Noodles

I AM A STANDARD NORTHERNER, WITH AN OBVIOUS PREFERENCE FOR THE “NORTHIC STOMACH”, WHERE THE PREFERENCE FOR PASTA IS MUCH GREATER THAN THAT FOR RICE, WHICH IS FREE OF RICE BUT NOT NOODLES. MOM KNEW MY PREFERENCE AND LOVED TO MAKE NOODLES, BUT ONE THING ABOUT NOODLES, I JUST LIKED THE BROAD AND TOUGH-FACED, MACHINE-MADE NOODLES SOLD IN THE STREETS. WHEN I WAS A KID, MY FAMILY WOULD HAVE TO FOLLOW MY TASTE. THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST TIME FOR PEOPLE TO BE HAPPY -- CHILDHOOD. WHEN I LEFT THE COUNTRY TO GO TO COLLEGE, I WAS SO FAR AWAY FROM HOME, I WANTED TO EAT NOODLES, AND I HAD TO DO IT MYSELF, BECAUSE THE NOODLE SHOP ON THE STREET HAD ALL KINDS OF PASTA, AND I DIDN'T LIKE IT. THE FIRST SCENE OF MY OWN FACE IS STILL IN SIGHT, AND I'M VERY SOFT, AND MOM SAYS I'M ALIVE WITH A LAZY FACE, AND I DON'T WANT TO RUB IT DOWN, SO I PUT MORE WATER ON IT. IT'S JUST THAT, BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING, IT'S CAKE POWDER, THE TASTE OF THE Q-BOMB THAT'S UNIQUE TO THE NOODLES IS NOTHING. BUT THE MEAT WAS MADE EARLY, AND MY MOTHER HELPED ME CLEAN IT UP AND BROUGHT IT HOME, SO IT TASTED LIKE HOME, AND WORKED HARD TO COOK IT, WITH A FOUR-YEAR-OLD, SLOW-FIRE STEW, THE TASTE OF THE MEAT AND THE BEAUTY. SO THE FIRST TIME I MADE MY OWN STEWED NOODLES, IT WAS KIND OF FUN, BUT FOR ME AT THE TIME, IT WAS A BOWL THAT GAVE ME A VARIETY OF EXPERIENCES, FULL OF ENERGY, DEEP COMFORT, HARD OUTSIDE, HOME-GROWN THOUGHTS, AND DEEP ATTACHMENT TO MY MOTHER... AND THEN I FINALLY FOUND HIGH-STRENGTH FLOUR, AND I MADE THE SAME BOWL OF PASTA OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND MY TASTE WAS GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO WHAT MY MOTHER WAS DOING, AND WHILE I WAS ADMIRING THE RAPID PROGRESS OF MY COOKING, I WAS THINKING, WAS IT NOT? FROM FALLING AND CRASHING SLOWLY, THERE'S PAIN AND COMFORT