Laba Noodles

Laba Noodles

　　The proverb “After Laba, the days grow long (cháng) like a forked branch” comes from the Longgao area, meaning that after the Laba Festival, daylight gradually lengthens each day, and the long, difficult nights will soon get shorter. As such, locals celebrate the festival. On the night of the seventh, residents gather around a bonfire holding long forks, dancing and celebrating joyfully through the night. On the eighth, they eat Laba Noodles. There are many particularities to making these noodles: on the seventh, high-quality wheat flour is mixed with wood-ash lye to form dough, which is then covered with a damp cloth. Every half hour, the dough is kneaded—about seven or eight times in total—before being rolled out into sheets about 1.5 meters in diameter using a thin, long rolling pin. A flat piece of ground is swept clean, and any remaining fine dust is wiped away with a slightly damp cloth. The dough sheet is then left to dry slightly on the ground until it can be lifted with both hands. When viewed through the light, the sheet appears golden, with a translucent quality, yellow tinged with white. Then comes the cutting: the round sheet is folded twice to form a fan shape, and using a right-angle dough cutter, one hand presses the blade while the other holds the dough. With even pressure, thin and evenly cut noodles are produced—the finer and more uniform, the better. A folk rhyme goes, “Laba noodles, fine as thread, you could suck on them for breaths untold; may your fortunes next year never break or fold.” This vividly reflects both the aesthetic ideal for Laba noodles and the hopes for a prosperous new year. Once the noodles are made, it’s time to prepare the broth. Ingredients typically include daylily, coriander, scallions, tofu, minced meat, chili powder, eggs, and carrots. Tofu is the main ingredient, cut into diamond shapes about three millimeters thick and six millimeters long. Eggs are fried into thin pancakes about one millimeter thick, then also cut into diamond shapes. These diamond-shaped pieces of tofu, egg pancake, and carrot float in the broth. Making the broth is all about achieving this floating effect. When done right, red, white, yellow, and green ingredients bob together in the soup, creating a dish that is pleasing to the eye, nose, and palate. This emphasis on floating isn’t only about presentation—it also reflects the people’s aspirations to rise and thrive. Over time, locals have also playfully used the phrase “Everyone wants to float—who wants to sink?” to subtly criticize those who refuse to compromise, hate to lose, or just want to take advantage.

　　On the morning of Laba, before dawn, every household gets up to start the fire. Each year, families quietly compete to see who can serve Laba Noodles first and win the honor. Men squat outside their doors, laughing and joking outwardly, but inwardly anxious that their noodles might come out late. The more impatient ones cough while joking, signaling their wives to hurry. When the bowls are finally brought out, they rush over—not to take the bowls, but to grab chopsticks and a bowl of noodles, then strut over to those still waiting, pretending to scoop up a noodle or two and inviting everyone to eat, all the while showing off the quality of their own noodles. The others respond with polite compliments for the winner’s wife and her cooking skills.

　　Locals don’t say they “eat” Laba Noodles—they consider that too vulgar—and instead say they “suck” them, meaning they draw a mouthful of noodles into their mouths in one breath without biting or chewing, aiming for a smooth, long, and enduring texture. Once in the mouth, the noodles are soft, smooth, yet slightly chewy, with great mouthfeel. Even after soaking in the bowl for half an hour, they remain firm and textured—this is their unique charm. The traditional bowls for sucking Laba Noodles are small, delicate blue-and-white floral ones from the Ankou or Yaozhou kilns, with white bases and blue patterns. Paired with strands of noodles as soft as silk, it’s truly a delight. When eating, mothers often encourage their children to have several bowls, saying, “Laba noodles, eight bowls, bring success and greatness beyond compare.”

　　Legend says this exquisitely made style of Laba Noodles—and the act of sucking them—was invented by the wife of Gong Liu when he lived in Bin. Later, descendants of Gong Liu moved to Qishan, where the same type of noodles came to be called “sauced noodles,” though they are no longer made as finely as Bin County’s Laba Noodles, nor do they taste as good. The people of Qishan have a strong commercial sense and have turned sauced noodles into a local snack brand.