Noodle Diaries

Cooking at home is one way to save money during the economic downturn. But if you are genetically predisposed to eating out whenever possible, the only alternative is to eat out as cheaply as possible. Fortunately in Beijing that's not a problem. Sure, there are places like the coffee shop I visited Sunday that offered 90RMB ($13.15) lattes. But for every outrageous joint like that there are dozen places where you can have a full meal for a few bucks. Most often that means slurping down some noodles. Here are photos of my four favorite flavors of noodles from various shops in east Beijing:

Cross the Bridge Noodles, a Yunnan specialty (above). You're served a bowl of boiling chicken broth into which a waiter dumps a hodgepodge of ingredients. High-end CTBN come with all sorts of nuts and seafood and a $8+ price tag. I go for the $1.75 "people's noodles" along with a $1.75 mint leaf salad.

Huimashi, $1.30. From Shaanxi province, it might not technically be considered a noodle. The mashi are gnocchi-like lumps of dough that are served in a variety of dishes. In winter the go-to form is this tomato-based soup, which comes with chunks of tofu, green beans, carrots, ginger and a few strands of bok choy. "Tiger food" ($1) made from sliced peppers and cucumbers and topped with peanuts is my side of choice.

Lanzhou-style beef noodles. Like every regional specialty, the Beijing versions are usually shadows of the real thing. But at $0.75 it's unseemly to complain about the distinct flavor of MSG or the frightening mess in the kitchen. With a piece of spice-covered nang ($0.60) on the side, of course.

Guilin mifen, the all-round champ. In Guangxi it's eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. There it usually only costs 3 or 4 RMB, and you can add as much pickles, broth, peppers, peanuts, chives and garlic as you want. In Beijing things are a bit more, ummm, regimented, so you get what the soup man gives you. Luckily my soup man likes to pile on everything, usually with two or three kinds of pork. A steal even at 12 RMB ($1.75).