Across-the-Bridge Noodles
- Across-the-Bridge Noodles
The name of this Yunnanese dish is attributed to a legend in which a young man preparing for the imperial examinations retreats to an island to study. His devoted wife, crossing a bridge daily to deliver his lunch of noodles in broth, and devising a way to keep the food hot, is credited with his success and the family's subsequent prosperity.
It doesn't have to be unfeministto carry them across the bridge
if you meant to spend the morningthis way, and know he's savoring
the gesture (and will wash the bowl).—Right? Both of you know
he could have brought a sandwichand your agenda is as full as his,
but the gift of nourishment can functionindependent of tradition,
oppressing none. You want to eatas your grandparents ate,
which was all homemade,so one of you must light the flame.
Part of you believesthat noodles lengthen life—at least,
you might as well, they're so cheapand delicious—so why not increase
your chances with a lunch [End Page 409] connected by lore to triumph
for men, women, children?Yet you may have to abandon
that story, too, if it lacks a versionwith a scholarly wife and a husband
at the stove. All you really wantis the contemporary equivalent
of both of you passing the imperialexams on good broth and a bellyful
of noodles. Why can't it happen?The bridge might be the problem.
No need to study on an island.Declare the line between kitchen
and dining room the river,then take turns walking on water. [End Page 410]
adrienne su is the author of four books of poems, most recently Living Quarters. Recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, she teaches at Dickinson College, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Recent poems appear in Bennington Review, New Ohio Review, Poetry, and Vinegar & Char: Verse from the Southern Foodways Alliance.
