available to make noodles. The noodles combined with a simple vegetable mix of onions, bok choy, carrots, and mushrooms, any choice of protein, and soy sauce makes for a delectable meal that’s quick to cook, inexpensive to prepare, and delicious to eat. Lo mein quickly became a widespread dish and was eventually brought to the US by Chinese immigrants who moved to the US to seek better pay to send back to their families. Chinese restaurants opened up, and the simple dish was slightly altered to suit the American palate. Although this alternate version became more widespread as more Chinese restaurants opened up to attract the American majority customers, the traditional recipe still held strong within the immigrant communities that longed for dishes that reminded them of home. This was the case for my mother, who also found comfort in food when she immigrated to the US from Taiwan. I chose lo mein because the dish was reminiscent of her childhood, as she had grown up eating lots of lo mein her grandmother cooked for her. I attempted to recreate lo mein to both please my mother and to learn about the different techniques that can affect taste and health, all while developing a deeper understanding of the different cultures, such as noodles representing longevity or the difference between lo mein and chow mein, that underlie a seemingly simple dish.

Before diving into the history, I would first like to mention ingredients that could affect the health of an individual from this dish. Chinese lo mein consists of egg or wheat noodles, vegetables, soy sauce, and optional protein. The wonderful aspect about this meal is the flexibility and variety - one can choose to only add vegetables, or add a protein of their choice, from chicken, beef, pork, and even seafood. If one were cautious about their health, they should take notice, as Chinese lo mein contains ingredients that many people consider unhealthy. Lo mein is mainly comprised of noodles, and thus contains lots of carbohydrates. An average dish served for a single portion can contain 114 grams of carbs with only vegetable toppings. Additionally, the large amounts of oil used for preparation also contribute to its high number of calories. The average vegetable lo mein portion has 630 calories, and this number spikes up to 920 if a protein such as pork is included. If one also takes sodium intake into consideration, this meal is quite sodium heavy from the soy sauce used in the noodle sauce. Around 3540mg of salt can be expected from the vegetable dish, and 4,120 if protein is included. Although these facts may seem unappealing, this doesn’t stop people from eating it. Because lo mein is so popular in both China and in the US, special occasions, such as birthdays and New Year’s, make this dish prevalent within the Asian community. In Chinese culture, eating noodles symbolizes longevity and prosperity, so noodle dishes like Chinese lo mein are often served uncut, with the long noodles eaten to represent one living a long and prosperous life. Because of the emphasis on health and longevity in Chinese culture, creating a variety of recipes in inexpensive and easy ways allows one to partake in this “eating long noodles and living a long life” event, while combining ingredients that make for an affordable serving that’s light on carbs, fat, and sodium. Taking all of this into account, this reminds me of the care my mother put into organizing her dishes. She pays a great amount of attention to ingredients in dishes like lo mein, and makes sure the balance of carbs, sodium, and calories are not at an unhealthy level. The unique aspect of variety in lo mein means my mother can make a low sodium version of lo mein by simply using less soy sauce and it still encapsulates the main flavors of a lo mein dish. This trait gives me a newfound appreciation. as this attention to health details is not something I notice other mothers work to accomplish.

One of the most notable aspects of lo mein is there are an endless number of ways to prepare it. While I was looking online to observe different ways in which people prepared this recipe, I discovered that all of them used different techniques and different ingredients. For mine, I chose to include vegetables, such as spring onion, garlic, mushroom, carrots, and bok choy. Additionally, I used egg noodles and marinated chicken and cooked everything together in a high ceiling pan. I found that some individuals cooked everything in a wok. Some chose to include shrimp as their protein, and others chose to only use vegetables. I find it amazing that despite all the nuances in ingredients and cooking methods, all the different variations identify as lo mein. They not only share similar tastes, but all of them are reminiscent of the food’s culture and history. One interesting thing to note is that in the Western world, chow mein and lo mein are often mixed up. Although the ingredients are the same, the key difference between the two is that in chow mein, the noodles are stir fried or deep fried. This often leads to the noodles being crunchy, as the word “chow” in Chinese means to fry. Lo mein is different in that instead of frying the noodles, the noodles are stirred in sauce. The noodles are thus not crispy and are softer, as the word “lo” in Chinese means to stir. This further goes to show that even with the same ingredients, different types of dishes can arise simply by using a different technique. I mention all this because I still remember the time my mother showed me the difference between lo mein vs. chow mein. Her great attention to detail demonstrated to me that even differences such as simply frying the noodles first versus cooking the noodles after adding vegetables can make a world of difference regarding flavor and health. I not only understood the technique, but I also acknowledged the years of experience she’s had cooking. I appreciate the knowledge she has developed through experience from cooking with my grandmother, and the dishes she grew up eating in Taiwan.
Cooking lo mein made me really understand what my mom had done for me all my life. I also understood why cooking at home felt so much more meaningful than simply grabbing takeout. I realized it wasn’t only the time and effort my mother put into cooking that made it so delicious, but it was also all my mother’s prior cooking experience along with the culture and knowledge of food passed on to her from her parents. Additionally, all the different dishes my mother had experienced in Taiwan that I had never tried before were imbued in her cooking. This cooking project gave me a newfound experience in not seeing cooking as just making food, but rather understanding all the underlying connections. This not only allows us to understand our family, culture, and history, but also to enjoy one of life’s greatest aspects - eating and dining together with those we love. Through the assortment of varieties one can make with a dish, this not only allows for more opportunities to learn about one’s genealogy, but this also allows for a greater bonding experience with family. This is what the immigrants felt like when eating traditional lo mein as a community in order to reminisce about life back at home and it is also what my mother felt cooking and eating lo mein in her dorm at college while thinking back to her life in Taiwan. Likewise, using the beauty of simplicity and variety related to lo mein, I hope to one day incorporate all the culinary knowledge from my family along with my lifelong gastronomic experience to create my own variation of lo mein that will bring back memories of me learning with my mom. That way, I can forever remember and acknowledge the wisdom she imparted onto me the moment I fully understood all the depths in the culture and history behind my mother’s cooking while making lo mein for this project.