Strolling Through the Night Market at Yandu Ancient Town (Part 2)
Suddenly, a delightful melody interrupted my thoughts. My son and I both turned toward the sound at the same time—it was a performance on the Zhongxiao Stage. The stage lights flickered, and the audience area was already packed with people.
When we got closer, we saw that on the charmingly antique stage, a group of handsome young men and beautiful women were dancing. My son and I decided to sit down, rest our feet, and enjoy the show.
Just then a cool breeze blew over, and the stage lights poured over us like flowing water. The melodious music drifted through the night sky, gently tapping at my eardrums, while the dancers' flowing, graceful movements seized my attention. A profound sense of contentment rose from within. Ah, my only regret was that we’d been so absorbed in wandering around—if only I’d bought a bag of snacks earlier!
Thinking of snacks, my taste buds began to stir, and I actually felt a little hungry (a true foodie, and you just ate!). Right, the snack street was right behind the stage! We couldn’t just enjoy the sights—we had to treat our stomachs too.
Yandu Ancient Town’s food street is mainly made up of three lanes. Turning from the north side of the stage, the first thing that caught our eye was a dazzling stretch of purple string lights. Beneath them was a neat row of red umbrellas, and diners were sitting at the tables, chatting and eating.
The food here was so abundant! There were stalls selling small seafood, grilled squid, homestyle dumplings, rice noodles, malatang, fried stinky tofu… With so many delicious options, we couldn’t decide what to eat for a moment.
As we hesitated, the aroma of grilled meat wafted over.
I think food has a spirit of its own—its aroma is like long tentacles, purposely teasing hungry people, slipping into their nostrils, awakening their taste buds, stirring their stomachs, and then pulling them closer.
And so, my son and I, completely defenseless, followed the scent of the meat. It led to a place called Old Boy Northeast-style Theme Grill. The grill sat facing south, with a water feature in front, bordered by green trees and flowers, and decorated with landscape rocks at different heights. Under a string of star-like twinkling lights, the seats were full of diners enjoying their food. On the left side of the grill, we found the source of the aroma—the charcoal fire was burning fiercely, and a young chef was laying skewers of tender meat side by side on the hot grill. The skewers of fatty and lean lamb sizzled over the charcoal, glossy with oil and fragrant, then sprinkled with chili, cumin, sesame, and other seasonings. The rich, meaty aroma instantly awakened your taste buds—who could resist such a primal temptation?
“Thirty skewers, one order of grilled tofu, and two bottles of beer!” My son and I hurriedly found a free spot and sat down. After a short wait, a plate of fragrant skewers was set before us.
But at that moment, you had to hold back the eagerness of your tongue—delicious food must be savored slowly. Taking a skewer, I took a gentle bite, and the savory, spicy flavor spread between my lips and teeth. The fatty parts were soft and tender, the lean parts pleasantly chewy. After one skewer, a piece of crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside tofu, and half a glass of ice-cold beer—hot and cold, rich and light, meat and vegetable—all the flavors of life mingling together.
Ignoring table manners and forgetting about dieting, before long, the skewers and beer were all safely in our stomachs. After finishing, I licked the corners of my mouth and looked at my son’s contented expression. My happiness rose slowly from within, like that warm charcoal fire, steadily rising, rising…
