A Journey to Liuzhou
Luosifen is Liuzhou’s culinary gem.
In the culinary world today, if we speak of noodles, there are zhajiangmian, hot dry noodles, knife-cut noodles, dandan noodles—each flaunting its flavor. For rice noodles, there are fresh-squeezed rice noodles, filter noodles, rice noodle sheets, and mixian—each boasting its aroma. For rice dishes, there are fried rice, drenched rice, rice balls, hand-grabbed rice—each playing with its essence. And other snacks like noodle worms, pulled strips, rice cake threads, and dough drops all tickle the palate. Yet what the sharply dressed youths and the nubile girls frequently grab and savor is none other than luosifen.
Thus, wandering scholars throughout history—from Confucius who traveled the states, the Grand Historian Sima Qian who roamed the world, the poet Li Bai who galloped east and west, the poet Du Fu who journeyed north and south, to the geographer Li Daoyuan surveying waters and the traveler Xu Xiake exploring mountains—all would traverse ten thousand miles, gathering day and night, to sample its flavor and sip its broth.
Its aroma is peculiar; sniffing it up close can make one euphorically intoxicated for days. Yet entwined with a subtle fragrance, it lingers in memory beyond all pondering. Thus, one must summon courage, roll up sleeves, and take a tentative sip to discover the truth. The moment you place it in your mouth, a slippery spiciness teases the tongue, a fresh fragrance assaults the nose, and a tangy sourness dazzles the eyes—all the world’s flavors converge here! Immediately, you wolf it down like a whale, ravenous and unchecked; three or five large bowls still fall short.
The snail meat is fresh and tender; after a fierce boil for thirty-six rounds and a gentle simmer for seventy-two, the essence fully dissolves into a broth sublime and pleasing. Bamboo shoots, long-pickled then stir-fried, release a heavy, drifting pungency, mixed into the soup, swirling and dancing, teasing the tongue with sour and salty. The rice noodles are resilient and chewy, satisfyingly firm, paired with bean curd sticks, pickled greens, and wood ear mushrooms, plus peanuts, radish, and chili pepper, all smooth and refreshing. The taste, having reached this point, is ultimate—the pinnacle, the utmost!
One day, I came to Liuzhou, all for a taste of luosifen.
