09 Miscellaneous Notes from Hubei Part Five

by xue94fwsh on 2012-02-26 14:57:26

"Breakfast at Hubu Lane, night snack at Jiqing Street" is perhaps the experience that can best combine delicious food with the most authentic Wuhan lifestyle. On the morning of the 22nd, an octogenarian scavenger who has been donating money for ten years without using water or electricity to save money, made an appointment with me to have breakfast at Hubu Lane, and we would not miss it... There are breakfast dim sums in Hubu Lane that have been praised countless times by my friend, how could I not be full of anticipation? Despite its fame, Hubu Lane is not clearly marked on GOOGLE Maps or BAIDU Maps, and I can't figure out why. On the Liberation Road and Minzhu Road in Wuchang, a bell inscribed with the three characters "Hubu Lane" hangs high above the market, and the air is filled with the smell of food, making one's mouth water! About 30 meters inside, at the northern entrance of Hubu Lane which runs north-south, there is a recipe for four-ingredient breast enhancement soup. Finally, I met my friend whose lips were still stained with grease, as he had arrived earlier... Upon seeing him, he said with the tone of a well-fed person: "Why did you come so late? I've almost finished eating..." Hearing this, I felt extremely upset! Tasting delicious food must be a shared experience where everyone eats together, even scrambling for bites, to truly savor the flavors. Fortunately, my friend is known as a big eater, and after one round of eating, it was only considered as a prelude... Haha. We slowly walked inside together, and the variety of snacks opened our eyes, leaving us unsure where to start. The map at the entrance introduces Hubu Lane as a century-old alley. Since the 1980s, nearly a hundred kinds of specialty snacks have gathered here, forming today's "First Alley of Han Flavor Breakfast". My friend told me that when coming here, hot dry noodles, three fresh bean skin, and rice cakes must be eaten, with the preferred choice being the time-honored Cai Lin Ji near the southern entrance. Wuhan people love hot dry noodles the most, and when prices were uniformly adjusted in the past, it even caught the attention of the municipal government. After trying them, they really tasted great, very authentic! Especially the sesame paste topping, which is much more fragrant and smooth than what is served in Wuhan restaurants in Shenzhen. With determination, I took photos of each snack I was about to try and shared them with everyone: hot dry noodles, three fresh bean skin, soup dumplings... After finishing the first round, we must take a short break before preparing for the second round. Walking back along the way, various foods lined the streets, feeding my camera but not my stomach. Fish cakes, freshly fried rice cakes, oil-fried bean skin cut into pieces, and some unnamed items... In the red-columned corridor, I solved a rice cake and drank a bowl of tofu pudding, still feeling unsatisfied. Then, we all rushed into the Jiangmin Dumpling Shop at the alley entrance, each having a bowl of fresh meat small dumplings, finally satisfying our cravings! Everyone involuntarily looked at each other and smiled... Since the next stop is the nearby Yangtze River Bridge watchtower, our group returned to Hubu Lane and went out from the south side... The old man sharpening knives on the roadside was quite annoyed by my camera... So I only managed to take a photo of him and the old deep lane behind him. If it weren't for his fierce look of sharpening knives, I would have taken a close-up shot... After exiting the southern alley entrance, I discovered that Hubei TV was preparing to produce a food program here today... The small road before the entrance is undergoing renovation and renewal, forming an ancient street. A TV station MM in a pink tank top pantsuit was sitting attentively at the table, asking the master to carve her a clay figure portrait. Being a television worker, she was used to cameras, and didn't mind being watched and photographed by passersby... To be continued, more pictures are stored in the space album...