Chapter 3 Fly noodles (1)

I have heard of "fly noodles" since I was a child.Soba noodles are served in small bowls, and as soon as you finish eating, noodles fly from afar and land right in the bowl.After several times, when you feel full and are about to cover the bowl, the noodles will pass through the gap between the lid and the bowl and fly into the bowl.This scene has formed a clear picture in my mind, and I will never forget it: from two meters away from the opposite side, the noodles flew over with a "swipe" and just fell into the bowl... "great!" I've been imagining "Flying Noodles" so much.

About five years ago, I went to Morioka in Iwate Prefecture for the first time for work.When we arrived in Shenggang, several people from the newspaper office came to welcome us and invited us to say: "How about we have some pasta for lunch?" I was overjoyed, and couldn't help shouting at the people next to me: "I want to eat flying noodles!" I have depicted the "flying noodles" in my dream for almost half a century!Now it’s finally time to see and eat authentic flying noodles locally.I was so happy that I walked towards the oldest "Flying Noodle Shop" in Shenggang, laughing from ear to ear along the way. Thinking about that scene now, I still can't help laughing.

The flying noodle shop is an old wooden house, and we were led up to the second floor.It was a large room with tatami mats, and there was a long and wide dining table in the middle.I was seated next to an alcove, and everyone else was seated. I looked around the room, trying to see where the noodles would come from, and thought, "The sliding door is wide open, so it should come from there." It is about two meters away from the door to my place.Although I have heard of flying noodles before, I can't help admiring the idea of ​​flying noodles from such a far place and falling right into my bowl.The chefs in this shop must have learned to fly noodles after years of hard training.

During this time, a small gaiwan was placed in front of me.This is a black lacquered Xiuheng bowl①.Uncover the bowl, the inside is red.I'm so excited, how will the soba noodles fly over? I took off the lid and peered into the bowl when a middle-aged reporter sitting in front of me taught me: "When you're full, please close the lid. That's the meaning of 'enough'. However, if you don't close the lid fast enough, the noodles will fall in through the gap, so if you are really full, hurry up Click on the lid." "Wow!" I am even happier. "It seems to be true. The moment the bowl is covered, and the noodles are flying into the bowl by aiming at the five centimeter gap, this skill is really amazing!"

I paid all my attention to the movements at the sliding door, not knowing when the flying noodle master would be there to prepare. Before eating soba noodles, some side dishes were served. After eating the side dishes, it was finally time for "flying noodles".I hold the bowl and chopsticks in my hands and get ready, no matter where the noodles come from, it will be fine. At this moment, I noticed a woman in a Hiroshi kimono standing next to my seat.She stood between me and a man next to me, silent and motionless.I was a little surprised, but when I looked up, a woman in a kimono with a flying white pattern was holding a large rectangular plate in one hand.Since I was looking from the bottom up, I couldn't see what was on the plate.However, for people sitting on tatami, it is still a bit uncomfortable to have someone standing beside them.So, I asked the woman in the Hibai pattern kimono:

"What are you going to do?" The woman replied with a very kind northeast accent: "Put noodles in your bowl!" During the war, I was evacuated to a place near Morioka in Aomori Prefecture, so I think the Northeast accent is very friendly. "Put the noodles? You put the noodles in my bowl?" The woman took it for granted and replied: "yes." "Is this the flying noodles?" I confirmed again. "Yes. This is the flying noodles." The woman in the Hibiki patterned kimono said kindly.I hurriedly asked: "But shouldn't the flying noodles fly over from two meters away and fall into the bowl?"

The woman said in embarrassment: "If soba soba noodles are so soupy, if they fly over from a distance, it will make this place dirty, and then we won't be able to do business." The reporters laughed and listened to us.Still not giving up, I asked: "However, do the noodles occasionally fly over there?" "Will not." Completely disappointed, I finally asked: "So, did you 'snap' the noodles into my bowl from here?" "yes." Indeed, on the opposite side of me and obliquely in front of me, every few people stood a woman in a kimono with a flying white pattern. They were holding a large plate in their hands, ready to keep putting noodles into the bowls of the guests next to them.