Tag Archives: food culture

Advice, Asian American, college, Cultural Exchange, culture, Food, New Experience, student life

Have A Bowl of Crossing-the-bridge Rice Noodles Before Exams

By Qianhui Ni

Edited by Natalie Grace Sipula

[4.5 minute read]

What do you normally do before an important exam? In some cultures, people will pray to the god of wisdom, or avoid washing their hair because it is believed to wash the knowledge out of the brain. Some tend to wear clothes with lucky colors. For me, my pre-exam ritual is to have a bowl of crossing-the-bridge rice noodles.

Crossing-the-bridge Rice Noodles from Ludingji at San Gabriel

In Yunnan, China, the local people’s diet holds rice noodles to an equal status as rice. Different from rice noodles from other provinces, the traditional Yunnan rice noodles are made of fermented and milled rice. Thus, they have a very slightly sour taste due to the longer fermentation time in the production process. Crossing-the-bridge rice noodles are the most famous cooking method of these noodles. The soup base is stewed with pork ribs, fresh chicken, fresh duck, and Yunnan ham. After simple seasoning, the thick soup must stay boiling and be put into a large, insulated bowl. You can then add fresh fish slices, fresh tenderloin slices, mung bean sprouts, and mushroom slices to the soup individually. My favorite ingredient to add are fresh raw quail eggs. As the raw quail egg touches the soup, the color of the egg white and yolk changes even before they start changing shape in the broth. This is how we magically make a soft boiled egg in a fully intact shape. When I was a little kid, I always wanted to complete this part by myself but was stopped by my parents since the temperature of the soup was too high. 

You are probably wondering why this dish is named “crossing-the-bridge” and why it is connected to pre-exam rituals. One well-accepted version of its origin story goes like this: in the Qing Dynasty, a scholar living in southern Yunnan used to go study at a pavilion in the middle of a lake to prepare for the imperial examination. To support him, his wife often made his favorite rice noodles and brought them to the pavilion. Every time she got there, the rice noodles had already become cold. One day, she accidentally found out that the thick layer of chicken fat covering the soup helped it stay at a high temperature. The rice noodles, the meat, and the vegetables actually tasted more refreshing if they were put in right before eating. Since then, she always stewed the soup with chicken and other meat first, and waited until she arrived at the pavilion before putting in the extra thinly sliced ingredients and rice noodles. With her support, the scholar eventually got the highest exam score. Because every time the scholar’s wife needed to walk across a bridge to reach the pavilion, people named this cooking method “crossing-the-bridge rice noodles” in order to commemorate this talented woman. Since then, having a bowl of crossing-the-bridge rice noodles has become a popular pre-exam ritual for many local people. 

Spicy Rice Noodles from Ludingji at City of Industry

As part of the cultural heritage of Yunnan, China, crossing-the-bridge rice noodles have become a top cuisine that no visitor to the region should miss out on. Before I went to college, I used to take it for granted because there are so many restaurants that sell it in my hometown. I did not realize how hard it is to find authentic crossing-the-bridge rice noodles until I started my life in another country. However, after visiting almost all the Yunnan restaurants in LA, I found two good ones where you can get a taste of this traditional cuisine: 

Yunnan Restaurant:

You can find two Yunnan Restaurants in LA: one is located in San Gabriel, and the other one is in Monterey Park. Here, when ordering crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, you will have the chance to add all of the ingredients to the boiling soup yourself. Apart from the rice noodles, don’t miss the amazing Chinese Salad with different cold meats or vegetables in spicy sauce. 

Casserole Rice Noodles from Yunnan Garden in Hacienda Heights

Yunnan Garden:

Located in Hacienda Heights, Yunnan Garden has a more spacious dining area. The crossing-the-bridge rice noodles here are put in a big bowl in which the cook has already put in all the ingredients and rice noodles. The soup base is great and I’m sure you will love it. 

If you want to try a new pre-exam ritual before a major exam, try the crossing-the-bridge rice noodles and remember the story of the scholar and the talented wife, and hopefully it will bring you good luck.

Featured Image by Frank Zhang on Unsplash

Qianhui is a doctoral student majoring in Psychology. She received a B.S. in Psychology from East China Normal University in 2019. She is interested in how children learn about social agents and the social world. When she isn’t working in the lab, Qianhui enjoys traveling, reading novels, watching movies, and cooking.  

Cultural Exchange, Language, USC

Being a Conversation Partner

By Virginia Bullington

I really enjoyed last semester as a conversation partner. Both of the people I engage with on a regular basis are Korean graduate students, and learning about their transition to the United States has been totally fascinating. Neither of my students had lived in this country prior to their arrival at USC a few short months ago, and we have discussed the trials of being immersed in a totally new language and culture. Oftentimes, I am able to relate to this, as I studied abroad in Chile for a semester when I was a sophomore. However, I have found that there are several differences between our experiences. First of all, learning English as a native Korean speaker is far more challenging than learning Spanish as an English speaker. This is obviously because English and Spanish use the same alphabet and both share Latin roots, whereas English and Korean have no real links at all. YoungJoon, one of my students explained how for Koreans, it is fairly simple to learn Japanese as a Korean speaker if you are willing to dedicate a year or two studying. English, on the other hand, requires far more time and discipline to master.

 A popular tactic of both of my students to practice English regularly is to watch TV shows and movies in English. However, this only aids in listening and understanding, which is why my partners have sought a forum where they can practice their speaking skills. I was lucky in this respect when I studied abroad, because I stayed with a host family and was thus forced to converse in Spanish on a daily basis. As graduate students, neither of my partners live with English speakers so must seek outside chances to converse. 

 One of my favorite things to talk about with my partners is their views on Los Angeles and what they do for fun in the city. It is such a sprawling and diverse city with so much going on; there are events and activities for everyone. At the same time, because the city is so huge, it can be intimidating to navigate at first. I know this first hand, as after living here for four years, I feel that I have only recently begun to feel truly at home in LA. 

Central to my love of this place is the amazing food that the city has to offer, and I have had a lot of fun trading restaurant and cafe recommendations with my partners. Korean BBQ is one of my favorite things, and we have had long debates on preferred LA locations. According to both of my partners, Koreatown resembles Korea…. But thirty years ago. One of my partners described it as feeling like a time capsule, before Korea was an extremely globalized hub with skyscrapers, it looked very much like Koreatown with strip malls and small family owned businesses. 

Talking with my partners is always a treat because I feel like I get to travel and learn from their experiences and perspectives. Our conversations are symbiotic too, as I have noticed my partners progress in the fluidity of their speaking as they grow more comfortable. 

Featured image from Pxhere

Virginia is a senior majoring in Narrative Studies. She grew up on an island 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts called Nantucket. Through high school and college she has traveled as much as possible, studying for extended periods in South America, as well as visiting Europe, Hong Kong, and Azerbaijan. As Virginia is interested in learning about other people and cultures, she has experience tutoring students in the English language, both one-on-one at her local high school, and as a literacy volunteer at her library. Virginia loves being outside, especially going to the beach, because it reminds her of home.

culture, Food, L.A. Life, New Experience, Uncategorized

Life as a Foodie

By Jasmine Zahedi

A self-proclaimed foodie, I always look forward to tackling restaurants on my “must-eat” list. And living in Los Angeles, where the food culture is so widespread, makes this the easiest and the most fun activity to do on weekends. I make a concerted effort to go somewhere new with my friends at least once a week. This way not only do I get an excuse to do something that I love—eat—but I also get to share this passion with people that are close to me.

Currently, my list has 40 eateries, organized by location, that I have yet to visit and 64 places that I have already had the fortune of trying out. These numbers might seem crazily high, but I started this list my freshman year and it only continues to grow. I add restaurants to my list mainly after hearing about them from other foodie friends or after seeing them on Instagram. My personal favorite food Instagrams are eater_LA and dineLA. I love seeing their pictures on my feed because it inspires me to continue on my foodie adventure.

Recently, I visited Zinc Café and Market during a roomie brunch, and I highly recommend it as a place for a relaxing meal and maybe even as a place to study and get some work done. I am also a huge fan of the chashu hash skillet from JiST Café in Little Tokyo, anything from Daily Dose Café, and the ricotta toast from Sqirl. As you can see, I am extremely partial to brunch.

Being a foodie is not limited to living in Los Angeles. When I was an intern in Taipei last summer for eight weeks, I discovered a food culture that was almost greater than that in Los Angeles. Taiwanese people take pride in the various 小吃 (xiǎochī), which means snacks, that they have to offer, and nowhere is this more evident than in the crowded and bustling night markets found throughout the large cities. While in Taiwan, my friends and I visited night markets at least once a week and fawned over the shaved ice, the scallion pancake wraps, and all the fresh fruit. In addition, I religiously followed A Hungry Girl’s Guide to Taipei, which not only categorized restaurants by price range but also by location in relation to subway stops.

Whenever I start talking about Taiwan with someone who has been before, the first thing that comes up is always (and inevitably) food. Have you tried the boba from that little street cart in Gongguan? Or the scallion pancake wrap with eggs and sausage from the vendor in Dongmen? The answer is always YES because Taiwan has such a big food culture that everyone knows about and participates in.

I’ve honestly noticed that a significant amount of conversations I have with friends revolve around food; that just shows how important food is to all of us. Food brings people together and connects people of various cultures and walks of life so, if you’re looking to connect with someone, try a food-related opener. The results might surprise you!

Featured image by Eaters Collective on Unsplash