"Ah, yes, today I'm more in the mood for noodles."
Marian nodded. She had never seen such a capricious food truck owner who changed the menu every day just because of his own cravings.
But that's okay, as long as it's food made by this owner, it should be safe to enjoy.
Sure enough.
When she saw the process of making noodles as if by magic, her eyes widened in amazement, as if she was seeing things.
Noodles... can be made this way?
"Richard, you..."
She was just about to ask her son if he wanted a bowl when she discovered that he had run to the Sakura Food Truck, about ten meters away, peering excitedly inside.
Sushi?
She licked her lips, suddenly feeling a craving for it too.
This food truck was quite famous, with rave reviews for its sushi, even tastier than most specialized sushi shops.
Except for being a bit pricey, there wasn't a single flaw.
While the noodles weren't ready yet, she quickly walked over.
"Do you want this sushi today, darling?"
Richard nodded vigorously, almost drooling, his eyes fixed on the dazzling array of exquisite sushi in the cold cabinet.
Unlike typical take-out sushi shops, the sushi from this food truck was neatly categorized and laid out in a long strip in the refrigerator for freshness, with at least a dozen different flavors visible at a glance.
Each flavor was priced differently, divided into four tiers based on ingredients: vegetarian, meat, seafood, and premium, allowing guests to choose freely.
"What would you like?"
The sushi maker was a bald man, typically Sakura People style, while the sales were handled by a sweet-looking Sakura Girl, clearly divided duties.
"Tuna, salmon, seaweed, fried tofu, wasabi octopus, fish roe, egg..."
He rattled off several options, filling an entire box.
Marian chose many flavors she liked too, totaling over a hundred euros, which was indeed kind of painful.
But seeing her son's joyful smile reaching up to his cheeks made it worth it.
Back with Lin Chen, the noodles were just done.
"Ma'am, are there any dietary restrictions?"
"Nuts, I can't eat nuts."
Lin Chen nodded and, to be safe, didn't add any sesame, as he couldn't afford any mishaps.
"Sizzle~ Sizzle~"
Hot oil poured over, unleashing a rich aroma.
Marian subconsciously swallowed, suddenly feeling that the cold sushi in her hand had lost much of its allure. Now she just wanted to taste this magical hot bowl of noodles.
Taking the noodles, she casually leaned against the flower bed nearby, swiftly breaking open the chopsticks to stir and mix the noodles.
For someone who loved sushi, disposable chopsticks posed no challenge at all.
With the stirring, the aroma of the sauce was further enhanced, especially the light acidity which relentlessly teased her taste buds, making saliva gush like an uncontrollable floodgate.
While munching on sushi, Richard couldn't help but be drawn in.
Marian loved to eat, welcomed all cuisines, and was a regular patron of Asian food, frequently enjoying delicious Sakura ramen.
Even handmade ramen was prepped in bulk, entirely different from the noodles in this bowl.
"Slurp Slurp Slurp"
Marian slurped hard, barely moving the slippery wide noodles.
She seemed to discover the knack for eating these noodles, picking up the wide strands and simply stuffing them in, her lips and teeth pulsating, inching the noodles gradually into her mouth.
"Hmm?!"
The taste was nothing like any noodles she had tried before; the aroma was incredibly strong, the surface was smooth, and the texture was chewy and elastic with a distinct chew with each bite, rather than just breaking apart easily.
Though the chili powder encrusted on the noodles appeared very red, in the mouth, the tomato and sweet-sour vinegar flavors were more pronounced, followed by a savory sauce taste, finally leaving a subtle spicy sensation lingering.
Just one bite and she fell in love with this marvelous texture.
Compared to the meat bun she recently had, they were completely different; the meat bun had a crisp crust with a slight bread-like toughness, soaking in the meat juices rendering it moist, unique, like dipping roasted bread in meat soup.
This bowl of noodles, however, was purely chewy and smooth, full of bite, with each wide cross-section capable of soaking up the sauce, fully absorbing the flavors.
A few bites of vegetarian toppings, slightly chewy potato and carrot cubes, sweet and sour tomato scrambled eggs, with multiple flavors intertwining and blending in her mouth.
"Haha... my God!"
Her ecstatic expression couldn't be missed by Richard, the child had somehow quietly set down his sushi box, not forgetting to cover it up.
"Can I... may I try it?"
Earlier, he seemed to overhear his mother mention a hamburger while talking to the food truck owner, realizing that the unassuming hamburger was from here.
Even the takeaway food was so good, how delicious must it be made on the spot?
"Oh? But you already have a box of expensive sushi worth fifty euros, are you planning to waste food, Richard?"
He quickly shook his head: "No, no, you've misunderstood, Mom. The sushi can be kept in the fridge and brought to school as lunch tomorrow."
"I remember you don't really like noodles, every time I make mac and cheese, you don't touch it at all."
"Please, Mom, just let me try it. This noodle looks so refreshing, it's exactly my type!"
Seeing her goal achieved, Marian smiled and handed over the bowl of noodles.
Tasting a bite, Richard's eyes immediately widened, full of disbelief, as if she saw herself in others' eyes.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh..."
With each bite, Richard exclaimed a few phrases, failing to express it after a while, eventually summing it up in two words.
Delicious.
"Mom, can we pack these noodles to take home?"
Marian paused.
Such a good question!
Expectedly, restaurants typically didn't recommend packing noodles to go, as they would become soggy.
But she wasn't ready to give up; after all, a round trip took four hours, and though she had the time, the constant drives were rather costly on fuel.
Most Western countries offer childbirth subsidies, the more kids you have, the higher the subsidy, sometimes earning more than a job with two kids.
Thus, families pushing double strollers with another on their back or one or two in hand were common sights abroad.
They had six kids; she and her husband could comfortably live without moving.
"Hey, darling, can I ask if these noodles can be packed to eat at home?"
Such verbal expressions of endearment abroad denote closeness, but not literal affection, Lin Chen had adapted to this style, recognizing it as sincere approval and liking for his food.
He nodded immediately: "Yes, these aren't soup noodles, they're stir-fry noodles, with a special preservation method, no need to worry about affecting the taste."