Convenient Never Looked So Good

Generally, one of the best parts of being an expat in China is the ability to eat out for every meal.  Eating at a restaurant is not considered a luxury here.  And it’s for this reason that I have never truly embraced cooking / eating in my apartment while living over here.  Aside from a brief stint of making scrambled eggs with soy sauce, I haven’t really explored cooking Chinese food.  I occasionally feel a twinge or regret for this decision, but I feel better when I recall my failed attempt at some 鱼香茄子 (fish fragrant eggplant).  I ended up spending more money on the eggplant and the sauce then I would have for a large, delicious plate of it prepared for me at a restaurant.

But…everything changed last week when I found myself somewhat alone in Dalian for about 5 days.  With no one to get food with on a regular basis, I knew I would have to take drastic measures.  The first drastic measure: purchase food.  The second drastic measure: cook the aforementioned purchased food.  The third and not-so-drastic measure: consume the aforementioned cooked purchased food.

I decided that perhaps I didn’t need to be so dramatic.  And considering I have no pan, no pot, no wok, and no oven; my options were quite limited.  All I had to work with is an electric kettle and a microwave.  I came to the conclusion that instant noodles were my only option.  However, choosing a type of instant noodle is not so easy in China.  The only way I can accurately describe the experience of choosing a brand of instant noodle in China is to draw up a scenario that you can relate to back in the States.   

Imagine, for one second, that you have never purchased cereal.  You decide to go to Publix or Walmart to purchase some of this cereal to enjoy in the comfort of your home.  You look down the aisle and are confronted with, as you well know, an overwhelming set of choices.  Do I want crunchy?  Or flaky?  Do I want healthy?  Or sugary?  Or healthy parading like it’s sugary?  Or sugary parading around like it’s healthy?  (I’m looking at your Raisin Bran Crunch.)

But anyway, you get it.  This is the equivalent of China’s instant noodle aisle.  And like most people, I relied on the advertising of multi-billion dollar conglomerates to make my decision for me.

I’m not sure if it’s the purple packaging.  Or the glasses.  Or the chic facial hair.  But I wanted some of that purple stuff.

 The packaging gets an A+ for sure, but I wasn't amazed until I laid eyes upon the contents.

Not one, not two, but THREE packages for maximum flavor potential.  The silver package contains bit of dried vegetables and the standard MSG mix that comes with most instant noodles.  The red package contains an oil and spice mixture.  And the purple package contains the secret ingredient for these particular noodles:  the pickled vegetables.

Added some boiling water using my fancy electric kettle, and allow them to sit for about 2 minutes.

...I added the sausage bits myself.  ::shhhh::

Absolutely, hands down, the best convenient noodles that I have ever had.  And upon consumption, I could completely relate to this commercial

I figure at some point in the future, when I’m in a country in which the financial balances are tipped in the favor of cooking at home, I’ll try my hand at Chinese cuisine.  But until then, I plan on staying true to restaurants near my house, and perhaps the occasionally bowl of the purple stuff.