Noodles and more for a long, prosperous life

When it comes to celebrating the Chinese New Year, eating noodles is a great way to welcome the future. “Eating noodles is believed to ensure people a longer life span,” North Park marketing consultant Germaine Salvador says, further reiterating the rich Chinese culinary culture which has now become a part of the Pinoy lifestyle.

There is a wider selection that people can choose from to elicit some good fortune, considering that noodles (especially the long ones) attract luck. In North Park alone, Salvador says that diners can also choose their own pasta preference to complement the noodle dishes they will order, namely: Flat Shanghai Noodles (flat, white, made of flour), Hong Kong Noodles (fine, yellow), Empress Hair Noodles (light and yellow egg noodles), Canton Noodles (a chewier variant), Whole Wheat Noodles (high fiber), and Herb Noodles (flat, green, made of onions along with kutchay, spring, and wansuy).

For the Chinese New Year, Salvador recommends the restaurant’s North Park Special Toasted Noodles, a nest of crispy noodles topped with a thick mushroom sauce along with a medley of toppings such as shrimp, fish, sausage, and vegetables.

Meanwhile, there is the Fresh Prawn Dumpling, a bowl of noodles served with a hot soup and peppered with generous servings of steamed prawn dumplings and pechay. On the other hand, meat lovers may go for the Szechwan Tan Tan Mien (Spicy Pork in Bean Sauce). Served on an oblong-shaped plate, a rich, spicy bean sauce with pork chunks rests on a bed of herbed noodles, coupled with a small bowl of hot, clear soup.

While noodle dishes supposedly gives one a longer life, Salvador says that having fried spring rolls on the table brings wealth. Cooked in a perfect shade of golden brown, the spring rolls represent gold bars.

Salvador also explains that red is an auspicious color, and foods that are colored in its hues are considered as lucky. The Chinese consider the color red as a symbol of integrity, an emblem of joy which also symbolizes virtue, truth, and sincerity. For example, the restaurant’s BBQ Pork Asado comes from a pig whose meat is red – believed to bring prosperity. Upon cooking, it is usually served with a dark red, sweet sauce. Further, pork, when consumed, signifies wealth and prosperity because of its rich fat content.