A Taste of Soup Noodle in Luzhou

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Asan Soup Noodle

An Ancient Flavor in Luzhou Passed down from Generations to Generations
Records of the interview at Asan Soup Noodle Shop

Asan Soup Noodle was the first Soup Noodle shop that Lu Jiang Cyberfair team had visited. Hopefully and restlessly, we arrived at the Soup Noodle shop of antique beauty. Even if we had prepared many reference and interview data, such interview still made us, young and inexperienced, uneasy. However, surprisingly, we met Mr. and Mrs. Chen, a couple who understood Soup Noodle very well.
Their warm and friendly attitudes reassured us. Each teacher and student cherished the visit as if they had found out treasure. We also felt the milk of human kindness of Luzhou Soup Noodle.

Asan Soup Noodle Shop Introduced by Mr. Chen
Mr. Chung-hsin Chen, the descendant of the second generation of Asan Soup Noodle, is not a native Luzhou people. Originally, he sold noodles near Erchong Floodway. After Erchong Floodway was demolished, he came to Luzhou.
The reason why Luzhou Soup Noodle could develop prosperously was because that about ten years ago, while promoting the policy of "One Village, One Characteristic" in Luzhou, Ms. Yueh-e Li Weng assisted to promote Soup Noodle, a unique delicacy of Luzhou. It was originated from Yonglian Temple Miaokou culture (the fair culture outside the temple). The best known is the Soup Noodle of the system of Wan-pao Yang which passes the traditional technique down till so far. The father of Mr. Chen created another system. In 1969, the system originated from Chouhou Village. His father set up a noodle stall with his own characteristics. In around 1991, he settled in this place and resumed his noodle business. Mr. Chen took over the business 10 years ago. The name of the shop, Asan, was after the name of Mr. Chen's father, Yi-san Chen.

Traditional decoration
It was Mr. Chen's hobby to collect the objects of antique beauty (such as posters, shop signs, utensils, furniture, newspapers, report, and so on). Many of his collections were full of memories of the people in the 1950s, 1960s, or even 1970s. To the children of the current generation, they might be very strange. He enjoyed his habit and the joy of sharing. Some thought it novel, while others, old-fashioned. But it did not matter.
The blueprint of the whole shop was in the brain of Mr. Chen. As time went by, an exclusive, profound, and sweet-smelling flavor of Soup Noodle was accumulated. I spent a lot of time to select every table, chair, device, utensil, decoration, or ornament of the shop. Since childhood, I was taught to do things well.

Being Extremely Critical on Ingredients
The business hours of Asan Soup Noodle shop is from 9:30 in the morning to 15:00. Mr. Chen strictly controlled the business hours because he used the rest of time to prepare. Selection of ingredients, purchase, and washing were all done by Mr. Chen himself, so he needed much time. Because he had set up high objectives for the taste and quality of noodles and the environment of the shop, Mr. Chen proudly said, "In the Luzhou, there are only a few shops that can win mine."

Mr. Chen's Requirements on Cleanness and Hygiene
In addition to handling the ingredients, after 15:00, Mr. and Mrs. Chen personally cleaned and disinfected the entire shop, as the hygiene was a key point adhered by Asan Soup Noodle shop. One can tell the hygiene of a restaurant or snack bar from its washroom.They even cleaned the washroom carefully enough to be acknowledged by customers.
Such details could not be seen by customers, but they were the key points which distinguish their shop from the others.

Asan Soup Noodle Shop in the Eyes of Mr. Chen
Q: Mr. Chen, what are the characteristic of Asan Soup Noodle shop? Any differences from the other Soup Noodle shops?
A: The Soup Noodle in northern Taiwan is different from that in the south which is called Tainan Ta-a Noodle. The key of Soup Noodle is its soup. Everyone shop claims that their soup is very good. For mine, I can assure you that it absolutely does not contain any artificial stuff as it is stewed by fresh pork bones.
The soup must be rich but not greasy. Some shops assume that their soups are as clear as water. In fact, they have added much MSG. One will not eat them for long as they will feel uncomfortable in the throat after taking too much MSG soups. Some soups are greasy, which are worse. For Tainan Ta-a Noodle, the key of its soup is minced pork. We can see that the soup of each place is different with unique features.

Q: Mr. Chen, over the past fifty years, what are the key points insisted by Asan Soup Noodle shop and supporting it till now?
A: When I was a kid and my father was running the noodle business, I just helped him wash dishes and tidy up and had not thought about continue to pass it down. When I grow up, I still did not want to take it over, so like everyone else, I worked outside. Though the work was not hard, I felt that I made no progress. It seemed that I had walked a circle and came back to the starting point. Finally, I came back here.
I always believe that everything has the same truth—devotion. I still remembered what my teacher taught me when I was young—As long as one tried his best, anything could be completed well. One needs to set a goal and endeavor to achieve it. Though he may not get 100 scores, he is getting closer to the goal. If your goal is higher than those of others, you will be nearer to the 100 scores.

Q: Along with the gradual decline of traditional industry, after 50 years of inheritance, how can Asan Soup Noodle shop develop sustainably?
A: Yeah. The industries with low turnover like Soup Noodle are indeed gradually declining mainly because of the factors of environment. There are things that we cannot change. For example, catering culture is changing with the times. People now are different from those in the past who emphasized on being full. Besides, the requirements of tastes by customers become more diversified. Single traditional taste is unable to fully meet the demands of modern consumers. A: In the past, why could Soup Noodle develop prosperously? First and foremost, the living environment then was simple. People had fewer choices. But now, there are various shops in one street. As long as one can afford, he can eat whatever he wants. More choices bring about bigger challenges to our traditional shops.

Q: Mr. Chen, the low turnover requires so many costs. What is the philosophy of Asan Soup Noodle shop?
A: Compared to other shops, our costs should be regarded as high. First, we require quality ingredients. Even if there are fluctuations in the price, we insist on quality ingredients. Sometimes it is difficult to support the shop, but we never raise price. Sometimes, the profit of a bowl of noodles completed with all the steps and served to customers is less than that of a bowl of instant noodle. A: Even as of pepper powder, we select the one with high unit price and good brand because it can give out its own fragrance and enhance the taste of noodles, which can never be achieved by cheap ones. These are the costs that customers cannot see.

Demonstration of the True Kung Fu of Soup Noodle

After finishing the story, Mr. Chen immediately got up and came to the cooking platform. With his skillful actions, he demonstrated his unique techniques to us with ease. The bamboo colander, ladle, and bowls in his hands seem to have magic. He sieved the noodles, put them in bowls, add side dishes, sauces, and soup and put the bowl of Soup Noodle on the table. The time and proportion of each step required carefulness and precision. We totally marveled at it. So perfect. Just as the old saying goes, "Three minutes on stage requires ten years of practice."

We See the Perseverance
The Reasons to Persist
It is true that money is important, but the sense of accomplishment is more important. As long as we see the satisfied expressions of our customers, we have the power to go on!

The Courage to Persist
In the face of the challenges of the new era, Asan Soup Noodle persists with its courage to insist to original flavor. Mr. Chen ensured with confidence and pride that over the past 50 years there were few differences in the taste of the noodles in his shop. But other shops were not necessarily. There were many which changed their taste.
He insisted in using a bamboo colander rather than an iron one because he wanted to keep the saint fragrance of bamboo in his noodles which could not be replaced by modern utensils. He paid attention to such a trivial detail. Maybe to the eyes of some modern people, it was rigid. But we believed that it was a valuable revelation brought about to the children of the current generation by Asan Soup Noodle shop!