Noodle Soup judging info

Okay I am sitting in a tent in a small park just down the street from Taipei 101 getting ready to participate as a judge in the “Taipei Newrow Mian Contest’ which is beef noodle soup your way. I have no idea what we are going to eat, how we are going to judge, although ping pong balls are involved, or what is going on. There is an MC who seems to be giving away stuff by yelling “e, er, tsan” (1 2 30 and people raise their hands. I have my hand in the air but to no avail. No breakfast but have no fear, as one add states, ‘The top soup which is stewed with in the beef shop over 8 hours, is fresh and sweet. And the only T-bone beef chops noodles in Taiwan is the first choice of gluttons.” what can I say. We get 5 bowls of soup with various mysterious cuts of beef, noodles, dark spicy broth topped with green onions and then put our ping pong ball someplace to indicate our choice. There are categories….clear broth, dark broth, creative, and who knows what else. Many videographers and expensive cameras hovering over all of us and the smell of 5 spice and spice hangs in the air and we are eager, hungry adjudicators. BUT NO, we wait for an hour while the bowls of hot soup are brought to everyone, prizes are given (I won a mug) and dignitaries recognized. The do not give us the complimentary souvenir chopsticks and spoon set until they are ready for all to start and then at last, the moment is here. No criteria, no guidelines, just dig in.

There are three groups represented: spicy dark broth, clear broth, and creative. We vote by dropping the ping pong ball into a jar in front of the kitchen of the chosen soup. There follows an exchange of business cards and much bowing and Xie Xie’ing.

I could go on and on but suffice it to say that this was one bit of Taiwanese local culture that continues to endear this place to us.


Pictures are below.