Power Couple

These two may well be the best couple since Sonny and Cher. Before the break-up, obviously. They stand at a corner on Dingxi Lu and make the most delicious, amazing, not-exactly-legal street food ever. Their specialty is noodles. You point to the ones you want (they have rice noodles, chow mian, chow fun, and the clear kind) and then point to whatever goodies you want in it. I usually get an egg with preserved vegetables, onions, la jiao (spicy sauce), and sprouts. Oh, and you can't forget the oil. That's not really an option, though.

In any case, the woman of the pair takes your order and puts your noodles, boiled but not cooked, in a styrofoam container while the man fixes up the last order. Then he pours a ladleful of oil into his magical wok and adds an egg and sausage, if you want it. Then in go the veggies and la jiao and last are your noodles and some soy sauce. Everything goes back into that styrofoam container and you hand over a measly five kuai (about 75 cents) and dig into your beautiful meal at the curbside table with cute pink plastic chairs that they've set up. It's truly one of the best experiences I've had here, and the cheapest and most fulfilling too.

One of the great things I've noticed is that we are usually the only foreigners there at the cart. It's a unique feeling, because usually I end up at places laden with expats or tourists, and here's a spot where nobody is catering to the wai guo ren with high prices, sanitized everything, or western toilets. We are just another group of customers, who, admittedly, can't speak Chinese nearly as well as the locals.

Ok, fine, we can't really speak at all.

And ok, fine, I do prefer a good Western toilet most of the time.