Elles, the Noodle Queen

Instead of driving onwards we take a break in Lanzhou. We need it as we are dead tired and have a lot of work to do. This trip doesn’t come easy. Next to driving we write and film as well making it all together very long days. All day we are busy with updating the website, sending tapes to SBS6 and pictures to Autoweek. We also use our time to write several articles and answer e-mail. Eventually another very busy day with little rest. It isn’t until 10:30 in the eve before we have time for dinner. We are recommended to look for the famous Lanzhou noodles. We find an alley close to the railwaystation where they make the noodles with their hands. An amazing sight and true craftsmanship. Pastamachines??? Forget it…. this is the business!

Elles thinks she has figured out how to do it and asks if she can have a go. The first stretch of the dough goes well. I am impressed. But when she pulls the dough for a second time it breaks! The whole street is laughing and so do I when I see her fiddling with the dough. I am not a great noodles fan but Elles is. I stick to Dim Sum which tastes quite good! We watch the locals prepare the noodles and it´s amazing to see they can stretch the dough up to 5 times making perfect thin noodles!

Unfortunately the noodles don’t taste famous. Maybe it’s because I made them myself, Elles jokes. The bigger joke is the bill. We just had a 1.3 euro dinner! When we leave the whole street waves us goodbye. We do some more internet stuff and are finished at around midnight. So much for a nice day of rest. It isn’t until 2 before we finally sleep!