Digital Nomad

When traveling, the greatest allure isn’t the scenic beauty—it’s the food.

I look forward to visiting deserts, the Arctic, the open ocean, high mountains, limestone caves, pyramids, and all sorts of unique global landscapes. However, parks and historical buildings tend to feel a bit too repetitive.

Once you’ve visited enough of them, they all start to feel much the same—they lose their novelty.

But food is a different story. Take fish, for instance: the same species of fish tastes completely different depending on whether it comes from the South or the North.

This is because the cooking methods, the water, the air, and even the specific varieties of fish differ. You can only experience the true, authentic flavor by tasting it right there in its local environment—and it’s often quite affordable, too. Think of Xinjiang’s raisins and lamb skewers, or Wuhan’s Reganmian (Hot Dry Noodles).

Here is a quick log of my day’s activities.

Food Diary

As always, I ordered my favorites: the Zaotangmian (Early-Morning Noodles)—specifically the “Medium-Link” and “Large-Link” varieties—while my friend ordered the “Three Fresh Ingredients” noodles.

Mine is the “Medium-Link” noodle dish pictured at the bottom of the image below. The toppings consist of shredded chicken and thin slices of chicken breast. The broth is light and refreshing—absolutely delicious. I highly recommend pairing it with the shop’s complimentary pickled radish to really enhance the flavor. Pictured at the top is the “Three Fresh Ingredients” noodle dish my friend ordered. Its main toppings are quail eggs, wood ear mushrooms, and fish cake. I used to enjoy this dish, but lately, I’ve lost my taste for it.

The image below shows the shop’s complimentary pickled radish.

The radish is kept in a large earthenware jar; you simply grab a small bowl and a pair of chopsticks, scoop out the amount you’d like to eat, and take it back to your table.

Eating a little bit of this during the summer is incredibly refreshing and helps cut through any greasiness. If your appetite is poor, it also serves as a great palate cleanser and appetite stimulant. Every shop prepares its pickled radish differently, so the taste varies from place to place.

Sometimes the noodles themselves aren’t particularly impressive, but you go to that specific shop anyway—solely for the pleasure of a bite of their pickled radish.

I took a stroll through the local wet market. I originally intended to buy some preserved vegetables—specifically, some pickled soybeans.

However, after walking around the market a few times, perhaps it was because… It was still quite early—7:00 AM—and the shop selling braised soybeans hadn’t opened yet, so I simply picked up something else instead.

Now that summer has arrived, I’ve developed a particular fondness for eating chilled sweet potatoes; they are incredibly refreshing.

I selected a rather large sweet potato, took it home, peeled it, cut it in half, and popped it in the freezer for half an hour. It was absolutely delicious!

Unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo of it; it was pure white inside and looked delightfully sweet—just by looking at it.

When it comes to eating noodles, China’s Hubei province boasts two unique local “specialties.”

One is the ability to eat Reganmian (Hot Dry Noodles) while simultaneously riding a bicycle.

The other is the practice of simply grabbing a small stool to eat noodles right in the midst of a bustling crowd—no table required, and sometimes people even eat while walking.

The photo below was taken this morning; it features three noodle-eaters—a middle-aged woman, a middle-aged man, and an elderly gentleman—all sitting on small stools enjoying their noodles. They are completely unbothered by the passersby, eating openly and with total composure.

If you’re interested, feel free to check out my video. It features crayfish, eel, and some local specialties—specifically fish cake and meatballs—all of which I absolutely love to eat!