Zhong Xiaohui is showing off his noodle-picking skills.
Picks 30 bowls of noodles in one minute, with each bowl having a similar amount.
As the saying goes, there are experts in every trade.
Yesterday morning, at a small noodle shop near Moziqiao in Chengdu, young noodle picker Zhong Xiaohui demonstrated his signature skill: picking 30 bowls of noodles in one minute, with each bowl having a similar amount.
Zhong Xiaohui said he has been practicing his noodle-picking skills for 14 years and invited citizens to challenge him. If anyone can beat him, he will treat them to a month's worth of noodles.
Picks 30 bowls of noodles in one minute, young chef's hands move like scissors
At 10 a.m., Zhong Xiaohui, dressed in a chef's uniform, stood in front of a steaming pot.
Next to him, 30 bowls of noodles with seasonings were lined up in a row. More than 20 nearby residents stood by, laughing and enjoying the spectacle.
Zhong Xiaohui rolled up his sleeves and waved his hand to everyone, saying, "Master a trade, and specialize in it. Normally, being able to pick over 10 bowls of noodles in a minute is already quite good, but I can pick 30 bowls and ensure that none of them leak."
"Begin!" To prove he wasn't exaggerating, Zhong Xiaohui shouted and began demonstrating his skill:
He quickly scattered the prepared long noodles into the pot. After boiling the noodles twice, he inserted a pair of long chopsticks used specifically for picking noodles into the pot, his wrists moving continuously. The bamboo chopsticks resembled scissors, picking up the noodles and cutting them neatly, dropping them into the bowls held in his right hand.
Then, the second bowl, the third bowl... all 30 bowls of noodles were picked in an instant, averaging two seconds per bowl.
Upon closer inspection, the amount of noodles in each bowl was very similar.
After finishing picking the noodles, Zhong Xiaohui invited the onlookers to taste them for free.
Citizen Mr. Zhang nodded while eating the noodles: "Fast, I've never seen someone pick noodles this quickly before."
The chopsticks used for picking noodles have no tricks, practiced for 14 years
Some curious citizens questioned how Zhong Xiaohui could pick noodles so fast. Citizen Ms. Huang suspected that there might be some mechanism on the chopsticks, or maybe he doesn't feel the heat from the boiling water.
Zhong Xiaohui smiled and said that the chopsticks used for picking noodles are longer than regular chopsticks, about 30 centimeters, and slightly thicker. The design ensures that they don't get hot when used in the pot. Apart from that, there are no hidden mechanisms.
As for how he mastered this unique skill, Zhong Xiaohui admitted that he has been in this line of work for 14 years.
Initially, he thought picking noodles didn't have much future, but since he was already in this field, he had to persist. Due to the high demand at the snack shop where he previously worked, he gradually increased the speed of his noodle-picking.
Zhong Xiaohui said he enjoys making friends and welcomes challenges. "If anyone can beat me, I'll treat them to a month's worth of noodles."
Zhong Xiaohui also expressed his intention to apply for a Guinness World Record for his noodle-picking skills.
Reported and photographed by journalist Yu Xing.