In an old commercial building in Wanhua District, Taipei, there is a time-honored brand called "Old Shandong Home-Cooked Beef Noodles". It originated in 1949 and was founded by a veteran from Qingdao, Shandong. It has been passed down for three generations so far - a corner of the "Old Shandong Home-Cooked Beef Noodles" store. (Data picture)
When you walk into the noodle shop, the first thing you see is a few plaques with gold characters on black background. The current owner Yu Huaizeng introduced that the plaques were written by his grandfather Yu Xinzhi. One of them reads the store’s teachings “Eat virtue is the best” and also tells the history of the changes of Yu Jia Noodle Store.
After Yu Xinzhi and his wife came to Taiwan from Qingdao , in order to make a living, he used his only seventy yuan to set up a small stall. At first, he mainly sold Shandong steamed buns for a living. In that era of scarcity of supplies, the scraps of dough were used as hand-cut surfaces to make full use of them. Yu Huaizeng still remembers his father's recollection that using the remaining beef bones from the beef stall in the market to make soup and cook a bowl of noodles is a delicious food in the world.
The veterans settled down in the unfamiliar Taipei, and most of them do small businesses in the Ximending area of Wanhua District to make a living. "Shandong people are hard-working and loyal, trustworthy, so my grandfather's business is very good," said Yu Huaizeng.
With the painstaking management, the Yu family's stall gradually grew bigger. Finally, in the 1970s, he had his own store on Kunming Street today, and his business also changed to a manual knife-cut beef noodle. Yu Lao Shandong has a strong accent, and many old customers like to call him "Old Shandong", which is also the origin of the name of this store. A few years later, Yujia Noodle Store moved to Xining South Road and has been passed down to this day.
Yu Huaizeng keeps in mind the business lessons taught by his grandfather, do something well, and strive for excellence. "Entrepreneurship is easy to maintain business, but I hope to pass on my grandfather's spirit of entrepreneurship and dedication."
is not just a home noodle shop, but various genres of beef noodle stores are all over the streets and alleys of Taipei. During the heyday of Taoyuan Street, more than a dozen "beef noodle kings" gathered, which became a scene in Taipei for a while. The popularity of beef noodle is concentrated in Taipei, and Yujia Noodle Shop is also a microcosm of the "make of fortune" and popularity of beef noodle in Taiwan.
Since the early Taiwanese agricultural society mainly focused on growing rice, pasta was not the staple food of the locals. There are multiple versions of the origin of Taiwan beef noodle . One of the inferences is that after 1949, due to food shortage, wheat, beef and other materials were introduced into the island in large quantities. In addition, the "appetite transformation" of millions of veterans and relatives came to Taiwan created conditions for the encounter between beef and noodles.
The late food critic Lu YaodongThe statement that Taiwan beef noodles originated from the veterans’ village has gained much recognition. Yu Huaizeng's view, in that era, my grandfather traveled across the ocean and worked hard to settle down in Taiwan, and wanted to support his family. The "home-cooked noodles" he had was the simplest and simple way to make a living. This bowl of pasta with hometown flavor is also the emotional sustenance of the older generation when they miss homesickness.
Food is the most heartwarming. In addition to beef noodles, Yu Huaizeng also insists on making handmade dumplings, which also inherited the recipes from his ancestors and retained the traditional hometown flavor. He always reminds guests not to forget to drink dumpling soup , "My grandfather said that drinking dumpling soup will taste home."
In the local area, beef noodle was once the first choice for students to fill their stomachs, and was also the favorite of working people who came back late. Most of the impressions of Taiwanese food by foreign tourists start with a bowl of beef noodle. Some gourmets say that a bowl of hot beef noodles exudes nostalgia and "the taste of home" and is also engraved in the collective memory of Taiwanese people.
"Reputation of mouth is important, taste is even more important. The familiar taste can best evoke people's inner feelings. I will work hard to continue to pass on 'Old Shandong'." Yu Huaizeng said.
(according to Xinhua News Agency Taipei News)
column editor: Qin Hong Text editor: Li Linwei Title picture source: Tu Chong Picture editor: Cao Liyuan
Source: Author: People's Daily Overseas Edition Yue Xitong Qi Xianghui
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