This Luoyang Snack, 99% of Non-Locals Have Never Tried

The first snow of the north has already started to fall, but the first city to trend is not Northeast China, Inner Mongolia, or Xinjiang, but Luoyang's Laojun Mountain. Speaking of Luoyang, everyone tends to think of history textbooks or film and TV dramas—the divine capital, Longmen Grottoes, peony flowers, the Han, Wei, Sui, and Tang dynasties—all these keywords come flooding in.

But in fact, today's Luoyang has gradually shed the 'stodgy' image of a traditional tourist city. On Weibo, Instagram, and Xiaohongshu, it has quietly become a photogenic and capable internet-famous destination. Because of its good looks and historical depth, CCTV chose to hold its 2020 Mid-Autumn Festival Gala here, allowing hundreds of millions of viewers to rediscover a different kind of beauty in this historic city.

Popular young star Wang Yibo, who recently skyrocketed to fame, is a native of Luoyang. He recently teamed up with Song Qian to film 'Luoyang,' clearly promoting his hometown with action. However, most visitors to Luoyang still associate the city's cuisine only with water banquet and tofu soup. Many typical Luoyang traditional snacks are only known and tasted by locals.

For example, the guozi youcha (fried dough oil tea) that many old Luoyang residents long for has a history of over a hundred years. As the name suggests, it's peanut oil tea topped with fried dough pieces. In the past, in the old city, every afternoon you could see vendors walking the streets selling peanut oil tea. The container was quite interesting: a very large teapot wrapped in thick quilts.

Nowadays, many oil tea shops sell three kinds: peanut oil tea, guozi youcha, and peanut guozi youcha. Judging by the names and prices, they are the low-end, mid-range, and premium versions! Peanut oil tea has a stronger flavor than guozi youcha, with roasted peanuts and sesame seeds. The thick oil tea pours from the spout, releasing an irresistible aroma that whets your appetite. Oh! The satisfaction from this sinful high oil and high sugar!

Speaking of which, why is such a typical Luoyang traditional snack like peanut oil tea nowhere to be found on the busy West Street that tourists frequent? Actually, it's not surprising. Many cheap snacks can't fetch a good price and don't suit all tastes from north and south. Additionally, an important reason is that many tourists don't know about guozi youcha's existence.

Luoyang itself has no shortage of delicacies and specialty products, such as Luanchuan tofu, guozi youcha, Xin'an steamed dumplings, etc. However, there is little related information or introduction online. This can lead to tourists developing a stereotypical impression when learning about Luoyang as a tourist destination.

Of course, other cities' tourism promotion also has similar drawbacks, big or small. Especially some emerging tourist attractions or cities, if they don't get good promotion and support, may disappear. Over time, only the old brand scenic spots and foods remain, ultimately solidifying the city's brand image and hindering tourism development.

Therefore, we should pay more attention to urban food resources like guozi youcha, develop local unique culture, create a 'vivid' city image, and promote urban tourism development.