Have you ever thought of yourself sitting around a small table on the street side and eating food under dim light? Do you think tasty foods are only served in fancily decorated restaurants? What if they also existed in every street corner you walk by?
I am a big fan of street food, not saying I’m into those “bacteria or dirty” street foods, but I love the taste that you would never find in any “formal” restaurant.
Beihejie Chow Mein, which is located in a dark and aged alley in my city, has been running for over 20 years. A Chinese couple runs this small business every night from around 8 o'clock to dawn, until no more people flush in front of their food cart.
The ingredients are normal as those you've seen in American version of chow mein—noodles, sausage slices, bean sprouts and a fried egg. However, a taste of this street food makes you redefine the words ‘chow mein’ in your mind. The female “chef” of this business said the secret is in the soup and the seasoning.
Nights with rain or snow won't stop customers’ stomachs from coming to the cart and feeding themselves with the tasty chow mein. Most eaters are around my age, in their 20s or even older like 30s and 40s, and come here after coming out of bars.
People sit on short benches and eating their foods while chatting with their friends, some wait in line to pack and take home and sometimes few taxi drivers might stop by and get chow mein for their midnight breakfast.
The couple always smile to their customers and sometimes may joke around with teenagers who come here after coming out of bars. Customers not only like the food here, but their smiles also.
Sitting around a small table, no one has to pretend who they are during the day and under the dim light they are all the same—people living in the city.
No suits or dresses, no Chinese or foreigners and no straights or gays, people burry their conversation within the table and all they think about is not the tags you have during the day but how to chill in the rest of the night and enjoy the chow mein.
